Over recent weeks, it has been a huge pleasure to introduce you to my latest book, A New Home at the Wartime Hotel, which is the first in my new series.   I can’t wait for the hotel doors to open so you can come inside and meet Kitty, Beatrice and Lily. I hope you’re going to love them, laugh and cry with them, and think of them as your friends.

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.

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In my previous two blogs, I introduced you to Kitty and Lily from A New Home at the Wartime Hotel. Today - meet Beatrice.

Beatrice Inkerman spends her life making the best of things, which isn’t always easy when you do the job she does. She doesn’t let herself see how tough things are for her. Hard-working, capable, dependable… or is she just plain boring?

The chance of war work is dangled in front of her, but will she be deemed suitable? And what about all those children – the ones who remind her of herself when she was a girl? Can she really bring about much-needed change in their difficult circumstances?

Beatrice’s hitherto predictable life is about to get very interesting.

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Links to Amazon for the Kindle and the paperback.

A New Home at the Wartime Hotel, book 1 in my new Dunbar's Hotel series, will be published on March 27th.

Blurb:

1940, Manchester

Kitty learned early on in her marriage that her husband, Bill Dunbar, isn’t reliable with money. So she’s hopeful, when they inherit the Dunbar family hotel at the start of the war, that their financial worries will be over… until the bailiffs turn up! With Bill working hard in the Auxiliary Fire Service to protect Manchester from German bombing raids, it’s up to Kitty to turn things around for her family.

Lily worked as a chambermaid at Dunbar’s before the war. But her relationship with Daniel, a merchant seaman, was complicated by class differences and the disapproval of Daniel’s mother. Now Lily discovers she’s pregnant – and with Daniel away at sea she faces the judgement and scorn of wider society all alone. Will Kitty and Dunbar’s come to her rescue?

Beatrice is in her forties, unmarried, and working to support households with elderly or infirm relatives: a job that exposes her to the harsh realities of poverty and sacrifice. But when she bumps into an old flame at Dunbar’s hotel, she wonders whether there’s an opportunity to change her own life for the better.

Can the Dunbar’s hotel community pull together and provide a beacon of hope and resilience, in the dark days of war?

Last week I introduced you to Kitty Dunbar from A New Home at the Wartime Hotel. This week, it's Lily's turn.

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That's Lily, on the left  in the main picture.

Life should have been straightforward for Lily. With her humble working class origins, she was lucky to secure a live-in post at Dunbar’s Hotel after she left school aged 14. Everything goes well for her until she meets Daniel, a handsome young merchant navy officer, and they fall head over heels in love. That’s when the problems start. Can two people from such different walks of life ever be truly happy together? Not if Daniel’s mother has anything to do with it…

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Amazon links:   Kindle   paperback   Audible 

Publication day is March 27th.

Following on from last week's blog, in which I introduced you to the background to my new series, The Wartime Hotel, written as MaisieThomas, this week I'm delighted to introduce you to the first of my three viewpoint characters - Kitty Dunbar.

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That's Kitty in the middle.

With a husband who spends money like there’s no tomorrow, and a sharp-eyed mother-in-law who isn’t afraid to speak her mind, you could be forgiven for thinking Kitty Dunbar’s marriage wasn’t made in heaven… but marriage to Bill has given Kitty her sunny-natured daughter Abigail and that makes up for everything. Well – almost. Moving into Dunbar’s Hotel offers Kitty a marvellous opening, but when disaster strikes, can she turn calamity into opportunity and give her beloved Abbie the security she deserves?

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Book 1 in the series is A New Home at the Wartime Hotel.

Pre-order links: Kindle, paperback and Audible   

Publication day is March 27th.

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To sign up to my Maisie Thomas Newsletter, click here.

I've previously shown off the cover and the blurb of my forthcoming book, A New Home at the Wartime Hotel, written as Maisie Thomas.   Now I'd like to introduce you to the background to the story.

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!

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If you like the sound of this, here is the pre-order link. Publication day is March 27th.

This week I am delighted to welcome a newcomer to my blog - author and creative writing tutor Julie Hartley.   Julie is the author of the Second World War story Her Secret Soldier. Her latest title is The Promise She Made, which was published on February 12th.   She is here with us today as part of the Cover Love series, to celebrate the beautiful cover of The Promise She Made.

