Alex Martin

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'The Plotting Shed' (see my blog http://www.intheplottingshed.com/) was my first writing space at the bottom of my Welsh garden. Now I split my time between Wales and France and plot wherever I am. I still wander aimlessly in the countryside with my dog and my dreams and I can still be found typing away with imaginary friends whispering in my ear, but these days I have the joy of seeing my stories published and the treasured feedback from readers who've enjoyed them.
Now I have eight novels on Amazon and a collection of 3 short stories, called Trio (a free copy of which is available at The Plotting Shed).
My first novel, The Twisted Vine, is based on my adventurous escape from real life when I went picking grapes in France in the 1980s. I met some amazing people there but none as outrageous as those that sprang to life on my screen.
Award-winning Daffodils, the first in "The Katherine Wheel Series", is quite a different book and is based in Wiltshire where I grew up. Katy's life and the rigid social order that confined her were radically altered by the catalyst of the First World War as it slowly eroded the age-old way of English country life. The sequel, Peace Lily, takes the characters into 1919 after the armistice. They each have to carve out new lives in the aftermath of the Great War and find their way in the new modern age. The next book is Speedwell, when the four protagonists race into the motoring era of the roaring 'twenties. Willow, a novella, bridges the gaps between the generations in Speedwell and the next two books, Woodbine and Ivy. The children in Willow are on the brink of both adulthood and the Second World War in Woodbine, and this conflict will dramatically impact on their lives, just as the First World War did on their parents'. The Katherine Wheel Series concludes in Ivy, the sixth volume where Lottie is trapped in occupied France, Isobel is torn between love and duty and Al flies planes for the ATA. All the disparate threads of the previous five books are drawn together into a surprising climax.
I've also published something totally different. The Rose Trail is a ghost story with the English Civil War as its backdrop. The story slips between the time of the English civil war and the present day and is woven together with a supernatural thread in a ghostly voice. I'm happy to add that The Rose Trail has won 2 awards since publication: Chill with a Book award and a B.R.A.G Medallion

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Books By Alex Martin

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Peace Lily: Book Two in The Katherine Wheel Series 03-Oct-2014

by Alex Martin

( 188 )

£0.99 £9.99

Peace Lily is the sequel to DAFFODILS and book two of the 'Katherine Wheel' saga.
After the appalling losses suffered during the First World War, three of its survivors long for peace, unaware that its aftermath will bring different, but still daunting, challenges.
Katy trained as a mechanic during the war and cannot bear to return to the life of drudgery she left behind. A trip to America provides the dream ticket she has always craved and an opportunity to escape the strait-jacket of her working class roots. She jumps at the chance, little realising that it will change her life forever, but not in the way she’d hoped.
Jem lost not only an arm in the war, but also his livelihood, and with it, his self esteem. How can he keep restless Katy at home and provide for his wife? He puts his life at risk a second time, attempting to secure their future and prove his love for her.
Cassandra has fallen deeply in love with Douglas Flintock, an American officer she met while driving ambulances at the Front. How can she persuade this modern American to adapt to her English country life, and all the duties that come with inheriting Cheadle Manor? When Douglas returns to Boston, unsure of his feelings, Cassandra crosses the ocean, determined to lure him back.
As they each try to carve out new lives, their struggles impact on each other in unforeseen ways in this heartbreaking romance.
Peace Lily is about the boundaries between traditional values and the modern age of the 20th century, between men and women, young and old and, in post-war 1919, these are tested as never before.
A third book, SPEEDWELL, takes the characters into the daring arena of motor racing in the 1920s and Katy's defiant bid for independence. Book Four, WILLOW, (novella-sized) bridges the gap between the generations as the children of Cassandra and Douglas, Jem and Katy embark on a summer adventure that goes disastrously wrong with dire consequences. The four children, Lottie and Isobel, Al and Lily, are on the brink of adulthood and the outbreak of the Second World War in Book Five, WOODBINE. Their lives separate as they are each forced to follow different paths through the war. Lottie is stranded in occupied France after a bitter family feud and gets drawn into the French Resistance; Al faces many dangers as he flies planes for the ATA, and Isobel, torn between duty and love, becomes a Land Girl. Can they come back together in Book Six, IVY? You must read the final book in The Katherine Wheel Series to find out how the whole saga reaches its dramatic and satisfying conclusion.

