Member’s News

Shropshire at War 1939-45 by Jan Johnstone

Jan Johnstone had another successful year with publication of her book Shropshire at War 1939-45, published by Pen & Sword books.

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Promise of Tomorrow by Jan Davies

Congratulations to Jan Johnstone who’s just self-published her novel, Promise of Tomorrow, under her pseudonym Jan Davies, on Amazon.

Click here to buy a copy.

‘Promise of Tomorrow’ is the story of five generations of the Greenwood family who lived in and around Shropshire’s Coalbrookdale area, birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, during the construction of the world’s first iron bridge.
Beginning in 1759, each generation relates the story of their lives and their efforts to better themselves, whilst other family members, friends and enemies, also add their recollections to the ongoing Greenwood saga.
Can this family succeed in bettering themselves against all odds, despite the hardships they encounter at every turn?
This is a story of class inequality, hardship and love as the Greenwood family battles to achieve their dream of the ‘Promise of Tomorrow’.

Congratulations to Janet Johnstone and Gill Guest

Congratulations to both Janet Johnstone and Gill Guest, who’ve both been awarded Highly Commended’s in the YouByYou A Woman I Admire writing competition.

Janet’s entry can be read here: http://www.youbyyou.co.uk/woman-competition-jan.html

And Gill’s entry can be found here: http://www.youbyyou.co.uk/woman-competition-gill.html

My Friend The Enemy – by Antony Putman

Congratulations to Antony Putman, whose story, My Friend The Enemy, made it to the final four in the recent NAWG competition. You can read his story in full here:

My Friend The Enemy

by Antony Putman © 

 

The river divided our countries.

It was fast flowing for the most part, except for one small area. That was where the island was. The water should be faster, but for some reason, it slowed. That was how, at nine years old, I was able to swim to the island. That was where I first met my ‘friend’.

I reached the shore, a hopefully waterproof bag on my back. It was foolhardy, but how else would I carry food and something to dry myself with?

‘Who are you?’ A voice said above me. Looking up, there stood a boy, not much older than me, and he did not seem to be wet. ‘You swam here?’ He asked. I nodded. He pointed behind him, ‘I used a boat.’

I reached into my bag. Thankfully, the rag I brought along seemed dry. It took about a minute to get my hair mostly dry. Draping the rag over a branch, I walked over to the boy, holding out a hand, ‘My name is Franz.’

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The Dragon and the Sword (Book 4 of The First Sword Chronicles)

The Dragon and the Sword

Christopher Smith has just published his fourth book in his The First Sword Chronicles, which is now available from Amazon here, priced £2.39 in Kindle format.

The synopsis is as follows:

Lonely and friendless, Irithelie has lived her whole life in the hall from which her exalted mother rules the armies and the peoples of the alvenkind. She yearns to show that she is more than a helpless child, and when she and her sisters are despatched across the dark between the worlds on a mission to return the alven people to their homeland it seems her chance may have finally arrived.

 

But Iri has a secret power, dangerous and unique, and when it is revealed the love and concern of those closest to her may swiftly turn to fear or even hatred.

Meanwhile, the ambitious Summer Phoenix makes her way to Eternal Pantheia just in time to foil an attempt on the life of Princess Romana. Eager for glory and recognition, Summer swiftly joins the new First Sword of the Empire, Michael Callistus, to investigate a series of disappearances on the Imperial frontier, disappearances that may be connected to the assassination attempt…and involve creatures not scene in Pelarius for thousands of years.

The World Serpent comes to claim all crowns, and the army of dragons will devour all worlds that stand before him.

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