My seven things by author Lizzie Page

Author Lizzie Page

Author Lizzie Page

I I was a cat-person until my daughter started nagging for a dog. We got her soft-toy dogs, a robot dog, pictures of dogs, doggy-bingo, this went on for years…but she persisted! Finally, we got Lenny the cockapoo and he turned our world upside down. This will sound ridiculous but for me it shows how people can change. Ok, its just a small example, but I could never have imagined how life would be now. The power of change is a theme running through all my books.

2 My Mum died suddenly when I was 22 and she was a lovely Mum and it was a huge loss – and every time since then when something big happens to me, I feel that loss all over again: when I had my children, when I separated from first husband, when I married again, when I got an agent and when I got a publishing deal, when my children do well (or badly at something.) Now I’m the same age as she was when she died. This is also weird. Some of my books deal with that grief especially The Wartime Nanny.

3 I lived in Japan for five years. It’s a fascinating country and I made friends there with people from all over the world. I taught English and worked as a hostess. I love Japanese food but I will always hate Karaoke from the bottom of my heart. (I can’t sing – I was thrown out the school choir for ‘growling.’

I’d love to see my books in Japanese one day. (konnicihiwa!)It would be like coming full circle.

4. When I was a teenager I did all the jobs: Chemist, cinema usherette, (the era of: Look Who’s Talking Too/War of the Roses) waitress, bingo-responder, (Not caller that’s different), shoe shop, DIY shop, fruit picking, turkey farm, bakers, McDonalds customer service.

Why so many? I was not very good at any of them.

(Actually, I wasn’t a bad waitress.)

I always wanted to write though.

5. I lived in Paris in my twenties. I thought I would be swanning around with the bohemians at Café de Flore. Instead, I was an under-qualified nanny – Jeune Fille Au Pair – chasing children around Carrefour.  I still am a Paris fan, it was just…Paris was not a fan of me.

6 I never miss an episode of Portrait Artist of the Year. The rest of the family mock me about it but it’s my favourite. It’s like a visual representation of creativity. You see the blank canvas- the blank page – and then the piece takes shape. I love how the artists have the same subject matter but each deal with it in very different ways – just like in books! Mind you, I have no desire to paint at all. 

7. I studied politics and international studies at university. Have I used it in real life? Not really but you should hear me yell ‘Utilitarianism’ or ‘JS Mill,’ at University Challenge. If I could go back again, I’d probably do similar or maybe twentieth century history or women and children’s history. I really do love all that. 

Lizzie's latest compelling book 'The Children Left Behind' is out now 

The Book

England, 1951. In the aftermath of World War Two, Clara’s orphanage is all these children have left. Can she keep them safe and help them to heal? A heart-warming and emotional story of love and loss.

Clara Newton has dedicated her life to taking care of orphans who have nobody in the world but her. From affectionate Gladys, who desperately misses her older brothers, to traumatised Florrie who longs for her father and refuses to eat, Clara loves each of the children like they are her own.

But even though she has opened her heart to so many little ones, when brown-eyed war hero Ivor asks her to marry him, Clara is afraid to take a chance on love. Would married life prevent her from dedicating herself completely to her orphans?

Clara is soon distracted from the troubles of her heart when her beloved orphanage comes under attack. Someone throws stones through the window, and a threatening message is chalked near the door. Why would anyone want to frighten innocent children? And as the attacks get worse, can Clara keep the orphans safe?

Desperate to protect the little ones in her care, Clara takes the children on a day out. Away from the orphanage, Clara hopes that she and the children will be able to put their worries behind them. But when a terrible accident happens, will they all make it out alive? And will it be too late for Clara to tell Ivor how she really feels?

An utterly tear-jerking, heart-warming and unforgettable historical novel, set in the aftermath of World War Two. Perfect for fans of Before We Were Yours, Diney Costeloe and The Orphan Sisters.

Author Bio

Lizzie Page loves reading ALL the books, and she's always loved reading the adventures of women in the past so it seemed natural to her to write historical fiction.

Lizzie lives with her family by the sea in South East England. And with her dog. How did she forget her dog? She enjoys traveling and lived in Japan for several years. Lizzie has had lots of different jobs from waitressing and teaching to admin and bingo-calling - but being a writer is her absolute favourite.

 

Social Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lizzie.page.75

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lizziepagewrite

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizziepagewriter/

Author Bio

Lizzie Page loves reading ALL the books, and she's always loved reading the adventures of women in the past so it seemed natural to her to write historical fiction.

Lizzie lives with her family by the sea in South East England. And with her dog. How did she forget her dog? She enjoys traveling and lived in Japan for several years. Lizzie has had lots of different jobs from waitressing and teaching to admin and bingo-calling - but being a writer is her absolute favourite.

 

Book: The Children Left Behind (prev. An Orphan's Hope) Author: Lizzie PagePub Day: March 3rd 2023 

Buy Links: https://geni.us/B0BPTKN4YCsocial

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