Search results for ""Author Grace Thompson""

Even war won’t stop her chasing her dreamShirley Downs has always known she was no ordinary girl. But when she enters and wins a singing contest, she begins to realise that her talent is really something special. However, it is 1941, and a career on the stage comes second place to rationing and bomb threats. Nevertheless, Shirley is determined to succeed, and no-one will get in her way...Waiting for Yesterday is the third of the Holidays at Home books, a captivating series of wartime sagas from the much-loved author Grace Thompson.Grace Thompson is an acclaimed author of saga and romance novels, and a mainstay of libraries throughout the United Kingdom and beyond. Born and raised in South Wales, she is the author of numerous series, including the Valley series, the Pendragon Island series, and the Badgers Brook series. She published her 42nd novel shortly after celebrating her 80th birthday, and continues to live in Swansea.

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An emotional story of ordinary people and their far-from-ordinary lives.A small Welsh town hosts a lively and varied community – and none more so than Nelly Luke, the cheerful Cockney widow who made a ramshackle cottage her cosy, if unconventional, home.Nelly’s generosity and wisdom win her many friends: Fay, the young newly-wed; Amy, the glamorous shopkeeper whose private life is colourful indeed; and her dignified sister Prue, whose family cupboard contains more than a few skeletons.Against the mounting excitement of the Coronation summer, Nelly steers her friends and family through storms and sunshine alike…A Welcome in the Valley will enchant readers of Rosie Clarke and Margaret Dickinson.

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Badgers Brook offers her the chance for a fresh start.As the Second World War ends, Sophie Daniels quits the WAAF with nowhere to go. She wanders around the country searching for a place where she can settle, living in bedsits, barns, and small guesthouses in the meantime. Eventually she finds Badgers Brook, where she meets and befriends nine-year-old Bertie, neglected and running wild.The neighbours warm to her, the place is welcoming, and Sophie knows she has found her home. Friendly local Ryan Treweather is a welcome distraction, and potentially more, if she can just trust him with one big guilty secret. But if Sophie grows closer to Ryan, what will it mean for poor young Bertie?The captivating third instalment of Grace Thompson’s hugely popular Badgers Brook saga series, perfect for fans of Maureen Lee and Ellie Dean.

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All’s fair in love, war, and bakingA delightful standalone Grace Thompson saga set during World War IIGilly Jenkins is the third generation to bake for her family firm. Also on Bread Street, in the same Welsh seaside town, is the rival bakery: Green’s.As Gilly’s grandfather falls ill, and facing the outbreak of the Second World War, things look tough for the Jenkins. Amidst the hardship of war they face an unexpected tragedy. Their feud with the Greens intensifies, and a new arrival in the town causes consternation. Yet, despite it all romance blossoms across the divide as Gilly falls for Paul, a dashing pilot and heir to the Green business. Secrets old and new come to light. Can the families come to terms with the past? And will love conquer all?

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A touching story of Welsh village life.Cockney born Nelly Luke is an essential part of the community. Yet not even Nelly, with her shrewd eye, can predict the surprises in store for her family and friends.A new year brings new faces: Maurice Davies is back from the army, and Sheila Powell, a shop-girl, is eager to help him make up for lost time. But for some there’s no escaping the past, and widow Prue Beynon finds herself confronted by a legacy she’d rather forget…Through the seasons, Nelly watches over the valley with a wry chuckle and an ever-helping hand.Valley Affairs is a warm-hearted novel packed with nostalgia and glorious period detail.

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When war threatens, hope will keep them aliveIn 1939, with the war having been declared, evacuees arrive in the small Welsh seaside town of St David’s Wells. When Eirlys Price convinces her parents to take in three young children, she never imagined it could lead to shocking family revelations which threaten all her future plans. Amidst homesickness, local gossip and the challenges of wartime, the community must pull together and wait until summer, when the town will come alive in all its seasonal glory…​Wait Till Summer is a classic wartime saga, filled with warmth, nostalgia and period detail, wonderful characters and finely-crafted plot. It is the first in the Holidays at Home series.Grace Thompson is an acclaimed author of saga and romance novels, and a mainstay of libraries throughout the United Kingdom and beyond. Born and raised in South Wales, she is the author of numerous series, including the Valley series, the Pendragon Island series, and the Badgers Brook series. She published her 42nd novel shortly after celebrating her 80th birthday, and continues to live in Swansea.

