When
I was planning The Poppy Garden it didn’t cross my mind that a large section of
the book would fall around Christmas but with the timings it just worked out
that way and I’m so glad it did.
One
of the main themes of the book is family and well there’s no better time than
Christmas to remind us all just how precious family is.
Christmas
at The Poppy Garden is a different kind of Christmas. It’s about giving those who need it a place
to go to feel safe and supported. My
grandfather is the inspiration behind this book, it’s about they ways in which
he coped with PTSD and how I grew up watching him cope and develop strategies
without even knowing it.
Christmas
in my story is a pivotal moment for the two characters and it was an amazing
section to write but also an amazingly hard one too. Christmas is when you want to be with the
ones you love and when it’s not the Christmas you dreamed of it’s a little sad
but it’s about how you approach that disappointment and find something in that
moment to be grateful for.
Not
only has writing The Poppy Garden been the proudest writing moment of my life
it’s also led to the establishment of The Poppy Garden Appeal, which aims to
provide a real life Poppy Garden for service personnel and their families to
help support them through the hard times, celebrate their good times and be
there when you need somewhere for the in between times.
The blurb
What
would you do if the love of your life didn't know who you were?
What
if he forgot you?
Forgot
the first time you met, your first kiss, the day he proposed and the day you
married?
What
if six months after your perfect start it was all taken away in the blink of an
eye?
Sky Flynn
thought she had it all, she was the happiest she’d ever been from the moment
she met Nick Robinson until the moment a military officer showed up at her door,
then things changed.
Fighting in
Afghanistan Nick is injured in a roadside bombing. Brought home in critical condition, he faces
a long fight to recover from his wounds, traumatic brain injury and PTSD.
Waking up from
sedation he cannot remember the last 12 months of his life, blotting out
meeting and marrying his wife, Sky. The
more she tries to be there for him the more he pushes her away seeking solace
in broken relationship with his ex as it's the only one he can remember.
Fighting to
save her marriage and help her husband recover from both physical and mental
scars of war Sky has to find away to cope and overcome. With the support of her in-laws, Nick's
uncle, his doctor and family she comes up with an idea to see her through his
recovery and to help others like him
Inspired by
memories of her grandfather and how he channeled his undiagnosed PTSD into his
garden she sets out to create somewhere for recovering service men to go, to
assist in their recovery and create a place of beauty to share with their families.
Constantly
challenged by Nick's demanding ex-girlfriend, Rebecca and Nick's ever-changing
condition. She finds hope and
encouragement in the garden and those who rally round to help.
As Nick presses
on with his life and decides marrying Rebecca is his only way forward, Sky has
to find a way to move on, be that with handsome police officer Joe or on her
own.
Can the beauty
of the garden she creates heal her husband’s wounds and bring him home to her
forever?
Book
Links
Author
Links
Twitter - https://twitter.com/CLBrown_Author
Pinterest -
https://www.pinterest.com/clbrown34author/
About The Author -
http://www.abouttheauthor.co.uk/author/clairelbrown/
The
Poppy Garden Appeal - https://www.gofundme.com/the-poppy-garden-ne?ssid=817274710&pos=1
About
the Author
Claire L Brown was
born in Sunderland, Northeast England. She currently resides in her native Northeast with her dog Hero and
her family.
Claire is a BA
Honors Graduate in Media with American History from Sunderland University.
Claire launched
a blog site in 2015 to chart her work as a writer and other interests
including, movies, theatre, beauty products, music and her beloved pet.
Claire concentrates
mostly on fantasy, mystery, romance and thriller genres.
With the publication of her latest novel, The Poppy Garden, on
11th November 2016, Claire L Brown has created an amazing idea to help veterans
of our armed forces to deal with their PTSD.
Inspired by her grandfather, SGT Joseph Robinson, who was part
of the RAF during WWII, and how he dealt with his experiences of war by
throwing his effort and his passion into his garden - the idea of The Poppy
Garden was born.
In the novel, the issues around PTSD and how this affects not
only the veteran but also their family are looked at and examined in more
detail.
We aim to establish The Poppy Garden Trust - a charity to create
a Poppy Garden in various areas of the UK for veterans to seek assistance and
support and create their own poppy garden experience.
This will be a centre to provide support, assistance and
recuperation facilities, retraining and family support.
We are currently in the process of identifying a suitable
property and site in the North East for the very first Poppy Garden to be
developed.
