Very belatedly and with apologies I have come to this blog at last to write about my new adult novel, The One I Was. It's the story of a young German refugee, Benny, who comes to England in 1939 haunted by an event occurring in his home town just as he leaves. His guilty secret will influence th rest of his life, and draws him closer to his benefactress, Harriet, a glamorous aviatrix who delivers Spitfires for the RAF.

Fastforward a few decades and Harriet's granddaughter Rose is growing up in the same country house that welcomed Benny in 1939, and confronting her own feelings of guilt and confusion as her family comes under the malign influence of a charismatic newcomer.

Brought together later on as Benny lies on his deathbed, Rose and Benny untangle the threads binding them together -- just as the violence of the past threatens Benny's last days.

The One I Was