Blog Tour Extract: Tell No Lies by Lisa Hartley

Tell No Lies by Lisa Hartley

Published: 19th February 2018

Publisher: Canelo

Pages: 331

Available on Kindle

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Blurb

A tortured body is found in a basement. Drug dealing and people smuggling is on the rise. Then police start going missing.

There seems to be no connection between the crimes, but Detective Caelan Small senses something isn’t right.

Plunged into a new investigation, lives are on the line. And in the web of gangs, brothels and nerve-shattering undercover work, Caelan must get to the truth – or be killed trying.

And then there’s Nicky...

Extract

Ninety minutes later, Caelan stepped off the train at Northolt and hitched her rucksack onto her shoulder. As she left the station and crossed the road, she didn’t allow her eyes to stray towards the entrance to the underpass where the man she had been following, the man she should have kept safe, had been killed only a few days before. Standing at the bus stop, she kept her head turned away as though looking out for a bus approaching. She had done her best to keep him alive, her hands and clothes stained with his blood when the paramedics arrived, but it had been futile. He had died on the operating table as the surgeons fought to save him. She blinked away the memory of the blood, and his mother’s devastated face. She was here to speak to another grieving family, and they deserved her full attention.

A bus took her close to Radcliffe Way, where PC Ben Rainey had lived with his parents and younger brother and sister. Large blocks of flats and maisonettes dominated the area. The Rainey family’s home stood at the edge of an expanse of concrete, facing a row of garages. There were ten properties, and Caelan found the number she was looking for on the door of the house on the bottom left of the block. Drifting from the property above through an open window came beautiful, haunting music and a voice singing in a language Caelan couldn’t understand. She stood and listened, the sounds of the street, of busy modern London, fading into the background.

‘Any reason you’re waiting outside our house?’

The question came from behind her. Caelan turned to see two teenagers. They wore black blazers and trousers, white shirts, blue-and-black-striped ties and quizzical expressions. Joseph and Miriam, Ben Rainey’s siblings. She smiled.

‘Yeah, sorry. I’m a police officer.’ She remembered her outfit – the jeans, the gaudy trainers. ‘Though I might not look like one today.’

Joseph inclined his head. ‘You got ID?’

Caelan unzipped her jacket and reached into the inside pocket. Usually, being undercover meant leaving your warrant card at home. Since she’d had to pack as much as she could carry at Nicky’s flat with no idea when she might be able to collect the rest of her belongings, her warrant card had been the first item she grabbed. She’d just have to be careful, or give it to Achebe or Beckett to lock away safely.

The boy took it, and he and his sister peered at it. Miriam looked Caelan up and down.

‘Why are you here?’ she asked.

‘I need to speak to your parents, and the two of you.’

‘About…’ She stumbled over the name, was unable to say it. ‘About my brother?’

‘I’m afraid so.’

Miriam screwed up her face. ‘More questions?’

‘Why haven’t you caught this…’ Joseph frowned, his mouth working. ‘Why haven’t you found him?’

Caelan took back the warrant card, pushed it into her pocket. ‘Honestly? I don’t know. I’ve only just been drafted onto the case.’

‘And what, you couldn’t read up on what we’ve told you people already? You had to come here to upset everyone all over again?’ Miriam’s voice was harsh, but Caelan could see tears in her eyes. Her brother stepped closer to her, the two of them moving towards their front door, blocking it from Caelan’s view. ‘We don’t want you to come in. Our mum and dad…’

‘They’re devastated.’ Caelan made it a statement, not a question.

Joseph scrubbed his eyes with his knuckles. ‘Can you blame them?’ He folded his arms across his chest. ‘They won’t want to see you, or talk to you. Can’t you leave us alone?’

Caelan paused. ‘I want to find the person who killed your brother, who did this to your family. I wouldn’t be here disturbing you if it wasn’t important, if I didn’t believe you can help me.’