Cover Love… with Julie Hartley

When I saw the cover for my second historical novel, The Promise She Made, I fell in love with it. My main character, Ruby, is a strong and determined young woman, and the artist captures this perfectly in her expression. As the Battle of Britain rages on in summer 1940, Ruby defies her aunt and her fiancé by booking passage for herself and her little sister to Canada. She’s determined to keep her sister safe – it was her last promise to her dying mother.

The shattered buildings behind Ruby are also significant, and I was thrilled when I saw those. Ruby fails to keep her sister safe because their ship – the SS City of Benares – is torpedoed by the Nazis in the middle of the Atlantic. After little Eliza is reported ‘lost at sea’ Ruby must return to England and put together the shattered pieces of her life. She does this while the London Blitz is underway, so she faces enormous turmoil, inside and out.

I also really liked the colour scheme for this cover – the mauve shades behind the images.

My first novel – Her Secret Soldier – was set in a cottage deep in an ancient forest, and that cover had a blue/green palette, which was perfect.

The Promise She Made is a more urgent, dramatic, emotional tale, and the shades of purple reflect that.

I loved writing this book, which is all about the struggles of a young woman to come to terms with the past and build a meaningful future for herself. It’s also a bit of a mystery tale, too. Ruby trains to be a spy, so she can help defeat the Nazis, who torpedoed a ship full of innocent children – and that’s when she discovers a letter that hints at an unexpected possibility....

Her sister might still be alive.

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Amazon link:

https://geni.us/ThePromiseSheMade

Julie Hartley’s website :

www.juliehartley.co.uk

After Tania Crosse's guest blog last week in which she told us about the background to her new novel, The Butterfly Girl, this week I am delighted to share with you my review of the book.

As regular readers of Tania's novels will expect, this is meticulously reseached story has a strong sense of both place and time as the reader is transported to the West Country in wartime. The scene featuring the bombing of Plymouth is particularly and absorbing. It is impossible not to be moved by the fate of the maternity buildling and those inside it.

The rounded characters are well-developed and authentic. The main character, Pippa, determined to follow her cherished dream of nursing, is appealing and relatable. The author captures the sense of the wartime community - the way people stuck together and supported one another through everything that was thrown at them.

A story of love, tragedy, resilience and hope that will delight Tania Crosse's fans and garner her many more.

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Link to The Butterfly Girl on Amazon

This week, I am delighted to welcome Tania Crosse back to my blog to talk about the inspiration behind her new novel, The Butterfly Girl, which is the eleventh title in her popular Devonshire Series.

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First of all, I must say a huge thank you to Susanna for once again inviting me to be a guest on her blog. I’m not a great fan of technology, but through social media, I have met so many wonderful authors such as Susanna whose books I greatly admire. Not only have I discovered brilliant stories, but I value the friendships I have made with their writers. It really feels like belonging to a special community.

The Butterfly Girl is particularly close to my heart as it is very much inspired by my mother who trained as a nurse during the London Blitz.   She led a remarkable life, and in this novel, I use many of the wartime experiences she related to me, adapting them to become relevant to the plot.   Indeed, a grateful patient wrote her a poem, Nurse Blue Eyes, which gave me the idea for one of the fundamental themes of the story and the creation of Archie Yelland and his poem, The Butterfly Girl, which is central to the drama.

It is, though, in Plymouth and not London where my heroine, Philippa, undertakes her training. Plymouth suffered intermittent raids, some more deadly than others, from July 1940. What is referred to as the Plymouth Blitz, however, took place in the spring of 1941, completely obliterating the city centre. On the second of these horrific nights, the brand new maternity unit of the City Hospital received a direct hit on the nursery, destroying the building and killing numerous babies and small children. The Butterfly Girl is dedicated to their memory. One mother and several nursing staff also lost their lives. The story begins on that brutal night, as seen through Philippa’s eyes.

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But bombing raids and the infernos that rage through Plymouth are not Philippa’s only worries. While her new friend, outspoken fellow probationer nurse Stephanie Chappel, brings her support and companionship, Archie Yelland and his poem unwittingly make her an enemy who will do anything to ruin her career and her future happiness. Philippa must find the strength to fight back against all odds and overcome the obstacles placed in her way.

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If you feel inspired to read The Butterfly Girl, I do hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. And if you would be kind enough to leave a review on Amazon or your preferred platform, it would be very much appreciated. You can also follow me on Twitter/X @TaniaCrosse or on Faceboook where you will find me under Tania Crosse Author.

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Blurb

DON’T MISS THIS BRAND-NEW UPLIFTING WWII SAGA BY BESTSELLING AUTHOR TANIA CROSSE.

