Author(s): Katie Flynn

General Fiction

It was only a mistletoe kiss, Miss Preece told herself, stepping out into the icy December evening and locking the library doors behind her. A mistletoe kiss means nothing, everyone knows that; but this did not quench the warm glow inside her. Hetty Gilbert is a canal child with no permanent address, so when she needs to join the library, she cannot do so. Miss Preece dislikes children, but Hetty's longing for books touches a chord and she stretches the rules to allow the girl to read on the premises. Soon, Hetty's chief desire is to become a librarian like her friend. But with war on the horizon, their lives will never be the same. In 1939 Hetty joins in the war effort, for her knowledge of canal boats is desperately needed, whilst Miss Preece can only sit and listen to the dangers her young friend faces, knowing she herself can do nothing to help. But her chance will come, and with it the meaning behind that fragile mistletoe kiss...

About the author:
Katie Flynn has lived for many years in the north-west. A compulsive writer, she started with short stories and articles and many of her early stories were broadcast on Radio Merseyside. She decided to write her Liverpool series after hearing the reminiscences of family members about life in the city in the early years of the twentieth century. She also writes as Judith Saxton. Further titles: A Long And Lonely Road 9780099468158/The Cuckoo Child 9780099468165/Darkest Before Dawn 9780099486978/Orphans of the Storm 9780099486985/Little Girl Lost/9780099486992 Beyond The Blue Hills/9780099503132/Forgotten Dreams 9780099503149/Sunshine & Shadows 9780099503156/Such Sweet Sorrow 9780099521785/A Mother's Hope 9780099521730/In Time For Christmas 9780099521754/Heading Home 978009952026