Family ties - Wendy Robertson

Wendy Robertson's sparkling new saga weaves an intriguing web of different generations, which spans half a century.

In 1991, Bronwen Carmichael is a student at Durham University. Researching aspects of World War 2, she comes across her mother Rosa's journal, written in 1954 when Rosa was thirteen and England was recovering from the war. And, as Bronwen discovers, it was a dark time in Rosa's childhood too.

At the heart of the diary is a deep family secret which now, fifty years later, could severely disturb the self-contained Carmichael women. This secret has tied the family - matriarch Kate, writer Rosa, academic Bronwen, and daughter Lily - with invisible cords which now threaten to break and change the family forever...

Wendy Robertson has written short stories, some journalism and many novels - the latest being Sandie Shaw and the Millionth Marvel Cooker and The Woman Who Drew Buildings - all now available as ebooks. She has built up a substantial following on her blog LIFE TWICE TASTED (www.lifetwicetasted.blogspot.com). It averages 2,500 visitors a month - 33,000 since she started. You can also find her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @lifetwicetasted.

Not only is Wendy Robertson a great storyteller, she fills her books with characters with real depth
Northern Echo

A powerful writer inspired by history, her much loved home region and her experience of working-class life at its poorest and most difficult
Mail on Sunday

Skilfully marries fact and fiction into an epic tale that has you turning the pages at high speed to match the pace of this compelling story
Sunderland Echo