Other Formats: Paperback

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

Speedwell: Book Three in the Katherine Wheel Series 29-Jul-2015

by Alex Martin

( 157 )

£2.99 £9.99

In SPEEDWELL, Book Three of The Katherine Wheel Series, Katy and Jem enter the 1920's with their future in the balance. How can they possibly make their new enterprise work? They must risk everything, including disaster, and trust their gamble will pay off.
Cassandra, juggling the demands of a young family, aging parents and running Cheadle Manor, distrusts the speed of the modern age, but Douglas races to meet the new era, revelling in the freedom of the open road.
Can each marriage survive the strain the new dynamic decade imposes? Or will the love they share deepen and carry them through? They all arrive at destinies that surprise them in Speedwell, another heartbreaking romance in the Katherine Wheel Saga.
Book One, DAFFODILS, is a love story, whose tender heart is almost torn apart through the tumultuous challenge of World War One. Katy, a maidservant at Cheadle Manor, longs to escape her narrow life but events unfold slowly in her rural Wiltshire village. Jem Phipps has always loved Katy. His proposal of marriage rescues her from scandal but, after tragedy strikes, Jem becomes a reluctant soldier on the battlefields of The First World War leaving Katy behind, restless and alone. Through the horrors of WW1, Katy discovers only love brings freedom.
Find out how these characters fared after the Armistice when they entered a new, modern age in its sequel, PEACE LILY. They have to carve out new lives in a changed world, having survived the war only to face new and unexpected challenges when they return home.
In this third book, SPEEDWELL, the four friends enter into the daring arena of motor racing in the 1920s and Katy makes a defiant bid for independence.
Book Four, WILLOW, (novella-sized) bridges the gap between the generations as the children of Cassandra and Douglas, Jem and Katy embark on a summer adventure that goes disastrously wrong, with dire consequences. The four children, Lottie and Isobel, Al and Lily, are on the brink of adulthood and the outbreak of the Second World War in Book Five, WOODBINE. Their lives separate as they are forced to follow different paths through the war. Lottie is stranded in occupied France after a bitter family feud and gets drawn into the French Resistance; Al faces many dangers as he flies planes for the ATA; and Isobel, torn between duty and love, becomes a Land Girl. Can they come back together to Cheadle Manor in Book Six, IVY? You must read the final book in The Katherine Wheel Series to find out how the whole saga reaches its dramatic and satisfying conclusion.

Other Formats: Paperback

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

Ivy: Book Six in The Katherine Wheel Series 01-Jul-2020

by Alex Martin

( 97 )

