Patricia Burns – författare

“She was following her dream. And I’m going to do the same. I’m going to be a dancer. ” In January 1947, Lillian’s Aunty Eileen escaped their family’s grim Southend boarding house to find her own path. Now Lillian’s gran rules the family with an iron fist and Lillian, the youngest, is no better than a slave. She takes comfort from her Aunty Eileen’s example, knowing that she will one day leave and become a dancer.As the austere Forties give way to the excitement of the “never had it so good” Fifties, Lillian joins a touring company, dancing in the chorus line. Her dream is so close she can touch it. The only thing missing is James Kershaw, who Lillian thinks is the love of her life, but who regards her as no more than a little sister.When a family crisis demands her return to Southend, and to James, Lillian starts to think – is it time to find a new dream to follow?Other books by Patricia BurnsWe'll Meet AgainBye Bye Love

It’s 1953, Coronation Year and everybody is celebrating… Everybody it seems, except Scarlett Smith. In one day, she loses her Mum and her home as well. Now she and her father are adrift in Southend, moving from one grimy rented room to the next – the only happiness for Scarlett is her innocent romance with local boy Tom.Scarlett’s once-loving Dad can’t hold down a job – or keep off the drink. Scarlett must leave school to work in a factory, just as Tom heads off to do national service. With Tom away, Scarlett’s life is bleak, with the only highlight being the dance hall on a Saturday night.There Scarlett forgets her troubles with the lead singer of a rock ,n’ roll band – with disastrous consequences…Praise for Patricia Burns“The characters spring to life and simply walk off the page. ” Sally WorboyesOther books by Patricia BurnsWe'll Meet AgainFollow Your Dream

They were the talented ones - young, fresh, arrogant, with a bright golden world swinging ahead of them. Then came that terrible, traumatic summer, their last summer together, the summer that had savagely thrust them into the adult world.Jill - the leader, brilliant, ambitious. She made it to the top but never recovered from that nightmare summer.Carol - lovely, languid, destined to be a great artist until her own sexuality destroyed her dreams.Penny - determined to drag herself from a council estate and a scrounging father to the glittering world of the stage.Andrea - loyal, obedient, self-effacing - and dazzled to be part of the clever set. She never realized her life was a lie.They never really knew the truth about that summer - just that it had changed their lives.

Fans of Dilly Court, Rosie Goodwin and Josephine Cox will love this wonderfully evocative and enchanting saga set in London's Docklands from much loved author, Patricia Burns.READERS ARE LOVING CINNAMON ALLEY!'Absolutely loved this book and I couldn't put it down really enjoyed it' -- ***** Reader review'Keeps you turning the page!' -- ***** Reader review'Brilliant read , read it all in one go , could not put it down until I finished it' -- ***** Reader review****************************************************ONE WOMAN'S WILL TO MAKE SOMETHING OF HER LIFE...Brought up by her mother and grandmother in London's Docklands, Poppy Powers harbours a secret ambition to become a musician like her father.Waitressing in the drinking clubs during the terrible Great War is where she first hears ragtime and it is there she falls in love with the exotic American, Scott Warrender.After tragically losing him she succeeds in forming the first all-female band and flighty, charming Roddy Fitch does his best to make her forget her heartache. . .From smoky clubs to ocean liners, through the war, the reckless dancing years and the Wall Street Crash, Poppy is determined to succeed.Only her last ambition remains unfulfilled - to share it with the man she loves.