About the Author

Lisa Hartley lives with her partner, son, two dogs and several cats. She graduated with a BA (Hons) in English Studies, then had a variety of jobs but kept writing in her spare time. She is currently working on the next DS Catherine Bishop novel, as well as a new series with Canelo.

Author Social Media Links

Twitter: @rainedonparade

Blog Tour Extract: Wedding Bells at the Dog and Duck by Jill Steeples

Wedding Bells at the Dog & Duck by Jill Steeples

Published: 1st March 2018

Publisher: Aria

Pages: 242

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Today for my stop on the Wedding Bells at the Dog & Duck by Jill Steeples I have a short extract to share with you all, hope you enjoy. 

Blurb

Ellie Browne, landlady of The Dog & Duck, is looking forward to a relaxing Christmas Day before the arrival of her and her partner Max's baby in the New Year. But with a snowstorm brewing outside, it seems that things might not go quite to plan. After the dramatic events of the holiday season, Ellie settles into her new life at Max's huge country mansion Braithwaite Manor, juggling work and family as best she can. When she's asked to help organise a summer wedding for one of her best friends it's only natural that her mind turns to her own, non-existent, wedding plans! But with Max decidedly lukewarm on the subject and other family complications threatening to disrupt life further, Ellie fears there'll never be wedding bells at the Dog & Duck after all.

Extract

I sighed, closing my eyes for the briefest moment, the events of the last couple of years flashing through my mind in vivid technicolour. I had no reason to worry. The pub was in safe hands – Dan knew as much as I did about running a good pub and he and Silke would do a great job in my absence. While I would miss being here on a daily basis, I had other more important priorities now.

Max, our baby, Katy and Digby.

We were a little family unit and I needed to take time out of my busy working life to just enjoy this new chapter. The pub would still be here waiting for me when I was ready to return to work.

‘I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to this,’ said Arthur, an old family friend and one of the pub’s most long-standing customers, as he eased himself out of the cosy armchair next to the fireplace. He collected his walking stick, which had been resting against the inglenook fireplace and straightened himself, every movement made in slow motion. A smile appeared at his lips.

‘My Marge would always put on a lovely spread at Christmas. The dinners we had! Mmmm. She’d do all the cooking herself, you know? She made a lovely bread sauce, and Yorkshire puddings the size of billowing clouds. We’d have everyone round, there’d be twelve or fourteen of us sometimes. A bit like today.’ He nodded at the train of people heading in the direction of the barn. ‘Such happy times. That was why I was so pleased when you invited me along. Brings back lovely memories,’ he said wistfully.

‘Aw, and I have lovely memories of you and Marge at Christmastime too. Every year you would pop round to the cottage on Christmas Eve for a glass of mulled wine and a mince pie, to drop off my present. It was the same gift every year – I would have been horrified if it wasn’t – an annual and a selection box, and I can remember that feeling of excitement as I put the present beneath the tree. Christmas Day, after all the excitement had died down, I would curl up on the sofa and read my annual and work my way through all the chocolates in the box.’ I laughed, thinking how I wouldn’t have minded doing the same thing right now. ‘We’re very happy to have you here with us today, Arthur,’ I said, reaching out to take hold of his free hand, knobbly with veins, and squeezing it tight.

Josie, my best friend from way back when, and her husband, Ethan, brought up the rear, with baby Stella, my gorgeous little goddaughter, held in the arms of Eric, Josie’s dad. Everyone who was important to me was here today, apart from my parents who were on standby to fly over from Dubai just as soon as my baby deigned to put in an appearance.

Just then, as we were making our way out to the barn, there was a loud and insistent banging on the door. Max had locked it earlier knowing we wouldn’t be open to the general public today.

‘Who on earth is that?’ said Josie, almost indignantly.

‘Someone wanting their Christmas Day pint, no doubt,’ said Ethan.

‘Tell them there’s no room at the inn.’ Eric chuckled to himself.

I waddled over and called through the door, ‘Sorry, we’re not open.’

