There is always a moment of excitement mixed with anxiety as your latest book finally leaves your hands and goes to print. My latest, Limehouse Boys, has just gone into that final phase. Set in the early 1830s, it is inspired by several things, among them the many children on whom Britain's industries, mines and wealth were built. Stories of exploitation, cruelty and widespread abuse abound in the history and records of the period. A part of the story comes from the real efforts of 'famillies', former shipmates, friends and sometimes strangers who reached out and did their best to help orphans and street waifs - most 'written off' by a society obsessed with 'crime' and the acquisition of wealth.
Sound familiar? It is a situation that still persists in many societies, and even in our own in some sections of the populace.
The book will be on sale very soon through Amazon's Kindle and in paperback. Naturally it will also be on sale through iBooks, Google Books, Barnes and Noble and all the other outlets for eBooks and print. Links will appear here as soon as it is. In the meantime, as a teaser, here is the front cover ...