It Never Was You: Part Two of the Cypress Branches Trilogy by William E. Thomas

Harry Williamson is an ex-merchant seaman, a successful businessman and a loving family man. When he disappears from a ferry in the middle of the Irish Sea, his grieving family are left with more questions than answers.

Who on earth is Mary Robinson?

Why did Harry leave her a small fortune in his will?

Had he been unfaithful to his beloved late wife, Lesley?

As they delve into his past, they discover he’s been harbouring a secret which threatens to tear apart the very fabric of their family history.

What unfolds is the heartbreaking story of a quiet, middle class merchant seaman and his unexpected, tragic relationship with a beautiful and exuberant waitress from the Liverpool docks as they struggle to reconcile their feelings for each other with the ever changing attitudes of post-war Britain.

The follow up to the acclaimed Pegasus Falling, It Never Was You continues Thomas’s epic and panoramic saga of how ordinary people coped with some of the most extraordinary and devastating events of the 20th century.

Excerpt from Your Book:

Tom watched the countryside flash past as the Inter-City sped south. His mind was in turmoil, his thoughts tumbling about in confusion. His father had been in love with Jack Sullivan’s sister. Jack was a well known public figure, much in the news, yet not once had he ever indicated that he knew him. Was this in fact the girl of whom Captain Phillips had spoken? Jack had called her Mo…‘our Mo adored him’…Mo? He thought this must be a diminutive of some sort, but of what? Why had his father never spoken of her? Had his mother known of their relationship? She made no secret of her many amorous adventures prior to meeting his father, had spoken often and with deep affection of her wartime hero, a paratrooper with whom she had once been deeply in love and who had been killed in action. He had always assumed his father had only one love in his life, his mother. He had seemingly wiped the memory of the Sullivan girl completely from his mind. But why? Perhaps he was ashamed to admit his liaison with a mere waitress. But that was so unlike him, and why was her brother at the inquest? Could any of this explain why his father was on the ferry or why he had persistently lied about his visits to Manchester? Tom frowned. Had he been having an affair with this woman? Was this why his life ended in the Irish Sea? He recalled Jack’s words: ‘It was all so tragic and so bloody unnecessary.’ The words now seemed to acquire a deeper significance. But what did they mean? Tom wondered if they would ever know the truth.

Author Bio:

William Edward Thomas was born in West London in 1925.

He left The Brompton Oratory School when he was 14 and started work as a messenger at the BBC. When war broke out, he went to work with his father at a factory in Harrow. While still a teenager, William joined the army and was soon recruited in to the Parachute Regiment. By May 1945, he had been “dropped” in to a number of key battles and become a much decorated soldier. He was still only 19 years old. Following the war, William served in Palestine until 1948.

William has six children. As they were growing up, he was working and studying in shifts as a merchant seaman and an engineer. In his mid fifties, he decided to work full time as a lab technician at his Alma Mater, The Open University and remained there until his retirement. It was during his retirement that he decided to set himself the challenge of writing a novel. The Cypress Branches is the result.

William was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2006. His health has since deteriorated to the point where he can no longer live at home and he is now cared for at a home in Milton Keynes in the UK where he is visited by friends and family daily. His grandson, Mike Harris, has taken on the task of publishing William’s work with the family’s blessing.

Rafflecopter giveaway:

The Rafflecopter will be running on the tour’s homepage (http://acuteanglebooks.blogspot.com/2013/04/inwy-tour.html) and selected tour stops throughout the tour. 5 paperback and 10 ebook copies are being given away.

Website(s)

http://acuteanglebooks.blogspot.co.uk

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