Another bang came then, louder and more urgent this time. Maybe it was a friend or villager come to pass on their good wishes for the season. Sharing a curious look with Eric, I went to unlock the door, but he stepped in, coming over from behind me to reach up to unbolt the heavy lock. He pulled open the old oak door and a biting blast of cold air whipped through the entrance, snow flurries obscuring the view of our visitor, creating a snow globe effect.

‘Crikey, that weather is insane.’ Josie shivered. ‘I’ve never seen anything like it.’

The man standing on the threshold took a step forward, coming into focus. Tall, brown hair, forty-ish, with snowflakes peppering his head and shoulders.

‘Sorry to interrupt, but I saw the light on. I just wondered if you had a room available. My car is well and truly stuck in the back lane into the village.’

‘But it’s Christmas Day,’ I said, rather unnecessarily, just in case the stranger had overlooked this vital fact. ‘Where are you heading?’

‘Just driving through, but in these conditions I won’t be going anywhere. My car won’t budge. And the way it’s looking, nothing will be getting in or out of the village. Not for the next twenty-four hours at least.’

‘Ellie!’ Max called from the back door. ‘Are you coming?’

‘Oh sorry,’ said the man. ‘I can see you’re busy. I’ll leave you to it. Do you know of any bed and breakfasts in the village that might have room tonight?’

‘Look, come in for a moment,’ I said, eager to get the door shut before we all perished from the cold.

The Woolly Hat Knitting Club by Poppy Dolan

The Woolly Hat Knitting Club by Poppy Dolan

Published: 25th September 2017

Publisher: Canelo

Pages: 300

Available on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 4/5

Blurb

When Dee Blackthorn’s brother, JP, breaks both wrists not only is he in need of a helping hand – or two – but the knitting shop he owns can’t function. Sisterly duties take Dee away from her demanding job and she is unceremoniously fired amidst scandalous office rumours. Dee is certain that her hot-shot nemesis, Ben, is behind it all.

Back in the village of Fenwild where JP's shop resides, Dee bumps into Becky, an old friend who is new mum to a premature baby. Desperate to help Becky, Dee convinces JP to enlist his knitting pals to make tiny woolly hats to keep the little one warm. Seeing how grateful her friend is, Dee makes it her mission to help lots of other premature babies. When Ben turns up denying involvement in Dee’s sacking she is initially furious, but hears him out before roping him into helping the knitting cause.

But before long Dee’s good intentions backfire and she risks losing her friends, her family and Ben, who’s turned out to be not so bad after all…

Review

Being someone who loves all things crafty The Woolly Hat Knitting Club was a book which really appealed to me. It’s a wonderful story of family, friendship and full on knitting fun and one which I found to be deeper than your average chick-lit novel.

Dee and her brother Julian (JP) co-own Blackthorn’s Haberdashery. Dee who works in advertising in London is more of a silent partner in the business until JP calls her and says he needs a hand…literally as he’s broken both of his wrists and can’t keep his shop or his blog About a (Knitting) Boy running without Dee’s help.

Dee steps into help JP but her absence from the office starts scandalous rumours leaving Dee being given instant dismissal on her return. Fuming Dee places all the blame on co-worker Ben and with nothing keeping her in London heads back to Fenwild to lick her wounds.

 Back in the village Dee bumps into old friend Becky and when she learns she’s given birth to a premature little boy Dee decides to make it her mission to help. What starts off as one woolly hat being knit turns into hundreds as Dee and JP set up a campaign to help as many babies as they can.

Dee is one of those characters who you’ll either love or hate. She very quick to judge things based on very few facts and always believes she knows the best for everybody which does land her in trouble with almost everyone she knows. But I believe her hearts in the right the place and she’s doing the best that she can, she may make many mistakes, but she also knew when its time to admit she’s wrong and apologise and for that I loved her. I also loved that she never gave up learning to knit despite being rubbish at it, I feel her pain, I still can’t master this craft and it annoys me greatly…knitting is harder than it looks.

