Jane in Winter

When we lived in Morocco, and the days were growing shorter, I started thinking about my childhood in England. 

In those days I loved reading and wished real life was as exciting as what happened in books.

So I started writing a story which combines elements of both what really happened and what should have done. 

My heroine, ignored by her brother, manages to have an adventure on her own and travels to a mysterious kingdom deep under a lake.

In writing the book, I drew on elements of all kinds of classic stories: Grimm's Fairy Tales, Beowulf (all bad creatures have lairs under water!), folklore: the four elements -- earth, air fire and water and so on. 

Several young people in Morocco, among them Leonora Brebner, Nikole Cairns and Maria Thornhill, were my first readers. Their enthusiastic reception  pleased me enormously.

Then I had to make a cover.

I took out the water colors my daughter gave me, and old photos and prints. 

Thorndon Hall in the print is Myrtle Hall in the book.

The little cottage in the photo is the house I grew up in. 

I think the story is best suited to  8-12 year old readers, but grownups will enjoy the descriptions of food and life in the days before video games and cell phones. 

I have just finished writing Jane's next adventure called Jane in Spring. This will be available soon.

JANE IN WINTER is available from Lulu.com.

PREVIEW THE BOOK

You can read the first ten pages of the book to see if you like it!

The preview is also here (http://www.lulu.com/browse/preview/php?fCID=5179335)

I love feedback so please e-mail me at elizabethwix@hotmail.com if you have any comments or suggestions.