A New Year and the connection between past and present...

It's great to be finishing a book at the beginning of a New Year, knowing that very soon I will be submitting it to my editor. But I have very happy memories of October of 2011, when my last book IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER, was published in hardback, paperback and Kindle and crept into the Sunday Times chart.

IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER is set in 1919 and tells of a family in London's East End, suffering the traumatic effects of the Great War. As I have written before, the specific issue is of soldiers deserting the front line and the attitude of society towards their unfortunate families. Digging deep into the subject, some of the personal testimonies I researched, were heartrending. They also mirrored similar accounts of our troops and their families in the most recent of wars like Iraq and Afghanistan.

What was once called shell shock is now known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Now at least, PTSD is recognized as a serious condition and can be treated, whereas in 1919 it was viewed with contempt and shunned. When these young men couldn't function, they were classed as deserters or malingerers. Some were executed, a dreadful injustice. I hope the story will help to enlighten readers as the novel unfolds.

Similarly, the book I am about to complete draws a link between past and present. It involves the promise of celebrity and fame sought by youngsters of the 1930's and the dangers of unscrupulous opportunists using these young people for their own gain. History repeats itself in a never-ending cycle. Fame and fortune, war and glory, are now transformed by technology. But always, the emotions remain the same.

With each book I've tried to capture some of these emotions. And most importantly, I believe that no matter how hopeless a situation may seem, it's always possible for love and the strength of family and friends to redeem us in the end.