I found this a lovely heart-warming novel which highlights that working twenty-four seven is not always the best way to life, the things outside of work such as family, friends, romance and even hobbies all add things to make our lives better and I loved reading Dee’s journey as she learns this.

I also loved that this showed the crafting community in such a positive light, being part of it myself its nice to read something where knitting isn’t just for the older generations but something which everyone can embrace.

This was my first novel by Poppy Dolan but I’m really looking forward to reading more of her stories in the future.

Thank you to Canelo for sending me a copy to review in exchange for my honest opinions.

Blog Tour Guest Post: Blood Ties by Heather Burnside

Blood Ties by Heather Burnside

Published: 1st March 2018

Publisher: Aria

Pages: 296

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Today I'd like to welcome Heather Burnside to my blog to kick off the start of the blog tour for her latest novel Blood Ties, which is the second instalment of her Manchester crime trilogy and follows on from Born Bad published last year. Heather is sharing today her tips on writing a trilogy, something which as readers we will know is a daunting task, so thank you Heather.

Blurb 

Adele Robinson is locked up – convicted for the murder of her abusive father. She quickly realises that she'll have to play it tough if she's going to survive, and soon gains a reputation for standing her ground.

Meanwhile, her brother Peter is building his criminal empire on the outside – running protection rackets, seedy nightclubs and all manner of schemes to make a fast buck. He soon comes to the attention of, not only the police, but also Manchester's rival gangs, and a turf war breaks out.

And when things start to get bloody, only Adele can step in to protect the family business. Will she get out in time to save Peter? After all, blood is thicker than water, and when family's in trouble you can't look the other way.

Guest Post: The Challenges of Writing a Trilogy

Hi and thank you for inviting me to be a guest on your blog. I am excited to introduce Blood Ties, the second book in my Manchester crime trilogy.

The opening part of Blood Ties sees our protagonist, Adele, serving time. Adele’s skills as a kickboxing black belt combined with her fiery temper have earned her a tough girl reputation. Because of this she gets on the wrong side of the prison bullies who want to bring her down. Adele then becomes immersed in a battle for survival during her time behind bars.

When Adele finishes her sentence things don’t get any easier for her in the outside world. Unable to gain honest employment because of her prison record, she agrees to do the bookkeeping for her brother, Peter’s businesses. But not all of Peter’s businesses are legal and above board, and Adele soon gets sucked into the seedy underworld of 90s gangland Manchester and has to face the dire consequences.

While Blood Ties is hitting the shops, I’m busy getting the first draft of book three ready to submit to my publishers, Aria Fiction. Publishing a novel brings a tremendous sense of achievement as well as relief that it’s finally out there, and with a trilogy those sentiments are tripled.

Writing a trilogy also brings its own unique set of challenges as it’s important to ensure that each book flows on from the preceding ones. Fortunately, there are ways to keep track of things and I use a few techniques to help me:

Outline – I always draw up an outline before I begin writing a novel. Then, as I develop the novel I flesh it out. To me an outline is important as it helps me to quickly recap if I don’t write for a couple of days. Unlike a lot of authors, I don’t write every day. Instead, I treat it like any 9-5 job and give myself weekends off when I focus on other things.

Character Lists – For me a character list is very important since the characters are essential to any novel. As well as giving physical details of the character, the list should detail their personal characteristics, skills, likes and dislikes etc. I also bear in mind that characters change during the course of a novel and more so with a trilogy. They may change physically in appearance as they grow older and their personalities will also be affected by what happens to them.

List of Place Names – This isn’t so much a list of towns, cities etc. but more a list of homes, pubs, businesses and any other places that my characters frequent. It gives details of what those places look like and how they are set out. So, for example, Adele’s childhood home in book one is situated in Gorton, Manchester. The living room is the first room off the hallway then the kitchen/dining room is at the back. A shabby back garden with a passageway runs along the back of the house etc. etc.

