Tag: Second World War
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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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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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A chance to be heard
As I try to unpick the relationship between the people and the politicians in post-war Britain I’m reflecting on some of the key events when the populace had a chance to express their opinion. Labour Prime Minister, Clement Atlee, had enjoyed five years of leading a majority government, following Labour’s landslide victory just two months…
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From top down to bottom up…
To help me get into the mindset of my fictional characters I have spent the last few years researching recent history. Those of you who are familiar with my novels will know they are all set during the iconic decade of the 1960s, a time when Britain experienced a significant cultural shift. To explore the…
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What’s your number?
Originally posted on Outset Publishing: Nowadays telecommunication is considered so vital that even some children have mobile phones. Yet in 1940s Britain a landline telephone was so rare that barely ten percent of households had one. And if you did decide to have a phone installed you might choose to have a shared line to…
Isabella Muir
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Best-selling author of all time!
Any guesses as to who is the most read author in the world? Well, according to a recent Wikipaedia article, it is Agatha Christie – who has estimated sales of between two and four billion! Even beating the bard, William Shakespeare! Hercule Poirot appeared in 33 of her published ‘whodunits’ – which numbered 85 in…
Isabella Muir
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Not lost, but abandoned
It was 1986 when Nottinghamshire social worker, Margaret Humphreys, was first contacted by a former child migrant in Australia. She was asked if she could help track down his family in the UK. That was just the start of a long journey for Margaret, and for the many individuals and families she has helped since…
Isabella Muir
Isabella Muir 