A heart-wrenching tale of wartime spirt and the courage of a young nurse during the Plymouth Blitz.

1941. Bombs are raining down on the city. For trainee nurse Pippa Luscombe, tragedy strikes when her hospital takes a direct hit. In one terrifying moment, Pippa’s life is turned upside-down.

With the support of her best friend, fellow nurse Steph, Pippa picks up the threads of her life again. But the incident has left lasting scars. Totally dedicated to her nursing role, she determines never to fall in love and sacrifice her career and freedom.

But one day she discovers she has an unexpected admirer. A patient hands her a piece of paper. A heartfelt note to his butterfly girl.

In this one moment, Pippa’s life is changed once more.

As the war in Europe rages on, Pippa must face some difficult decisions as she experiences both love and loss in search of her own happiness.

Fans of Nadine Dorries, Rosie Goodwin, Dilly Court, Chrissie Walsh, Lizzie Lane, Freda Lightfoot and Sylvia Broady will adore this compelling wartime tale of love and loss, hardship and hope.

READERS LOVE TANIA CROSSE’S HEARTWARMING FAMILY SAGAS:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “If you love family sagas you will love this book . . . I read it in one evening.” Angela S.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Fascinating . . . an interesting plot that reflects the morals of that time.” Carol S.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Maisie is a true hero to root for! Highly recommended.” Paul J.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I really enjoyed this book and did not want to put it down.” Barbara

ALSO BY TANIA CROSSE

DEVONSHIRE SAGAS

Book 1: THE HARBOUR MASTER’S DAUGHTER

Book 2: THE RIVER GIRL

Book 3: THE GUNPOWDER GIRL

Book 4: THE QUARRY GIRL

Book 5: THE RAILWAY GIRL

Book 6: THE WHEELWRIGHT GIRL

Book 7: THE AMBULANCE GIRL

Book 8: THE DARTMOOR GIRL

Book 9: THE GIRL AT HOLLY COTTAGE

Book 10: THE CONVENT GIRL

Book 11: THE BUTTERFLY GIRL

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Link to Tania's author page on Amazon 

I'm delighted to show you the cover and blurb of my forthcoming book, A New Home at the Wartime Hotel, written as Maisie Thomas.

I hope you love the cover. Left to right, the characters are: Lily, Kitty and Beatrice.

Publication day is March 27th. Here are the links for Kindle and paperback.

And here's the blurb:

Manchester, 1941

Kitty learned early on in her marriage that her husband, Bill Dunbar, isn’t reliable with money. So when they inherit the Dunbar family hotel at the start of the war, she's hopeful that their financial worries are over… until the bailiffs turn up! With Bill away fighting, it’s up to Kitty to turn things around for her family, or risk ruin.

Lily worked as a chambermaid at Dunbar’s before the war. She met Daniel there, but their relationship was complicated by class differences and the disapproval of Daniel’s mother. Now Lily is pregnant – and with Daniel away at sea, she is all alone. When tragedy strikes, will Kitty and Dunbar’s come to her rescue?

Beatrice is in her forties, unmarried, and working in a job that exposes her to the harsh realities of poverty and sacrifice. She wonders whether the war might give her the opportunity to change lives for the better - including her own. But when she's accused of a crime she didn't commit, the future looks bleak... until Kitty makes a surprising suggestion.

Can the community around Dunbar’s Hotel pull together and provide a beacon of hope and resilience, in the dark days of war?

Happy New Year to all of you. I hope you enjoyed your festive break. I'm sorry to tell you that we had a sad time over Christmas and New Year, beause our lovely Cassie was taken ill.

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She was humanely put to sleep at home on January 2nd.

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Cassie was 14 years old and we'd had her as a rescue cat from the age of 6. She came to us with her brother Alf, who was her litter-mate. They'd had a very diffficult first six years, to put it mildly, and we spent a long time rehabilitating them.

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This is a typical Cassie-and-Alf pose. Wherever Alf was, Cassie would decide that was where she wanted to be too, and she was always lying on top of him.

When we lost Alf, we knew for some time beforehand that it was going to happen, because he had a medical condition; so, although it was desperately sad to lose him, it wasn't unexpected. But with Cassie, it came completely out of the blue. From her point of view, it was good that it was all over with in a matter of a few days, but for us it was a huge shock and we are still getting used to not having her around any more.

Alf (2010 - September 12th 2022)

Cassie (2010 - January 2nd 2025)