My list of place names has served me well as it’s so easy to lose track when you’re writing a trilogy of over 250,000 words. For example, I almost dropped a clanger with book three when I described the area where a particular pub is located only to find when I checked my list that I had already located it in a different area in book two.

Timeline – This is where I set out the day and week when a particular scene or chapter occurs in relation to the rest of the book. It can be incorporated into the Outline. I would always write a timeline for any novel but for a trilogy it is particularly important so that I can ensure everything fits in sequentially. Otherwise I might make a mistake such as having someone give birth only a few weeks after they become pregnant.

I must admit that I find the timeline one of the most challenging aspects of writing a novel. I draw up a rough guide at the outset but then as the novel progresses other scenes come into play. This often means that I have to make adjustments to the timeline when I have finished writing the novel.

This may seem like a lot of lists but it helps me save time in the long run by avoiding many pitfalls.

I do hope you’ll enjoy reading Blood Ties as much as I enjoyed writing it. Now that I’ve published Blood Ties, I’m looking forward to completing the third and final book in the trilogy.

With best wishes,

 Heather x

About the Author

Heather Burnside is a Manchester-based author who, after taking a career break to raise a family, swapped credit control for writing and decided to study for a writing diploma. Heather had articles featured in several popular UK magazines before publishing her first Manchester-based crime thriller in 2014.

Links to buy

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2C7MllX

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2CCWcMg

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2sGi4qp

iBooks: https://apple.co/2omUg5x

Follow Heather Burnside

Website: https://heatherburnside.com/

Twitter: @heatherbwriter

Facebook: @HeatherBurnsideAuthor

Follow Aria

Website: www.ariafiction.com

Facebook: @ariafiction

Twitter: @aria_fiction

Instagram: @ariafiction

NetGalley: http://bit.ly/2lkKB0e

Sign up to the Aria newsletter: http://bit.ly/2jQxVtV

Blog Tour Review: Behind a Closed Door by Adele O'Neill

Behind a Closed Door by Adele O'Neill

Published: 1st March 2018

Publisher: Aria

Pages: 454

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 4/5

Blurb

What if everything in your life was a lie? An emotionally tense story of love, loyalty, betrayal and revenge. Perfect for the fans of Louise Jenson.

DUBLIN - For the past two years Jill Ryan has tried to keep her darkest secrets deeply buried and remain relatively anonymous. Haunted by her tragic past and struggling to keep her life together, Jill soon realises that the last person she can trust is herself.

KILKENNY - Only Heather Martin knows the lengths her husband will go to teach her a lesson and Heather has had enough. Faced with the impossible choice of saving herself or staying to care for her ailing father, Heather has a choice to make. But does she have what it takes to survive?

When Detectives Louise Kennedy in Dublin and Tony Kelly in Kilkenny begin to investigate, their dark discoveries collide unravelling a complex web of secrets that stretch far and wide.

Review

Behind a Closed Door is Adele O’Neill’s second novel following on from “brothers and sisters” published in 2017. As the title suggests this is a novel centred around domestic violence, a sensitive topic which I think Adele O’Neill has written about successfully in this novel.

The narrative is split between several characters, in two different time periods, each giving their own perspective on the events which are unfolding and the consequences which follow. Despite the numbers of different voices, it’s easy to distinguish between them and the story flows effortlessly among them.

Heather Martin is the main character, a shy woman who has against the advice of all those around her married Detective Mike Martin, something she has since learnt to regret as Mike has started to take his anger out on her.

Jill Ryan is suffering from nightmares about abusive events which occurred earlier in her life, when it becomes common knowledge that Jill is suffering its boyfriend Ben who comes under suspicion.

Detectives Tony Kelly and Louise Kennedy work together to try and uncover the mysteries behind the suffering of these two women, while at the same time remaining professional as their personal lives becomes even closer.

This is one of those novels where the suspense is not in the who is the victim and who is the perpetrator as its easy to figure this out early in the novel.  The suspense comes from the expectation that something bad is going to happen but you’re not sure what and if anyone is going to step in help.

