Evacuation was East Preston novelist’s inspiration

Oaklands is published by Indepenpress under their Pen Press imprint, and Liss stresses it is a work of fiction.

But, inevitably, she has drawn on her own recollections of being evacuated at the very start of World War Two.

“I was evacuated to Worthing,” said Liss, who will be signing copies of the book at Waterstones in Worthing on Saturday (March 24) at 10.30am.

“It was quite tearful, really. I don’t think it did me any good whatsoever.

“When you are four years old – less than four years in my case when I was evacuated with my sisters – you don’t get back into the family again.

“You are accepted back, but other children have been born, and you try to pick up where you left off as a three-year-old – which is still a baby as far as I am concerned – but it is difficult.

“But in some ways, it was good for me. It was the making of me. It made me who I am today. You just get on with your life. I decided that if there was no love at home, you just get out and get on with it. I suppose I was away two or three years.”

In the book, it is 1939 and war has just broken out. Lizzie and her sister Mary are evacuated from their London home to the safety of the south coast.

Lizzie forgets the family environment dominated by her unloving mother, Florrie and settles down to life at Oaklands. There she meets Alfie Barratt and a life-long friendship is forged.

When Lizzie is packed off to London to live with her grandmother after the war, she sets out to embrace life and independence. But family secrets and personal heartbreak test Lizzie’s spirit and strength to the limit and following a disastrous, short-lived marriage, a heartbroken Lizzie flees to the New Forest.

Oaklands is available from Amazon.co.uk, Waterstones.com, Tesco.com and from booksellers.