I’m really delighted to unveil my second historical saga trilogy. This series is inspired by a real-life institution caring for destitute women and girls.

The House of Help for Friendless Girls was set up in 1885 at number 1 Paradise Square. Among the women who sought refuge at the house were those who had ‘fallen from virtue’, orphaned girls, new arrivals in town who had nowhere to stay, and women without a family to support them who – in the days before the NHS was created – were compelled to pawn their meagre belongings to pay for hospital treatment.

In those days, the workhouse was often the only recourse for the very poor, providing food and shelter and cheap labour. The House of Help, established by enlightened women and said to be the first of its kind in the British Isles, offered an opportunity for its residents to improve their lot. From the day it opened, the house was oversubscribed and larger premises were eventually found elsewhere in town.

All of the characters in this series are fictional – from the warden and trustees to the girls and women who were resident, although there are one or two nods to actual historical figures, such as the Master Cutler Mr Dixon, and a notorious figure of the mid-1800s, Charlie Peace.

But the House of Help was real. It remained open for over a century (with a name change or two along the way), adapting to changing times but always helping women.

The first book in the series – The House of Hope – is out in paperback and ebook on August 15 2024 and can be pre-ordered now from your favourite bookseller.

The House of Hope will also be available in audiobook and large print.