I found this a great read which was easy to get drawn into and very hard to put down as more and more things come to light. I loved how each of these characters drew closer and closer together until they all finally came together at the end.

Thank you so much to the publishers Aria for sending me a copy to review honestly and for inviting me to be part of the blog tour.

About the Author

Having lived and worked in the UK and Dublin since college, Adele now lives in her home town in Co. Wicklow with her husband and two teenage daughters. She writes overlooking the Irish Sea and is an active member of the Wexford Literary Festival committee.

Follow Adele O’Neill

Twitter: @Adelesbooks

Facebook: AdeleONeillBooks

Follow Aria

Website: www.ariafiction.com

Facebook: @ariafiction

Twitter: @aria_fiction

Instagram: @ariafiction

NetGalley: http://bit.ly/2lkKB0e

Sign up to the Aria newsletter: http://bit.ly/2jQxVtV

Blog Tour Review: Who's That Girl? by Celia Hayes

Who's That Girl? by Celia Hayes

/Published: 1st February 2018

Publisher: Aria

Pages: 303

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 3/5

Blurb

Sam Preston appears to be living the glamorous life of a journalist at the San Francisco Chronicle...

If only that was the case... in reality, she's frustratingly single, stuck living in her parents' house, and oh yeah, in love with her boss, Dave, who barely knows that she exists...

Life seems like it will never change... until the day Sam is put on an assignment with Dave, reporting on the San Francisco Fashion Week. She hopes this might be a turning point in their relationship...

But things never go to plan and practically overnight, Sam becomes an accidental contestant in the Beautiful Curvy pageant and life suddenly becomes very complicated.

How will she manage her new rise to stardom, her job, and her sudden irresistibility to not only Dave, but a new man on the scene?

Review

Sam Preston is a just an ordinary girl working as an assistant journalist and still living at home with her parents. She’s no boyfriend but she’s okay with that as she’s been in a one-sided infatuation with her boss Dave for the past three years. Sam longs to be a proper journalist and cover the big stories instead of the quirky interviews and all the office administration. One day Sam gets her big break, she can write about the new “Beautiful Curvy” pageant, but Sam gets more than she bargained for when she accidentally becomes a contestant herself.

I was really looking forward to reading this as the whole beauty pageant concept is one which is written about too much and I was looking forward to reading how Sam coped with the situation. However, the contest is barely mentioned until the end of the book so I was a little disappointed. The story’s main focus is the relationship between Sam and Dave.

I tried hard to like Sam but something about her just didn’t click with me, I’m still wondering why. I liked that she gains confidence as the story progresses but felt it was a little over the top and full on at times. I think the thing that bugged me most though was her adoration of Dave, I just couldn’t see what she saw in him. To me Dave was an arrogant, aggressive and bossy without any likable characteristics. The thing that annoyed me most about him was that he never seemed to believe Sam when she said “no” to him.

The flow of the story is good and there are some funny scenes throughout the book which were enjoyable to read, mostly when Sam is drunk and clumsy.  I did find the first few chapters confusing as the narrative switches between first and third person narrative without any warning but this did seem to stop about half way through, making the second half of the book for me more enjoyable.

This will be an enjoyable read for many people but for me something was missing to make it a great read.

I’d like to thank Aria for sending me a copy to review for my honest opinions and inviting me to be part of the blog tour.

Blog Tour Guest Post: The Candle Factory Girl by Tania Crosse

THE CANDLE FACTORY GIRL by Tania Crosse

Published: 1st March 2018

Publisher: Aria

Pages: 536

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Blurb

Work at Price's Candle Factory in Battersea is tedious for intelligent, seventeen-year-old Hillie Hardwick, but she knows she is lucky to have a job at all.

Her home life is no better, as she constantly battles with her exacting and bullying father in order to protect her mother and five younger siblings from his abuse.