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A little bit of laughter will always see you throughSt David’s Wells blossoms in the English tourist trade of the war years. The Castle family run the rides and stalls, struggling to manage without their absent sons, and amid tragedies and anxieties, there is time for what St David’s Wells does best – fun and laughter.The fourth in Grace Thompson’s bestselling Holidays at Home series, Day Trippers is a wonderful journey into a seaside town in wartime Britain.Grace Thompson is an acclaimed author of saga and romance novels, and a mainstay of libraries throughout the United Kingdom and beyond. Born and raised in South Wales, she is the author of numerous series, including the Valley series, the Pendragon Island series, and the Badgers Brook series. She published her 42nd novel shortly after celebrating her 80th birthday, and continues to live in Swansea.

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Can a young woman overcome the tension between her work and home?Meriel Evans has worked for her father's estate agency ever since she left school. While happy there, she knows she must carve a career of her own, so lands a job with Cwm Derw’s Ace Estate Agency. Soon she discovers her new boss, George Dexter, dislikes her father intensely, though she cannot understand why. Just what is at the root of this bitterness? How will it affect Meriel’s prospects? And what are the consequences for her family?An enthralling fourth trip to the house at Badgers Brook, perfect for fans of Freda Lightfoot and Anna Jacobs.

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Badgers Brook once again provides sanctuary for a family in needMarried life hasn't been easy for Hope Murton – her mother-in-law, Marjorie, is overbearing and critical, and Hope's husband, Ralph, refuses to stand up for himself. Eventually Hope persuades him to move out and to set up a new home at Badgers Brook with their small son, Davy.Soon they are beset by tragedy when a road accident leaves Ralph confined to a wheelchair. He takes the only way out he can think of, leaving Hope destitute. Desperate not to return to her mother-in-law's house, she turns to friends for help, including local trader Peter Bevan. Can Hope overcome all that befalls her, and will she ever find true happiness?The second in the Badgers Brook series, A Girl Called Hope is a gripping tale of post-War life, filled with family and loss, secrets and romance. Perfect for fans of Ellie Dean and Sheila Newberry.

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Three girls go to war and find true friendshipEthel runs away from a violent father, a man so fierce he beat her fiancé senseless. Gorgeous Kate leaves her doting parents and their grocery store. Shy and sheltered Rosie, who has grown up with her grandmother, decides to escape her sleepy home town.All three join the NAAFI, determined to do their bit against Hitler. Through the travails of war they become each other's new family. Through desperate love affairs, charming pilots, unplanned pregnancies and postings around war-torn Europe, they resolve to stick together. But will the war tear them apart?And when the fighting draws to an end they realise the world – and their lives – can never be the same again...A spellbinding standalone Second World War saga from Grace Thompson.

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Lowri Vaughan is in need of refuge – where better to find it than Badgers Brook?Rumours abound that her father is a fraudster, maybe even a murderer, but while he is indeed locked up, Lowri and her mother know he’s an innocent man. Some gossip-seeking townsfolk work on currying Lowri’s favour, hoping she will drop her guard. Sorting those who can’t be trusted from those that can is tough work for Lowri, but that’s perhaps the least of her worries – she must secure her father’s release, and fast…The moving, final book in Grace Thompson's much-loved Badgers Brook saga series, perfect for fans of Anna Jacobs and Ellie Dean.

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The processes around identifying therapeutic goals with your client are at the centre of ethical music therapy practice. A combination of primary qualitative research with existing literature allows for a thorough understanding of how goal setting is influenced by both the therapist and the person with whom they work, and the levels of collaboration possible between client and therapist in different settings. Downloadable worksheets, reflective tasks, case examples and guidelines on goal writing puts the theory into action.Providing a detailed model and set of principles that you can apply to any context and strengthen your practice; this book makes essential reading for music therapy students and practitioners looking to hone and update their skills.

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This comprehensive book describes well-defined models of music therapy for working with families in different clinical areas, ranging from families with special needs children or dying family members through to families in psychiatric or paediatric hospital settings.International contributors explain the theoretical background and practice of their specific approach, including an overview of research and illustrative case examples. Particular emphasis is placed on connecting theory and clinical practice and on discussing the challenges and relevance of each model. This practical and theoretically anchored book will prove valuable for music therapists, students and researchers in the fast developing field of music therapy with families.

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