Some readers will recognise this short e-book as one of the historical vignettes included in my second full-length print novel, Ghosts of Winter. I’m grateful and delighted Bold Strokes Books considers it strong enough to stand alone and that my little glimpse into what was happening at Winter Manor in the 1920s has been packaged with such a gorgeous cover.
I have to thank my editor, Ruth Sternglantz, for continual encouragement and belief in my writing. This novella is one of my very favourite pieces of my own writing. That I can gain pleasure in reading something I’ve written myself is, in large part, due to how effectively Ruth has helped me shape my writing.
I love writing about the Roaring Twenties. I have a passion for the era which started when I was a child reading the early books in the Chalet School series of school stories by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer and only grew when I discovered the sparkle and excesses of the Jazz Age. It is the era in which women come to the fore and a time that glimmered brightly, for such a brief time between the darkness of two world wars. My image of the era is also very much shaped by the writing of Aldous Huxley and Evelyn Waugh.
Hope in the Heart of Winter was my first published foray into the 1920s. As I write this, I am anticipating the release of my first full-length novel of the era, Fragile Wings (released January 2016). If you enjoy Hope in the Heart of Winter, I’d encourage you to give Fragile Wings a try. You might even encounter a familiar character, or two.