Days Gone, Never Forgotten is the first book by Sue Lines who lives in Worthing.

It comes from Sue Lines Publishing at £8.99 and is available from Amazon.

Sue, aged 69, said: “The book is not intended as a children’s book as such. The stories are of three children: myself and my sister and brother growing up in the 1960s in Surrey. All the events actually took place but I’ve enriched them by weaving fictional stories around mine and my mum’s memories.

“I initially wrote the stories as simple jottings for my mum, Ann. From 2018 she was living in a care home in Worthing. She would frequently say things like ‘Do you remember when you were little, you did so and so?’ She loved reading these stories. Her vivid recollections spurred me on to write the short stories. There was no planning. I just responded to mum’s recollections which reflected our happy carefree lives. And then added my own spin on them – often with intentional humorous qualities to emphasise that a child’s interpretation of life is vastly different from that of an adult.

“The stories took on greater significance when Ann sadly passed away in 2024. At that point all the stories were typed onto A4 paper, with original photos Blu-tacked onto these pages. So, I knew then that I had to put the stories into a proper book format to be shared with my family, friends and beyond. The published book contains original black and white photos and professional illustrations.

“Times have changed irrevocably since then. This collection of short stories is nostalgic for a way of life gone but equally reveals some of the historical changes in the last 65 years. I found this to be equally fascinating and frightening. This book would appeal to any age group. The book is a humorous read as well as a reminder of how simple life was before tech got hold of every aspect of life as it is now.

“The first short story in the book begins in the months before I was born – in the freezing winter of 1955/56. The setting is our kitchen and relays events that did take place and/or probably took place for all of us children. Subsequent stories also follow the highlights and a few lowlights of our lives as we grew up. One of the stories is set in Lancing where my grandparents retired to in the early 60s.

“This is the first book I’ve written.

“In 1984, when I was 28, I had a serious brain haemorrhage. It took five years for me to relearn to walk again and then gain employment as a significantly disabled person. I also studied arts with the Open University. That degree gave me a love of writing and appreciation of art.

“From the late 90s I’ve written numerous articles for publications in disability as well as access – as in accessible buildings and facilities for disabled people. I really enjoy writing – communicating with the written word. I believe that disability is often still perceived negatively.

“I would like to share my positive experiences of being a significantly disabled person living independently and working in mainstream jobs in London in the 90s and 2000s. Consequently I am mid-way through writing my memoirs. Writing Days Gone, Never Forgotten has made me understand the importance of using humour to gain a reader’s attention as well as enabling them to have an enjoyable read!”