Overview

Following on from 'Footsteps in the Past', 'The Secret' takes the main characters, Jane and John, 39 years on from the Pottery Riots of 1842. There is a mining disaster at Lillydale Colliery, Stoke, in which their son is involved. While nursing John back to health after his attempt to rescue their son, Jane reminisces what has happened over the past 39 years. Her stories unravel, while desperately awaiting news if their son is still alive or not. These include the coming of the railway and her work at the appalling workhouse hospital - leading to the gradual improvement of hospitals and hygiene plus the introduction of trained nurses. The book also references the introduction of unions and widows' aid. Through paranormal experiences, Jane's secret is eventually enlightened to John - something he would not believe at first, and which led to years of separation. The book concentrates on the small area surrounding Werrington, Staffordshire - a microcosm of life at the time - and brings in characters, who actually existed. The historical events are accurate.

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9780244522742

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I have retired to the Staffordshire Moorlands area, having moved from London, my last job was working for an NHS mental health hospital. I did train to be a teacher of German and Art. I did live for four years in Ostend, Belgium, in the early 1990s. My book, 'Escape from Reality' is a reflection of my time in Ostend. I also published two short stories based on a private eye in Ostend, Kerry and Danni . Since moving to Staffordshire, I investigated the area and became deeply absorbed in the Pottery Riots of 1842. Noting that the local nursing home was originally built by Job Meigh, a Pottery entrepreneur, and was supposed to have ghosts, I decided to write a novel, linking the two, by sending a nurse back in time to 1842 to witness the riots first hand, in an attempt to bring history 'off the page'. I was so taken with this era that I also painted a scene from the book - the riots in Burslem, with the army called out against the marauding, staving rioters. This painting can be viewed at Artweb/Margaret Moxom. I have painted, in oils, for most of my life, usually taking commissions for work. This second book, Footsteps in the Past - The Secret , takes the main characters 41 years on, to a coal mine disaster, something else prominent in the history of Stoke-on-Trent. Most of the characters are real life figures and the history is accurate.

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