A magical love story- and a richly detailed evocation of a great city.1909, and life is hard for young Poppy Powers. Her dad has disappeared-gone to a season in the North somewhere and failed to return-leaving her mum to earn their keep and Poppy doing chores for Gran. Poppy dreams of being a musician like dad, but Gran would never allow it, and Gran’s rule is absolute in Cinnamon Alley.There is more than a littleof Gran’s stubbornness and determination in Poppy, however and the discovery of her Dad’s saxophone, secret music lessons and the Salvation Army band bring the stirrings of possibility. Waitressing in the drinking clubs during the terrible Great Was, Poppy and her dreams find a direction. It is there she falls in love, tragically and irrevocably, with the American Scott Warrender.Alone and destined to rely on her own talents, Poppy, with few loyal friends and a flair for dance music, forms the Power Girls, the first all-female band. The fight for respect and recognition is doubly hard for women, but this is the heady Roaring Twenties and all the Bright Young Things are desperate to dance. Among them is Roddy Ffitch. Charming, rich, madly in love with Poppy, he introduces her to a dangerous world of endless parties and fast cars. But can he help her forget Scott?From smoky clubs to ocean liners, from North Millwall to New York, though the war, the reckless dancing years and the Wall Street Crash, Poppy is determined to succeed, and to make her own way on her own terms. Only her last ambition remains unfulfilled-to share it all with the man she loves. But, maybe after all, what Poppy craves is just a step from Cinnamon Alley…

Let much loved author Patricia Burns transport you to the East End of yesteryear in this saga of one woman's search for love amidst the perils of war. Fans of Dilly Court, Rosie Goodwin and Josephine Cox will not be disappointed...'The authentic flavour of the East-End... compelling...A very good read' -- Harry Bowling'A truly riveting romantic saga' - Loving'One of the best stories I have read in a while' -- ***** Reader review'Loved it from start to end.Gripped all way through' -- ***** Reader review'[A] brilliant moving story' -- ***** Reader review*******************************************************************************AS BOMBS CONTINUE TO FALL ON LONDON, WILL SHE BE ABLE TO FIND HAPPINESS?1941: Like anyone else in London during the war, Rita Johnson never knows whether her house on Trinidad Street will still be there when she gets home. Times are uncertain and unsettling, yet one thing remains constant - the interlocking loyalties of the families and their friends who live on the street.The bombing of London brings the best in the residents: courage and devotion, and the stubborn resistance needed to cock a snoop at Hitler.Yet amidst all of this 'Blitz-spirit', Rita feels like something is missing - trapped in a loveless marriage, she yearns for more. So when she meets RAF navigator Jack Wilkinson, walking arm in arm with her sister Lily, she falls for him, head over heels.But he is a man she cannot love - will she be able to find a way forward?

Lose yourself in this heart-warming and captivating saga of love and heartache set in London's East End from much loved author, Patricia Burns. Fans of Dilly Court, Rosie Goodwin and Josephine Cox will not be disappointed...READERS ARE LOVING TRINIDAD STREET!'Thoroughly enjoyed it, got carried away with all the different family happenings' -- ***** Reader review'Couldn't put this book down' -- ***** Reader review'Such a great read' -- ***** Reader review*********************************************************LOVE AND WAR IN LONDON'S EAST ENDThe Isle of Dogs at the turn of the century was a close-knit community and Trinidad Street was no different. The lives and loves of its residents often intermingled...When Tom Johnson, a union leader at the docks is sacked, his daughter Ellen has to leave school and forget her dreams of getting an office job. But she can still dream of Harry Turner...But Harry, a young lighterman struggling to keep his battered family together, is bewitched by silver-tongued beauty Siobhan O'Donoghue. And Siobhan, ambitious for greater things, will use any weapon to repay the people of Trinidad Street for her disappointments.And Gerry Billingham, set on bettering himself in pursuit of a retail empire, will be there to pick up the pieces ...Through good times and bad, some will find what they are looking for - and others will realise too late what they have lost.

