Christmas Fireside Stories

[amazon_link id=”1447276833″ target=”_blank” ][/amazon_link]’Christmas Fireside Stories’ is a collection of six heartwarming stories from some of the UK’s best-selling and loved authors including Diane Allen, Rita Bradshaw, Margaret Dickinson, Annie Murray, Pam Weaver and Mary Wood.

Christmas at Briar Farm by Diane Allen
Christmas preparations are in full swing at Briar farm as the Bainbridge family get ready for a traditional 1960s Christmas – with all the trimmings.

Kate’s Miracle by Rita Bradshaw
It’s Christmas 1919 in the north of England and things are looking bleak for Kate and her two small children. That is until Kate discovers the strength of friendship and community at Christmas time . . .

The Gift by Margaret Dickinson
Christmas Eve, 1914. A moment of hope unites soldiers on both sides of the trenches as the spirit of Christmas reaches those divided by war, and an act of generosity changes one man’s life forever.

Christmas at Thalstead Halt by Annie Murray
The station master at Thalstead Halt has the unexpected task of sheltering snow bound passengers, in the run up to Christmas 1886. And that’s not the only unexpected occurrence at Thalstead Halt . . .

You’ll Never Know Just How Much I Love You by Pam Weaver
Christmas Eve, 1943. The post office at Goring-on-Sea is up against bitter winter weather but nothing can stop an emergency delivery, or the power of true love at Christmas time.

A Wounded Christmas by Mary Wood
Can friendship, humour and a Boxing Day party help to ease the heartaches of 1942? A heart-warming story featuring characters from the saga novel Proud of You.

Today on the website, the authors answer the following question.

Are there any characters in your books that you are most fond of?

Rita Bradshaw
Several; heroine wise I love Esther (THE COLOURS OF LOVE – due out next year). Hero wise; Zachariah in REACH FOR TOMORROW and Jake in ABOVE THE HARVEST MOON two physically damaged men who rise above their beginnings.

Margaret Dickinson
Esther Everatt in the Fleethaven Trilogy. She helped me to achieve my ambition to be published in paperback.

Mary Wood
I love my northern lasses. They are so down to earth. (Lil, in Proud of You) (Sarah, in Time Passes time) They have a depth that has come from years of hardship and suffering. And, I love my East-enders, who have the same depth, but always show a brash way of coping. (Gillian, in Proud of You) (Lizzie in Time Passes Time) I also love creating the ‘posh girl’ characters. I like to show that their lives are not all roses, just because they were born with a silver spoon. (Alice in Proud of You) (Theresa, in Time Passes Time) These were girls who seemingly had it all, so imagine how much more difficult it was for them to adapt to and endure the conditions a secret agent has to contend with. But, you know, they were mostly girls from very rich families because they had the education that taught them to speak languages. And, they had travelled, so felt at home in foreign countries and could pass themselves off as being local. There are some horrific stories of what happened to many of these very brave girls.

Annie Murray
There have been so many, but yes, some stand out. Rose, my first female heroine of the Birmingham books is still a favourite as she was a bit of a journey of discovery. Another is Anatoli, the Russian man in Chocolate Girls and The Bells of Bournville Green, of whom I grew very fond. And I suppose Molly Fox, in my trilogy A Hopscotch Summer, Solder Girl and All The Days of Our Lives because she was such a handful but she did overcome an awful lot in her life.

Pam Weaver
I’m very fond of Mary Prior in There’s Always Tomorrow. She doesn’t have it easy but despite hardships she enjoys her life. She’s a good friend, one who will drop everything for you in time of trouble. And yes, before you ask me, I know someone just like her!

Diane Allen
I love Carol, my little girl that lives at Briar Farm, she reminds me a lot of myself at that age.

You can buy [amazon_link id=”1447276833″ target=”_blank” ]Christmas Fireside Stories: A collection of heart-warming Christmas short stories from six bestselling authors from Amazon [/amazon_link] and is available to buy from good bookshops.