Category: Second World War
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Flashes of Doubt
Some say it was during the 1960s that the idea of ‘the generation gap’ entered into popular usage. It became a useful phrase that summed up the differing attitudes towards politics, behaviour, music, fashion and virtually everything else between the young and the old — with the ‘old’ including everyone over 30. Children born after…
Isabella Muir
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Lost Property
‘What’s your definition of a secret?’ This opening line from Lost Property, the second novel in the Janie Juke crime mystery series, introduces a theme that runs throughout the book – a theme of secrets and lies. At the heart of the novel readers are introduced to the secret organisation that was said to have…
Isabella Muir
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Choices
It’s a self-evident truth that war affects everyone, young and old, those on the front line, and those who remain at home fearing for loved ones, as well as fearing for their own futures. My novella, Choices, explores some of those fears through the experiences of ten- year-old, Vera Stubbs. With her father far away,…
Isabella Muir
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Never enough
My last blog post, More than Ashes, considered the way rationing affected life for everyone in Britain throughout the war years. Anyone caught looting was threatened with a life sentence, or worse still, for the worst offenders, hanging. However, perhaps with a view to the importance of morale, no-one was actually executed for looting and…
Isabella Muir
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More than ashes
Browsing through the stories I’ve written over the years, it’s no suprise that I’ve chosen to step back from writing fiction for a short while, grabbing the chance to take a deep dive into the decades that have always been at the heart of my novels and novellas. So, in the next few blog posts,…
Isabella Muir
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Cars, cars and more cars
In Flashes of Doubt – set in 1962 Britain – we get a glimpse of the thoughts of William Arnold as he remembers the warning his father had given him years earlier about the rise and rise of the motor car. The route William used to take each workday, from his cottage in Burton Street…
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The haves and the have-nots
In every society in the world there is division between those who have and those who have not. Even in the most equitable society, where resources and labour are shared, there will be some who have greater ability in one sphere or another, for example, they may be better organisers, or more successful farmers. But…
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Finding a voice
Last week we asked, What if new isn’t always better? looking at some of the implications of the Paris Peace Conference and the changes imposed on nations by the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations. It comes as no surprise that peoples who had suddenly gained new ‘masters’ found themselves questioning their rights,…
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Treat yourself to a cosy Christmas!
It’s that time of year when the shops are busy, the nights are long, the weather can be tricky (!) and you might be wondering how and when you can grab a quiet moment to relax. Whatever your plans, if you have the chance to squeeze in a peaceful moment or two, you might like…
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Delving into the past
Anyone who has read any of my stories will know I have a fascination with the past, specifically the more recent past. Writing my first series of Sussex Crime novellas I spent happy hours researching what life was like on the Home Front in England during the Second World War. Research for my novels took…
Isabella Muir 