About The Wartime Hotel Series

During the Second World War, an obvious feature of air raids was being bombed out. This meant your home was destroyed or else rendered uninhabitable. The normal thing to do in this situation was to move in with family, something that thousands upon thousands of people all over the country were obliged to do. When this happened, it almost always lasted for the duration of the entire war.

The worst time for air raids was the summer of 1940 through to the summer of 1941. If you lost your home during that time and had to move in with Auntie Ethel, the chances were that you’d still be at Auntie Ethel’s when the war ended in 1945… and for some considerable time afterwards.

It wasn’t just people who got displaced. Their possessions did too. In many cases, if a house took a direct hit, then all the furniture and other things were blown to smithereens; but if a house was simply damaged and made uninhabitable, very often many of the possessions were left intact – and they all had to be stored somewhere. You couldn’t take them with you to Auntie Ethel’s because she hadn’t got enough space, not least because Grandma, Auntie Flo, Cousin Rodney and the cat had also been bombed out and had moved in with her as well.

So where were all these possessions put? There were what we would refer to as storage facilities, but you won't be surprised to hear that these got filled up pretty quickly. People had to make whatever arrangements they could.

How about a small hotel, where they’ve lost all their guest-room furniture to the bailiffs, so they set themselves up as a storage place? Welcome to Dunbar’s!

The story is set on the Home Front and everyone has to cope with air raids, rationing, the blackout, the fear of invasion and the worry of loved ones being overseas. As well as this, Kitty, Lily and Beatrice have their own personal difficulties to contend with, and a staunch friendship grows between them as they support one another.

This is what I love writing about – female friendships and the ways women look out for one another. I also love bringing together characters who, in the normal course of things, would never have met, but when things go wrong and are at their bleakest, that’s when these characters find one another – and suddenly they have a safety net of concern, understanding and togetherness to rely on and help them to stay strong, not just for the duration of the war but for the rest of their lives.

I hope you’re going love being friends with Kitty, Lily and Beatrice.