Annie Groves was a pseudonym of the much-loved writer, Penny Halsall, who was an international bestselling author of over 180 novels with sales of over 84 million copies. Sadly, Penny died in 2011. The final books in the Article Row series, Only a Mother Knows and A Christmas Promise, were completed posthumously by Sheila Riley.Born and raised on Merseyside, Sheila Riley is the eldest of seven children. At school Sheila quickly discovered her English exam grades could be improved by writing tales in the back of her exercise book, and so began her lifelong love of story-telling. Happily married to Tony, they have three grown-up children, five adorable grandchildren and a huge German shepherd who is put in his place by a small, ancient cat called Missy.Christmas on the Mersey is the second book in a new series that features the residents of Empire Street in Liverpool during the Second World War.

Praise for Annie Groves:‘Heartwrenching and uplifting in equal measure – a tragic indictment of what can happen when you swap passion for duty. Roll on the sequel!’ Take a Break‘A stirring and heartrending family saga…Against a backdrop of change when the suffragette movement was coming to the fore, the choices and dreams of a generation of women combine to create this passionate story’ Liverpool Daily Post‘Written from the heart’ My Weekly‘An engrossing story’ My Weekly