£2.99 £10.99

All the disparate threads of this epic saga are seamlessly woven together in Ivy, the sixth and final book in the award-winning Katherine Wheel Series.
Drawn into the Resistance in Occupied France, Lottie’s strengths and endurance are tested to the limit.
Home-loving Isobel, torn between love and duty, must set herself free if she is ever to find happiness.
Flying planes for the Air Transport Auxiliary frequently puts Al in danger but securing the woman he loves proves much more challenging.
Cheadle Manor once lay at the heart of the lives of Lottie, Isobel and Al, but World War Two has broken every bond tying them to their safe haven. Can they ever come home and be together again?
The Katherine Wheel Series starts with Book One, DAFFODILS, a love story whose tender heart is almost torn apart through the tumultuous challenge of World War One. Katy, a maidservant at Cheadle Manor, longs to escape her narrow life but events unfold slowly in her rural Wiltshire village. Jem Phipps has always loved Katy. His proposal of marriage rescues her from scandal but, after tragedy strikes, Jem becomes a reluctant soldier on the battlefields of the First World War leaving Katy behind, restless and alone. Through the horrors of WW1, Katy discovers only love brings freedom.
Find out how Katy, and her new friend and former employer Cassandra Smythe, fared after the Armistice when they entered a new, modern age in its sequel, PEACE LILY. They have to carve out new lives in a changed world, having survived the war only to face new and unexpected challenges when they return home.
In the third book, SPEEDWELL, the four friends, Katy and Jem and Cassandra and Douglas, enter into the daring arena of motor racing in the 1920s and Katy makes a defiant bid for independence with shocking results.
WILLOW, (novella-sized) Book Four in the Katherine Wheel Series, bridges the gap between the generations as the children of Cassandra and Douglas, Jem and Katy embark on a summer adventure that goes disastrously wrong, with dire consequences.
The four children, Lottie and Isobel, Al and Lily, are on the brink of adulthood and the outbreak of the Second World War in Book Five, WOODBINE. Their lives separate as they are forced to follow different paths through the war. Lottie is stranded in occupied France after a bitter family feud and gets drawn into the French Resistance; Al faces many dangers as he flies planes for the ATA; and Isobel, torn between duty and love, becomes a Land Girl.
Can they come back together to Cheadle Manor in Book Six, IVY? You must read this final book in The Katherine Wheel Series to find out how the whole saga reaches its dramatic and satisfying conclusion.

Other Formats: Paperback

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

Daffodils (The katherine Wheel series Book 1) 14-Jan-2014

by Alex Martin

( 1,108 )

£0.00 £9.99

Daffodils is the Winner of the New Apple Literary Award for Excellence in Independent Publishing 2019 Medallist Winner E-Book.
Daffodils is a love story, whose tender heart is almost torn apart through the tumultuous challenge of World War One.
"A profound meditation on love and loss and the perils of war": Bookbub
"Absorbing, involving, unputdownable, honest, great characterisation". Indie Book Bargains Featured Author Book of the day June 25th 2013 and was chosen to be in the first edition of the Fussy Librarian's selection.
COMPLETELY REVISED EDITION
Katy, a maidservant at Cheadle Manor, longs to escape her narrow life but events unfold slowly in her rural village in Wiltshire. Jem Phipps has always loved Katy. His proposal of marriage rescues her from scandal but after tragedy strikes Jem becomes a reluctant soldier on the battlefields of The First World War, leaving Katy behind, restless and alone. Lionel White, the local curate, has just returned from India bringing a dash of colour to the small village and offers Katy a window on the wider world. Only when Katy joins up as a WAAC girl does she finally break free from the stifling class-ridden hierarchies that bind her but the brutality of 20th-century global war brings home the price she has paid for her search. Through the horrors of WW1, Katy discovers only love brings freedom.
For fans of historical fiction, DAFFODILS is Book One of The Katherine Wheel Saga.
Find out how these characters fared after the Armistice when they entered a new, modern age in its sequel, PEACE LILY. They have to carve out new lives in a changed world, having survived the war only to face new unexpected challenges when they return home.
A third book, SPEEDWELL, takes the characters into the daring arena of motor racing in the 1920s and Katy's defiant bid for independence. Book Four, WILLOW, (novella-sized) bridges the gap between the generations as the children of Cassandra and Douglas, Jem and Katy embark on a summer adventure that goes disastrously wrong, with dire consequences. The four children, Lottie and Isobel, Al and Lily, are on the brink of adulthood and the outbreak of the Second World War in Book Five, WOODBINE. Their lives separate as they are each forced to follow different paths through the war. Lottie is stranded in occupied France and gets drawn into the French Resistance; Al faces many dangers as he flies planes for the ATA, and Isobel, torn between duty and love, becomes a Land Girl. Can they come back together in Book Six, IVY? You must read the final book in The Katherine Wheel Series to find out how the whole saga reaches its dramatic and satisfying conclusion.