In this powerful sequel to PACKARDS, much loved author Patricia Burns returns to the London department store, bringing its people and its wartime challenges expertly to life. Perfect for fans of Dilly Court, Rosie Goodwin and Josephine Cox...READERS ARE LOVING GOODBYE PICCADILLY!'I could hardly bear to put my kindle down until I had read the final chapter!' - Loving'One of the best books I have read for a long time'-- ***** Reader review'Another excellent read - couldn't put it down' -- ***** Reader review'Loved it' -- ***** Reader review*********************************************************AS EUROPE PLUNGES INTO WAR, WILL PACKARDS - AND ITS PEOPLE - SURVIVE?Following the death of Thomas Packard, the tensions between his grandchildren mount:Who will get the major shareholding in the store? Who will be on the board? Who will be chairman?Amelie fights to maintain her position whilst not only coping with a marriage that is far from perfect but also trying to resist a strong attraction to her friend's husband.Then their world is torn apart by the declaration of war - business must go on despite staffing difficulties. It opens up new opportunities for Amelie, who is quick to seize them, and puts ever more of her energies into her beloved Packards.But the outbreak of war also stiffens her brother Alec's resolve to stay firmly in control. . .

Let much loved author Patricia Burns transport you to another time in this saga which brilliantly brings together characters from all walks of life whose lives centre around one much loved department store. Fans of Dilly Court, Rosie Goodwin and Josephine Cox will not be disappointed...READERS ARE LOVING PACKARDS!'I could hardly bear to put my kindle down until I had read the final chapter!' - Loving'One of the best books I have read for a long time'-- ***** Reader review'Another excellent read - couldn't put it down' -- ***** Reader review'Loved it' -- ***** Reader review*******************************************************************************A SWEEPING STORY OF SOCIETY, SOPHISTICATION, SEDUCTION, SUCCESSION...AND SHOPPING1908: Sir Thomas Packard is seeking a successor to take on the management of Packards - the Oxford Street department store he founded in the mid-nineteenth century. His only daughter and her feckless husband spend his fortune but despise its provenance so he looks to his grandchildren:EDWARD has all his grandfather's ruthlessness but none of his vision;PERRY is a good-time boy;AMELIE, intelligent and ambitious, is willing to take anyone on to gain control of the store.Alongside their story is that of Packards employees:DAISY CHAPMAN, thrilled to have found an escape from East End drudgery; skilled and promotable but forced to choose between love and her job;ISOBEL NORTON who has fled from her brother-in-law's advances to make a new life for herself;JOHNNY MILLER, loved by Isobel and in love with Daisy.Together, their stories combine to create a sweeping absorbing vision of a cross-section of society in the early years of the century.Find out what lies next in store for Packards in Goodbye Piccadilly: Packards at War...

Annie Cross has few pleasures in her tough life. On the bleak family farm on the Essex marshlands, she slaves all day for her cruel father. The one thing that keeps her going is her secret meetings with Tom Featherstone.But War steals Tom from her when he joins the RAF. Annie would love to do her bit but stuck on the farm, she lives for Tom's letters – until they stop coming.When, against the odds, her beloved Tom returns, he finds a different, stronger Annie to the one he left behind. But he also finds the girl he loved is carrying another man's child…Other books by Patricia BurnsBye Bye LoveFollow Your Dream

Patricia Pat Burns retired from CBS Inc. in 1995 after 30 years with that company. In retirement, she devotes her time to blogging, travel and in pursuit of her avocation, writing. She and her husband celebrated their 60rd wedding anniversary in October 2011. This book is a reflection of their first 44 year. She is currently working on a second book in this series which will share their many adventures in retirement. She and her husband reside in Glendale California when they are not on the road, in the air or on the sea.

They are proof that you dont have to have a lot of money to live a full life, but you do need to enjoy life, have a sense of adventure and occasionally step outside your comfort zone.

This is the last of the words from a loving farmer to his second daughter. Will that ever be Folk' followed by his daughter as a loving mother of three handsome sons Benjamin, Daniel and Scott she became the loving grandmother of six beautiful tall blonde granddaughters Sam, Megan, Susan, Amanda, Christie and Angel all of them the issue of blonde son Campbell, (Sonnie Dearest), spare her harsh words there is no malice intended. My darling husband Captain Allan and I are still contented and happy together well into our eighties and hope to reach our nineties as we have suffered so much through youth ignorance and separations. We were hard workers and as you are all farming stock you will be too. We wish you lots of love, happiness, a long life and comfort with a faithful partner if you want that. If you lie upon roses when young expect thorns later on .