Guest Post With Luisa A. Jones?
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Luisa, welcome! I think you're going to tell us what you found when researching evacuees for your latest novel. It's now over to you.
Thanks, Jan. In my historical
novels, I explore aspects of Welsh history, especially the role of women in the
past. During the Second World War thousands of women across Britain took in
strangers, including children. It can’t have been easy given the differences in
habits, lifestyles and expectations between city dwellers and country folk.
hosts. I read various history books and autobiographical accounts, and used online archives as well as publications from the time. I was also fortunate to be able to speak to someone who enjoyed his time as an evacuee, and to the daughter of an evacuee who described her mother’s experience of racism when she arrived in South Wales.
I was struck
by the wide variety of experiences, and drew on various examples in the book,
like the children who devised a code to let their parents know if they were unhappy,
fearing their letters home would be censored, and the child who wasn’t allowed
access to their billet during daylight hours, who had to stay out in the cold
and rain. I read about another child who didn’t realise boiled eggs should have
their shell removed before eating, and couldn’t resist using it in my story. And
you told me a great story, Jan, about your great aunt hosting a boy from
Liverpool who tried to eat his cornflakes with a knife and fork because he’d
never seen them before!
The boy fumbled in his pocket, then the three
children huddled together, whispering.
The woman paused, annoyed at being delayed. “Come
along, now,” she snapped.
All three children shook their heads.
The boy spoke up, his chin tilted upwards and his
nostrils flaring in defiance even though his eyes were wide with fear. “Only if
you take us all,” he said.
“Don’t be impudent. I never heard of anything so
silly."
It didn’t strike Dodie as silly at all. Of course
they didn’t want to be severed from the people they loved. They’d already been
forced to leave their parents and homes. What was silly about them clinging to
each other?
“I’ve told you I can only take one. Do as you’re
told and be grateful to be offered a billet. There are many who wouldn’t be so
generous.” The woman grabbed the little girl’s forearm, only to exclaim
impatiently and call out to the teacher. “Look here. He’s tied them together!”
Dodie saw that the boy had indeed tied his wrists
together with those of his sisters. It would be easy enough for an adult to cut
the string, but her heart went out to them at the thought of how desperate they
must be even to think of trying such a thing.
I hope you
enjoyed this snippet from the book and that it’s whetted your appetite to find
out what happens next. Thank you for allowing me to share it on your fabulous
blog.
It's a pleasure, Luisa. I don't think we can imagine what it must have been like for both the children and the parents having to send their children off to strangers. You have captured this perfectly in your novel. It's a beautiful story and you can read my review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7607766002
Author bio
Luisa A Jones
lives in South Wales. She studied Classical Studies at Royal Holloway,
University of London.
Luisa writes
captivating and emotional fiction with characters you’ll root for from the
first page. Her first historical novel in The Fitznortons series, The Gilded
Cage, quickly became a #1 Amazon bestseller in Victorian Historical
Romance. The sequel, The Broken Vow, was a #1 Amazon bestseller in
Gilded Age Historical Romance.
She is
currently writing a new series for Storm Publishing, set in Wales during the
Second World War. The first book, What We Left Behind, was published on
30th May 2025.
Book blurb
1939.
Bombs threaten London and five small children step onto a rickety train,
clutching their gas masks, heading to an uncertain future…
When the
war with Nazi Germany sends five displaced children to her door, Dodie
Fitznorton knows life in her quiet village will never be the same. The
baggage these little ones bring is far more than just their tattered suitcases.
Eight-year-old Olive trembles when spoken to and won’t say how she got a
bruised lip, and her brother Peter seems angry at the entire world. Then Dodie
meets the children’s teacher, Patrick Winter, who makes her feel she’s not
alone in this fight.
As darkness
falls over Europe, Dodie's fragile sanctuary begins to feel like a fortress
under siege. With whispers of spies in the village and the children’s precious
futures at stake, Dodie must decide who to trust before everything she's built
crumbles to ashes around her…
A deeply
poignant tale of love forged in wartime – heartwarming, captivating and
impossible to forget.
Buying link
Links
www.luisaajones.com – Sign up for my
newsletter and a free short story
https://www.facebook.com/LuisaAJonesauthor/
https://www.instagram.com/luisa_a_jones_author/
https://bsky.app/profile/luisaajones.bsky.social
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/luisa-a-jones?list=about
Thank you for reading. I'm sure you enjoyed the short excerpt from Luisa's book pulled at your heartstrings as it did mine. Do you have any stories about evacuees? We'd love it if you shared them. Thank you.
You may also follow me on:
Luisa's novels are always well researched and this is a wonderful insight into her writing process. What We Left Behind is another triumph. Thank you! Jessie Cahalin
ReplyDeleteI agree, Jessie. I've learned so much from Luisa already and love her novels.
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