Other Formats: Audible Audiobooks , Paperback

Woodbine: Book Five in The Katherine Wheel Series 02-Apr-2020

by Alex Martin

( 276 )

£2.99 £9.99

Woodbine is Part One of the concluding two books in The Katherine Wheel Series. Ivy is Part Two and completes the whole story.
Lottie, her sister Isobel and Al, the man they both love, are on the brink of adulthood and the Second World War in Woodbine, the fifth book in the award-winning Katherine Wheel Series.
Trapped and alone in occupied France, Lottie must disguise her identity and avoid capture if she is to return and heal the bitter feud over the future of Cheadle Manor.
Back in England, Al is determined to prove himself. He joins the Air Transport Auxiliary service, flying aeroplanes to RAF bases all over the country.
Isobel defies everyone’s expectations by becoming a land girl. Bound by a promise to a dying woman, she struggles to break free and follow her heart.
Woodbine is the penultimate book in the Katherine Wheel Series.
Book One, DAFFODILS, is a love story, whose tender heart is almost torn apart through the tumultuous challenge of World War One. Katy, a maidservant at Cheadle Manor, longs to escape her narrow life but events unfold slowly in her rural Wiltshire village. Jem Phipps has always loved Katy. His proposal of marriage rescues her from scandal but, after tragedy strikes, Jem becomes a reluctant soldier on the battlefields of The First World War leaving Katy behind, restless and alone. Through the horrors of WW1, Katy discovers only love brings freedom.
Find out how these characters fared after the Armistice when they entered a new, modern age in its sequel, PEACE LILY. They have to carve out new lives in a changed world, having survived the war only to face new and unexpected challenges when they return home.
In the third book, SPEEDWELL, the four friends enter into the daring arena of motor racing in the 1920s and Katy makes a defiant bid for independence.
WILLOW, (novella-sized) Book Four in the award-winning Katherine Wheel Series, bridges the gap between the generations as the children of Cassandra and Douglas, Jem and Katy embark on a summer adventure that goes disastrously wrong, with dire consequences. The four children, Lottie and Isobel, Al and Lily, are on the brink of adulthood and the outbreak of the Second World War in this, Book Five, WOODBINE. Their lives separate as they are forced to follow different paths through the war. Can they come back together to Cheadle Manor in Book Six, IVY? You must read the final book in The Katherine Wheel Series to find out how the whole saga reaches its dramatic and satisfying conclusion.

Other Formats: Paperback

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

Willow: Book Four of The Katherine Wheel Series 20-Nov-2019

by Alex Martin

( 70 )

£0.99 £4.99

Book Four of The Katherine Wheel Series, is the NOVELLA SIZED WILLOW.
The stifling heat of a summer’s day lures four children to the cool green waters of the river running between Cheadle Manor and The Katherine Wheel Garage.
Al captains the little band of pirates as they blithely board the wooden dinghy. Headstrong Lottie vies with him to be in charge while Isobel tries to keep the peace and look after little Lily.
But it is the river that is really in control.
Lost and alone, the four children must face many dangers, but it is the unforeseen consequences of their innocent adventure that will shape their futures for years to come.
Book One in the award-winning Katherine Wheel Series, DAFFODILS, is a love story, whose tender heart is almost torn apart through the tumultuous challenge of World War One. Katy, a maidservant at Cheadle Manor, longs to escape her narrow life but events unfold slowly in her rural Wiltshire village. Jem Phipps has always loved Katy. His proposal of marriage rescues her from scandal but, after tragedy strikes, Jem becomes a reluctant soldier on the battlefields of The First World War leaving Katy behind, restless and alone. Through the horrors of WW1, Katy discovers only love brings freedom.
Find out how Katy and Jem fared after the Armistice when they entered a new, modern age in its sequel, PEACE LILY. A trip to America involves Katy in Cassandra's romance with Douglas Flintock but also changes her own life, and not for the better. They all have to carve out new lives in a changed world, having survived the war only to face new and unexpected challenges when they return home.
In the third book, SPEEDWELL, the four friends enter into the daring arena of motor racing in the 1920s and Katy makes a defiant bid for independence with shocking results.
WILLOW, (novella-sized) Book Four in the award-winning Katherine Wheel Series, bridges the gap between the generations as the children of Cassandra and Douglas, Jem and Katy embark on a summer adventure that goes disastrously wrong, with dire consequences. The four children, Lottie and Isobel, Al and Lily, are on the brink of adulthood and the outbreak of the Second World War in Book Five, WOODBINE. Their lives separate as they are forced to follow different paths through the war. Lottie is stranded in occupied France after a bitter family feud and gets drawn into the French Resistance; Al faces many dangers as he flies planes for the ATA; and Isobel, torn between duty and love, becomes a Land Girl. Can they come back together to Cheadle Manor in Book Six, IVY? You must read the final book in The Katherine Wheel Series to find out how the whole saga reaches its dramatic and satisfying conclusion.

