Sarah Onions – one half of SL Roman sent a copy of the Young Adult wartime romance to Camilla and she replied with a heartfelt thanks, support for the effort and the intention of reading the book which was published in North America and elsewhere last year.

The Queen is a well-known reader herself and recently backed the creation of 50 Coronation Libraries.

It’s a boost for Sarah and her co-author Laura Meloni Bywaters who are now deep into the construction of novel number 2. They’ve created new characters including a different love interest for the heroine of the books, Annie, which will set the cat among the pigeons.

The writers have always done their own research and the current interest in WW2, with the marking of the 80th anniversary of VE day has helped them, this summer.

They are concentrating on the autumn of 1940 in London at the moment and some of the action takes place underground in the Tube where Londoners sheltered from the Blitz when the Luftwaffe bombed the English capital for 57 consecutive nights.

One of their characters 10 year old Polly has a role to play in the Tube in novel number 2, without giving too much away.

Both Sarah and Laura are enjoying writing about the youngsters who were evacuated and then came back to London in 1940 – sometimes to find their families gone. Because of the chaos of war there’s few records so far of these kids so the writers use their imagination to develop storylines for the urchins who lived rough, survived as they could but also helped in the war effort.

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. Permission for all photos has been applied for.

Now on sale in the US : https://www.amazon.com/One-Year-Night-2nd/dp/194715981X.Also, at Barnes and Noble in North America.

And in the UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Year-Night-S-L-Roman/dp/B09GZPYRJ4