Her only solace is her loving relationship with the chaotic Parker family and her best friend, Gert Parker.

When matters violently escalate for Hillie, smitten Jack-the-Lad Jimmy Baxter seems her only salvation.

But could this be the biggest mistake of her life, and should she be looking for protection nearer home?

A story that crackles with unease where courage and friendship are the only hope.

Today I am delighted to welcome Tania Crosse, author of The Candle Factory Girl to my blog to share some of her memories of Battersea in London where her novel is set. The Candle Factory Girl is published today by Aria.

Memories of Battersea

Nowadays, Battersea is considered a sought-after area of south-west London. Long gone are the nearby industries, Price’s Candle Factory included, that used to spew smoke into the atmosphere. The two hundred acres of Battersea Park that produce a haven for peace, recreation and fresh air, are a stone’s throw away. The back streets are quiet, yet bustling central London is but a short trip by bus or train, or a longer walk for the more energetic.

Our house in Banbury Street, now beautifully renovated, was on the market a few years ago for a huge amount of money. If my parents had owned it rather than renting the top part of the house, they would have been well-off indeed.

At the end of the war, because of the Blitz and then the V1 and V2 rocket attacks in 1944-5, there was a dreadful housing shortage, particularly before the ‘pre-fab’ building programme got going. So it was a wonder my parents managed to secure the tenancy of the two bedrooms on the top floor, and a sitting room and small kitchen on the middle level. There was no bathroom, and just one toilet for the whole house, down in the semi-basement.

I believe that the first few houses, including ours, on that side of the street, belonged at the time to the brewery. They were considered superior because the original servants’ quarters in the semi-basements necessitated a flight of stone steps up to the main front door. In our semi-basement, lived a dear, kindly elderly widow, a retired cook. She became our beloved Nanny Lloyd, and we spent as much time with her as we did in our own part of the house. All of which allowed me to describe Jessica’s home in such detail.

My heroine, Hillie, however, and her friend, Gert, live on the opposite side of the street. Sadly, this terrace of modest yet characterful houses built later in the Nineteenth Century was demolished in the 1970s and replaced with modern flats. Such a pity as all the similar properties in the adjoining streets have been restored and now offer popular residences.

Price’s Candle Factory, too, has gone. Some of the buildings fronting onto York Road now have commercial use, but between them and the river behind is now residential, so skilfully done that it is difficult to know which is newbuild and which is factory conversion.

Battersea Park, as much part of our lives as it is for Hillie, her friends and family, has also undergone changes. I knew it when the pleasure gardens were there, a prettily landscaped funfair created for the 1951 Festival of Britain. I remember the tree walk, a wooden structure leading through the lofty branches above the park. Above all, I adored the famous Guinness Clock, waiting with such excitement for it to burst into life every fifteen minutes. I have no recollection of the aviaries and deer enclosure. I am guessing they were removed when war broke out. The pleasure gardens, tree walk and Guinness Clock have all gone, too, and the park is so cosmopolitan that you can hear spoken almost any language you can name.

Clapham Junction also holds strong memories for me. I often travelled with my mother by bus or train. I remember waiting on the platform, enthralled as I watched the gigantic steam engines hiss into the station like fiery dragons. Many of the trains were diesel driven, but they weren’t the same.  Then there were the ‘banana arches’, warehouses beneath the raised tracks along the back entrance to the station. Memories still haunt me of walking past on dark, misty evenings, clutching my mother’s hand. It was so creepy that I shudder at the thought even now. So I had to bring them into the story, a perfect place for – well, I won’t tell you. I don’t want to spoil it for when you read the book!

My own family life was very happy, and nothing like that of any of the characters in the book. Yet I felt drawn to set The Candle Factory Girl in the same street. But I will leave you with one thought. When my parents rented those rooms in Battersea, they barely had a penny to their names. So how did they own their own home by the time they retired, and now lie together in a country churchyard in a small Berkshire village. Perhaps there’s another book in there somewhere...?