Other Formats: Paperback

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

The Rose Trail 06-Dec-2016

by Alex Martin

( 46 )

£2.17 £9.99

Award winning B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree
WINNER OF 'CHILL WITH A BOOK AWARD' June 2017
Can a golden pomander contain the power of the past through the scent of roses it carries?
Fay, lost and lonely, feels trapped and unable to move on from tragedy. Haunted by restless spirits her life is not her own. When she meets an old rival she is drawn into a chain of events that both terrifies and fascinates her.
Meadowsweet Manor is also unable to escape its own tragic history from the English Civil War. Only when Fay follows a trail of roses back through hundreds of years can she unlock its secrets and redeem her own.

Is it chance that brings Fay and Persephone together?
Or is it the restless and malevolent spirit who stalks them both?
Once rivals, they must now unite if they are to survive the mysterious trail of roses they are forced to follow into a dangerous, war torn past.

Other Formats: Paperback

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

The Twisted Vine 09-Dec-2013

by Alex Martin

( 63 )

£2.99 £8.99

Every journey is an adventure.
Especially one into the unknown.
Join Roxanne on her journey, travelling in France, as she discovers the pitfalls of falling in love, the trials of winemaking and unmasks a tragedy. Taste the wine, feel the sun, drive through the Provencal mountains with her, as her courage and resourcefulness are tested to the limit in this exciting vineyard romance.

The Twisted Vine is a 1980s romance set in the heart of France and is full of mystery and suspense. Roxanne Rudge, a feisty heroine, escapes her cheating boyfriend by going grape-picking in France. She feels vulnerable and alone in such a big country where she can't speak the language and is befriended by Armand le Clair, a handsome Frenchman. Armand is not all he seems and she discovers a darker side to him before exposing a dreadful secret. She is aided and abetted by three new friends she has made, charming posh Peter, a gifted linguist, the beautiful and vivacious Italian, Yvane, and clever Henry of the deep brown eyes with a chocolate voice to match. Together they unravel a mystery centred around a beautiful chateau and play a part in its future.
Review by www.bookviral.com strongly recommends The Twisted Vine. They are a quality control website for authors and said "Wonderfully atmospheric and enticingly mysterious, The Twisted Vine is the debut novel from author Alex Martin. An evocative mystery that takes a delightful foray into the heart of France, where the best laid plans take an unexpected turn. A journey of self-discovery, love and tragedy that elegantly contrasts the essence of French life with darker and infinitely more sinister overtures. Cleverly constructed and written with an acerbic pen, Martin transports her readers to a transient world that she imbues with life through inspired character development and an ear for authentic dialogue. It’s a truly engaging tale which turns a simple journey into an all-encompassing adventure that tests the boundaries of courage and resourcefulness at a time of vulnerability. Impeccable in detail, memorable and enthralling, The Twisted Vine is a notable debut from an author with a bright future ahead of her and is strongly recommended."
See Alex Martin's other books including the award-winning Katherine Wheel Series and a ghost story called The Rose Trail
Go to www.intheplottingshed.com for more information

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