Today I am joined by Anna Franklin Osborne, writer of the very poignant and emotional Walking Wounded.
I was very lucky to read this wonderful book a while back so I was delighted to join the tour with Anna and to spread the word about her beautiful book.
There is something about Anna’s novel that will touch your soul so please do pick up a copy and see for yourself.
In the meantime Anna has written a post about her Publication Day and I have included my review. So sit down, grab a cuppa and settle in….
Publication Day
by Anna Franklin Osborne
I spent the night before Publication Day in an agony of excitement and expectation, posting on Facebook and bouncing around like an overgrown poodle.
Publication Day itself was a damp squib!
I was at work all day and was really busy so I couldn’t just sit staring at the computer all day to see if I had any orders – but I did keep peeking when I could. Sadly, Amazon listed it wrongly and it was the first day that I made no personal sales at all from my own little stash, so I slunk back home with my tail between my legs!
I have a good friend who used to lead my meditation class who told us ‘if you have no expectations, you cannot be disappointed’ and suddenly, this made complete sense!
Will I be better next time?
I have no idea! I still feel that this is very unchartered territory for me and I left the shores of my comfort zone behind long ago…
I suppose I’ll just keep sailing onwards and hope I don’t hit a rock!
My Book Review:
‘He awoke with a shock as an icy rivulet of water finally penetrated the gap between his collar and his neck and trickled down inside his sodden greatcoat’ ~ 1918, Mons, Belgium, 5 a.m.
Walking Wounded is a stunning debut novel from Anna Franklin Osborne. Spanning the period from the Armistice of the First World War to the exodus of the Ten Pound Poms to Australia in the 1950s, this book packs a punch in just 188 pages.
Published in 2016 by GooseWing Publications, Walking Wounded is a novel inspired by the lives of Anna Franklin Osborne’s grandparents and other relatives who were part of that Longest Day on the D-Day beaches of Normandy.
One of my favourite genre in reading is that of Historical fiction. I seem to be quite fascinated with the lives of all involved, the surviviors who had a story to tell and all the lost souls whose memories will live on through the wonderful story telling of those left behind. These stories get passed through the generations and sometimes a brave person picks up the baton and commits to writing about it.
Anna Franklin Osborne has just done this with her wonderful debut, Walking Wounded.
‘Inspired by the lives of her grandmother and her Great Auntie Lil and catalysed by walking on the D-Day beaches telling her children about her great-uncles who were part of that Longest Day’
Walking Wounded tells the story of the Johnson family spanning decades as they dealt with the aftermath of both WW1 and WW2 in London. As the men went to war the women were left behind trying to cope and survive in a world gone mad. These were strong women who, with the support of each other, faced down every day walking out their doors with their backs straight and their heads held high.
As the years sweep by, the story concentrates on one of these women, May. Born at the closing of the First World War, May must now face an even bigger battle in her own personal life. Married to Jimmy, May wakes up every morning not knowing what the day will hold. Jimmy has a very explosive personality and May lives in fear for her safety and that of those closest too her.
As the Second World War breaks out, the family is faced yet again with the horrors of war. The men face down the enemy with strength and courage and the next generation of the Johnson family learn to survive in a ‘Blitz-ravaged’ London.
Walking Wounded, although with fictional characters, takes you on a journey back in time. You will experience the emotions of all these women as though in the room with them.
Lydia, the lynchpin of the family, has a story that will cause a shudder and a tear or two. Her story and her strength will encourage you to look around you and be very grateful for what you have.
May’s story is one of determination. What could be perceived as her weaknesses, in my eyes, were her strengths.
Lets not forget the men in Walking Wounded. These brave souls who walked into battle unaware of whether they would ever make the return journey home. They held on dearly to the memories of loved ones, many arriving home a shadow of the man that left.
Anna Franklin Osborne has written a wonderful debut. Walking Wounded is a very emotional read, a book that has the power to bring you back to a time in our society that should never be forgotten.
Reading Walking Wounded was like picking up a diary of a survivor………
Although a short read, this is a book that will stay with you for awhile. I do so hope you get an opportunity to read Walking Wounded.
Book Blurb:
Born at the end of the First World War, a young girl struggles to find her own identity in her big family and is pushed into a stormy marriage through a terrible misunderstanding from which her pride refuses to let her back down. As her own personal world begins to crumble, the foundation of the world around her is shaken as Germany once again declares war and her brothers and young husband sign up with the first wave of volunteers.
Walking Wounded tells the story of those left behind in a Blitz-ravaged London, and of the web of loyalty, guilt and duty that shapes the decisions of the women awaiting the return of their men-folk as the war draws to a close.
Spanning the period from the Armistice of the First World War to the exodus of the Ten Pound Poms to Australia in the 1950s, Walking Wounded is a family saga whose internal violence is mirrored by the world stage upon which it is set.
Purchase Link : Walking Wounded
Meet Anna Franklin Osborne:
I have always worked in health care, and more recently in education, and like so many other parents, hit a tiny crisis a few years ago when I felt that my purpose in life had narrowed to not an awful lot more than dashing between my two jobs and being a mummy taxi.
I managed to find time to begin singing with a choir, and that helped me feel that I might have a more creative side to myself. One evening, my husband was out and, quite suddenly, I decided to Start Writing. I immediately hit the first obstacles of terrible handwriting and a broken laptop, so my writing career began that night in bed, typing into the note section of my smart phone, with no clear idea of what I wanted to say but resulting in a severe case of RSI and several short stories over the next few nights.
My husband was delighted that I had suddenly found this passion and kept encouraging me to write a novel, which I really felt I did NOT have in me. Later that summer, however, we were walking along a D-Day beach for no other grander reason than our ferry home from France being late, and I began telling our kids about my three great-uncles who were part of that day, and my grandmother who sewed parachutes for the paratroopers jumping over Normandy. Neil looked at me and smiled and said, ‘you do actually have a story there, you know….’
Walking Wounded was written over a period of a year, on a tiny tablet which I bought specifically because it fitted into my handbag – as I said, ‘if it’s not with me at all times, this just won’t happen.’ I wrote every day in 10 minute bursts while I sat in the school car-park waiting for my daughter to emerge from school, I wrote parked outside ballet lessons and maths lessons, I wrote early in the mornings while everyone was asleep.
Walking Wounded is a war story and family saga, focusing on those left behind whilst their men folk went to war, how they survived and how their relationships evolved through periods of violence, loss and reunion. The main story is about May, a young woman struggling to find her own identity as the youngest in a large family, forced into a stormy marriage through a mistake she is too proud to admit, and explores the web of loyalty, guilt and duty that shaped the decisions of the women awaiting the return of their men-folk as WW2 draws to a close. Spanning the period from the Armistice of the Great War to the exodus of the Ten Pound Poms to Australia in the 1950s, its internal violence is mirrored by the world stage upon which it is set.
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