While those of you in the Northern Hemisphere are getting ready for winter, or experiencing extreme weather conditions of hurricans and other fierce attacks of mother nature, we in the Southern Hemisphere are getting ready for summer. It appears summer 2022/2023 is going to be a scorcher. Good in some ways – not in others.
Lovely summer days mean going to the beach and enjoying the warm weather. However, in New Zealand we have to be careful as the ozone layer is quite thin above us and this means sunburn and heatstroke. A lot of houses have heatpumps which give us warmth in winter and coolness in summer so that's good, but when the humidity is high we suffer.
During the winter and autumn I have been writing, editing and preparing the prequel to Blitz for publication. Ditty Box is the fictionalised story of my grandparents love story. They both died before I was born so I only have the stories told to me by my mother as a reference but I hope I have done them justice.
What on earth is a Ditty Box I hear you say? It's a box sailors, in particular Royal Navy sailors, used to take to sea with them to keep their precious documents and other special things with them. Letters from wives or sweethearts would be kept in these boxes and sometimes special items such as a lock of hair.
Both books are available in ebook and print from Amazon and ebook only from other online bookstores. I hope to have another book out before Christmas but it really depends on how much life interferes with writing.
To all of you in New Zealand I hope you have a good Labour Weekend and to those overseas I hope you have a good celebration for your country's national holidays.
Phil is left unemployed when his boss sells his fishing boat. He
attempts to drown his sorrows with alcohol, but he is attacked and left
unconscious on the side of the road.
Enid wonders why no one ever ask her out on a date? How do other women find the men in their lives?
She
finds Phil unconscious on the side of the road, and takes him to her
nearby flat where he recovers. They meet occasionally as friends until
Phil joins the Royal Navy. Enid agrees to write to him and keep him
company when he’s home. Although Phil is pleased he doesn't realize Enid
has She pushes her feelings to the back of her mind, and enjoys the
time they spend together, but World War 1 casts a shadow over their
relationship. Will Enid reveal her love for Phil before he goes off to
war?
This story is loosely based on my grandparents love story,
although names have been changed. The boxes sailors took to sea for
their personal belongings was a ditty box, hence the title.
Twenty-four-year-old Velma longs to be treated as an adult, but her older sisters insist they know what is best for her future. Tall, dark, and handsome, Jack is a soldier distantly connected to Velma's family. He sweeps Velma off her feet and asks her to marry him. War looms on the horizon and Jack must go to face the enemy. Will their love survive the family and the war –or will their parting be forever?
