One Year One Night is set against the background of the Second World War and taking place in a fictional English village called Millside.

That village experiences the last half-normal Christmas at the end of 1939.  Our heroine Annie sits down to a festive lunch with her family but she’s aware that her world is starting to change. For a start, there’s an extra guest at the table in the shape of Auntie Betty. Betty is a unmarried aunt, sister to Annie’s mother. Betty didn’t warn the family that she was about to evacuate herself on them, as Annie writes in her diary. At first Auntie Betty doesn’t even think the family should celebrate at all as it’s unpatriotic but by the end of the meal she’s relented and her cheeks seem to be bulging.

At least Annie’s Dad is still with them, before joining the Army, and he uses humour to keep ‘Batty Betty’ in check during the holiday.

But Annie who’s only 16 has noticed that other things in Millside have changed.

The blackout is in place for the first time meaning that all nighttime lights have to be covered or put out on pain of a telling off by a jobsworth like Mr Cribbles, who’s the village Air Raid Protection Warden. So there are no Xmas lights or carol singers caterwauling outside Annie’s front door. 

The sounds of festive hymns have been replaced with the sound of air raid sirens going off, to practise for the bombing which Britain feared may come.

At least the family are together to play games after their lunch and Dad drinks a glass of beer with the women sipping a sherry. Wine on the table was yet to become fashionable for ordinary families.

And the precious wireless is switched on and tuned in as King George the 6^th gave a Xmas speech in December 1939 which then became a habit throughout WW2 in Britain.

Note to editor. SL Roman is the pen-name of Sarah Onions and Laura Meloni Bywaters who both live in the borough of Kingston in SW London. Sarah was born in Brighton in southern England and Laura was born in Rome.

Now on sale everywhere: In the UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Year-Night-S-L-Roman/dp/B09GZPYRJ4 and in the US: https://www.amazon.com/One-Year-Night-2nd/dp/194715981X.

Also at Barnes and Noble in North America.

And in Surbiton, SW London at The Regency bookshop.