Yesterdays

by J. Robert Whittle, Joyce Sandilands

THIS COLLECTION of short stories is an eclectic mix of Robert’s writing over the first 15 years of his hobby turned career. You’ll find autobiographical, historical, adventure, fantasy (ghost) etc. There is most definitely something for everyone.

As per many requests, you’ll now learn more about Robert’s life as a Yorkshire youngster and a 24-year-old mining engineer taking on a very dangerous job. You’ll find two of his poems and, receiving tremendous reviews, is Robert’s first western. Yesterdays will have you turning the pages whether you’re laughing or crying!!

Here’s a brief synopsis of some of the 16 stories chosen for this volume:

Motivated by Fear – The touching story of three young Jewish boys attempting to escape from Berlin after their parents are arrested during WW2. Walking and hitching rides on trains, service vehicles etc., they hide by day and travel by night in bitter winter conditions trying desperately not to get caught as they follow their father’s rough map to the Dutch Coast.
A Chance Meeting – A wounded soldier, disembarking from a troop ship on Canada’s west coast, meets a woman with a young child desperately searching for her husband who was also expected to be on that ship from Europe during WW1. This story features a few characters from the Victoria Chronicles Trilogy.
Two Janion Ring Stories – Tales of old Victoria, BC are told through the ghost and time travel to the old Janion Hotel on Victoria’s Inner Harbour.
A Change of Attitude – Some children finally discover the value of having a lonely old woman as a neighbour.
Confused Identity – A policeman discovers that a street person is not quite what he appears.

Whittle has also written the bestselling trilogy, the Victoria Chronicles (Bound by Loyalty, Loyalty's Reward, Loyalty's Haven) set in the Pacific Northwest (Victoria BC and Seattle WA) 1900-1919; the Lizzie Series (Lizzie: Lethal Innocence, Lizzie's Secret Angels, Streets of Hope & Lizzie's Legacy), which chronicles the life of a wily young street waif and her friends beginning in 1804 London, England. Whittle co-authored two other single novels, Whispers Across Time and Race for a Treasure; and a children's book, Leprechaun Magic (Moonbeam Series, Book 1) with his wife, Joyce Sandilands. All books available in print and as ebooks.

278 pages, Paperback

First published March 9, 2010

About the author

I'm a retired coal mining engineer who was born in Yorkshire, England and helped to raise my 8 younger siblings. I also had an older sister but I didn't help much with her! At the age of 19 I become the youngest mining engineer in England's history, too young to even claim my degree. Instead, the British Coal Board under whose scholarship I had gained the degree, hired me. At 24, they kindly gave me probably the most dangerous job known at the time ... leading a first response to disaster team all over Europe. We did some other jobs that were actually pretty cool even by today's standards. The come-on was the pay and having been an entrepreneur since the age of 6 (beginning of WW2 when times were very tough), money was very important to me and my Lizzie Series is loosely based on that part of my life. No doubt why I continue now at age 80!) About 12 years later, after fellow miners took bets that I wouldn't live past 32, I moved my family to Australia and worked in construction on the desert 1200 miles from Perth and drove that dusty road regularly often sleeping in my car! Years later, I took a job for the Canadian Gov't, in construction up near the Arctic Circle on Baffin Island. Eventually I came to Victoria BC, met my second wife Joyce and, at her suggestion, began writing books while recuperating from a surgery in 1994. It seemed I had a natural ability ... lots of reviews can be found on our website as they were written down on paper or told to me, internet was new back then! I meet and talk to my fans personally as I sell my books at markets. Many of our readers are too busy bugging me for another book to use computers so you won't find many reviews on the internet. You could help us by changing that :) My books are finding a younger generation of adults now (always read by kids too) since we began in 1998. Classic, family friendly stories never seem to totally lose their charm and Joyce and I hope ours won't be either.

Reviews

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked these books up at Victoria from Mr. Whittle himself. He signed each one. I enjoyed talking with him and felt compelled to buy a couple books. I bought them thinking my boys would like them since they are into history and ghosts, read them myself and was quite surprised! Very good reads!!