At A Stroke – my Mum’s novel

You’ve probably heard me talk about Our Vicar’s Wife here at Stuck in a Book – my Mum, Anne Thomas, who is not just a vicar’s wife but now a published author. She has published At A Stoke through FeedARead, and I’ve asked her to say a bit about it – links to buy a copy yourself are at the bottom of the post, should you wish to do so. Over to you, Mum!

At A Stroke – a novel in 2 volumes – is the culmination of a decade’s worth of research, writing, re-writing and, finally, publishing!

The true story of John Durdin – Bankers’ Clerk and, for a brief period, an infamous figure – begins in 1832 and covers the first half of Victoria’s reign: a time when Britain changed rapidly and London was a melting pot of industry, commerce, and migration. The streets were certainly not paved with gold – for any who met with adversity, safety nets were non-existent. Hard work, grit and the support of loyal friends were the best chance of survival for John’s family, when their lives took a desperate turn.

We follow John’s dream of advancement through hard work and application. We see this dream begin to come true – but sometimes dreams are not enough – we try to help them along a little, slipping imperceptibly from the ‘narrow way’. This was John’s mistake – and what did this lead to, for the ones he loved?

A story of love, ambition, betrayal, steadfastness, love, generosity and loss – the books lead you from Northampton to London, to brush shoulders with some of the famous people of the time, and to walk in some of its darkest shadows, ever in pursuit of the candle of hope.

At A Stroke* is available from www.feedaread.com  at £7.99 per volume (£15.98 altogether + p&p). FeedARead is a print on demand publisher with printing facilities in the UK, US, Europe, and Australia.

Volume 1 Deceit of Riches

Volume 2 Fortune’s Spite

It is also available (in the UK) direct from Anne: email  apthomas[@]hotmail.co.uk at the special price of £19 (p&p inclusive)

*NB At A Stroke is a 2 volume novel – you need both volumes to complete the story!

6 thoughts on “At A Stroke – my Mum’s novel

  • August 23, 2024 at 10:31 am
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    I bought book 1 because my career spanned banking and accountancy. Remarkably, 50 years ago cashiers were still using manual ledgers, much as described in the book, although paper transactions were processed in the back office, so I could relate to the methods at the time. Overall duties were separated to prevent fraud, and reluctance to take leave and living above one’s obvious means were warning signs.
    I was very impressed by book 1, it’s an easy enjoyable read focussing on the human, domestic impact, so I managed to purchase book 2 via FeedARead.com, what an excellent service.
    Well done all round!

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    • August 23, 2024 at 11:44 am
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      Thank you John – I’m delighted At a Stroke met with ‘professional approval’! I am currently working to bring the two books together as a single volume, to be published this autumn. The new version will contain photographs of the family, unearthed after the previous publication, plus some amendments (using feedaread.com once more) Six years later, the story goes on!

      Reply
  • August 25, 2024 at 10:37 am
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    Anne – Your book was the first I had commented upon but I thought worthy of a mini critique, and to get an acknowledgment from the author, I feel quite privileged!. I was indeed engaged by the story, which was previously unknown to me, and will look out for the reprint and your other work. If you are revisiting the text, one minor point to check in case it was in your book or another I had read and am getting confused, is a reference to Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband, who was described as the Prince Regent when he was the Prince Consort. If I have confused the reference in your book with another, many apologies. Anyway, congratulations and good luck for the future.

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  • August 25, 2024 at 1:44 pm
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    Ah, yes – one of the typos which hid from sight in the MSS and then shone from the page of the published book! It’s amazing how the brain compensates when there are errors – one sees what one expects to see. It’s called authorial blindness!
    The next publication may well be promoted by stuck in a book AKA my son!
    Thank you for your comments :)

    Reply

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