I am really thrilled to present my first novel for children (and for me!).  It’s set during WW1 and tells the story of a little girl, Millie.

As WW1 starts to change her life, Millie embarks on an adventure to find out what Papa is really doing in the war, and to discover the secrets of Mr Albert’s notebook.  And she finds out that to be a really successful spy, you need to be loyal, honest and brave.  But, what she really wants to be is a music hall star, just like Mumma….

Have a look – it’s available as a hard copy and on Kindle – I do hope you enjoy it –

The illustrations were drawn by our grand-daughter, Isobelle.  I think they are just like the pictures Millie might have drawn and I was thrilled she could be part of this project.

So a little more about the book –

It’s 1915 and young Millie’s life has changed. The men are joining up for war and Mumma is busy in the music hall. Millie is a girl who notices things and there’s lots she has to find out. What is Papa doing in the war? And where is he? And what is Mr Albert, the theatre manager, writing in his notebook? And why does he get money for the things he writes down? When Papa’s sister, Aunt Kit, comes to stay, she brings an old toy circus and Millie is able to get some answers to her questions. And she learns too about being loyal, honest and brave. And Millie has hopes and dreams. More than anything else she wants to be a star and sing and dance, just like Mumma…. The back drop to Millie’s story is WW1. A time of great change for young people. We see the men going to war and we learn about how they come home again, some badly injured. We find out what women did during the war, and how everyone at home had to be careful that they didn’t let spies learn secrets about the war. And Millie comes from a music hall family and we are introduced to the world of the music hall at that time and how the stars helped with the war effort.

A little more about me – I graduated in 2015 from the University of Southampton with an MA in Creative Writing.

For most of my working life in the NHS and later as a change leadership consultant, I have written instructional texts using a formal second person style.  I knew the course would demand a different approach and would really stretch my writing.

Trying to locate a voice for my creative work has been tricky, but I’m getting there.  I have been helped by the inspirational and highly talented writers and poets who I met along the way and from whom I continue to learn so much.

Mike and I had fun working on our book together  – Rambling About London, published in June 2014.  It was written as an evocation of our love of this wonderful city which we were able to rediscover with our young grandchildren.

I will showcase some of my work here with illustrations by Mike, and hope you will enjoy these pages.

If you would like to contact me, please e-mail me on greaves2.connects@btinternet.com