My newest novel, Lydia’s Story, is a sequel/prequel to my first novel, The Gate House. It is a sequel because the same main characters, Nara Blake and her family, continue their story of life in a small English town, where too much seems to happen. It is a prequel because the book also tells the story of Nara’s great-grandparents, who died in World War II under mysterious circumstances.
I decided to tell this partially historical narrative because I wanted to bridge the family history in Nara’s family, as I try to 
bridge that history in my own family.
My dad was an American soldier in World War II. He and my mom married in 1942, and after three weeks of marriage, he went overseas to North Africa and Europe and did not return for three years. I have always considered this one of the greatest love stories I have every heard. At the same time, I am fascinated with British history, and the heroism of the British during World War II is beyond remarkable. We in the United States do not know what it is like to have our country bombed consistently for months on end. We have never had to send our children away to the country to be safe from the bombing, as Londoners did during World War II.
I put together my thoughts and feelings about that remarkable period of history, and the result is Lydia’s Story.
Coincidentally, my own great-grandmother’s name was Lydia, and she was half Welsh. But that’s another story.