Books by Kate Thompson

Letchworth Settlement, an independent adult education centre, is one of the treasures of the world's first garden city. In this lively history, former Hertfordshire County Archivist Kate Thompson looks at the wider context in which the organisation flourished, as well as notable members of staff and key events in its century of sharing knowledge.

A gripping and heart-wrenching novel set in London in World War Two, following the two women who run a secret underground library

The second novel in the Homefront Girls series set in wartime Stratford, from bestselling author Kate Thompson

The story of the courageous women of World War Two, working in the Yardley factory in London's East End

Young Dublin actress Deirdre O'Dare has just landed her first big role and desperately wants to shine - and to impress David, the director she has fallen madly in love with.

The Wedding Girls is a heartwarming story of love and friendship in the East End, by Kate Thompson, the bestselling author of Secrets of the Singer Girls.If a wedding marks the first day of the rest of your life, then the story starts with the dress.It's 1936 and the streets of London's East End are grimy and brutal, but in one corner of Bethnal Green it is forever Hollywood . . . Herbie Taylor's photography studio is nestled in the heart of bustling Green Street. Tomboy Stella and troubled Winnie work in Herbie's studio; their best friend and hopeless romantic Kitty works next door as an apprentice dressmaker. All life passes through the studio, wishing to capture that perfect moment in time.Kitty works tirelessly to create magical bridal gowns, but with each stitch she wonders if she'll ever get a chance to wear a white dress. Stella and Winnie sprinkle a dusting of Hollywood glamour over happy newly-weds, but secretly dream of escaping the East End . . .Community is strong on Green Street, but can it stand the ultimate test? As clouds of war brew on the horizon, danger looms over the East End. Will the Wedding Girls find their happy ever afters, before it's too late?

Secrets of the Sewing Bee tells the story of the defiant and courageous women on the home front, from Kate Thompson, author of Secrets of the Singer Girls.Orphan Flossy Brown arrives at Trout's garment factory in Bethnal Green amidst the uncertainty of the Second World War. In 1940s London, each cobbled street is strewn with ghosts of soldiers past, all struggling to make ends meet. For the women of the East End, their battles are on the home front.Flossy is quickly embraced by the colourful mix of characters working at Trout's, who have turned their sewing expertise to vital war work. They fast become the family that Flossy has always longed for. Dolly Doolaney, darling of the East End, and infamous tea lady, gives her a particularly warm welcome and helps Flossy settle into wartime life. Things aren't so easy for Peggy Piper, another new recruit at the factory. She's used to the high life working as a nippie in the West End, and is not best pleased to find herself bent over a sewing machine. But war has the ability to break down all sorts of class barriers and soon Peggy finds the generosity and spirit of her fellow workers difficult to resist.Dolly sets up a sewing circle and the ladies at Trout's play their part in defending the frontline as they arm themselves with their needles and set about stitching their way to victory. But as the full force of the Blitz hits London, the sewing bee are forced to shelter in the underground tube stations on a nightly basis. In such close quarters, can Dolly manage to contain the secret that binds them all? And how will Peggy and Flossy cope as their lives are shaped and moved by forces outside of their control?

Therapists, coaches, healthcare professionals, and educators have known for decades that expressive writing is a powerful tool for better living. But until now, few have had access to practical applications that have proven successful. In this groundbreaking collection, you will discover how expressive writing can call us into healing community.

1942. Sixteen-year-old Poppy Percival turns up at the gates of Trout's clothing factory in Bethnal Green with no idea what her new life might have in store. There to start work as a seamstress and struggling to get to grips with the noise, dirt and devastation of East London, Poppy can't help but miss the quiet countryside of home. But Poppy harbours a dark secret - one that wrenched her away from all she knew and from which she is still suffering . . .And Poppy's not the only one with a secret. Each of her new friends at the factory is hiding something painful. Vera Shadwell, the forelady, has had a hard life with scars both visible and concealed; her sister Daisy has romantic notions that could get her in trouble; and Sal Fowler, a hardworking mother who worries about her two evacuated boys for good reason. Bound by ties of friendship, loyalty and family, the devastating events of the war will throw each of their lives into turmoil but also bring these women closer to each other than they could ever have imagined.

But the bitchcraft rampant in the theatre world means that Aphrodite's obliged to seek employment elsewhere, and she finds herself grafting as a stylist on television commercials, a forlorn Cinderella with no invite to the ball.

But closer to home, a dark horse is coming up on the outside... In this brilliant, bubbly and sexy tale from the bestselling author of More Mischief, Ella eventually discovers what she really, really wants - and finds a sensational way to get it.

The author of this book guides the reader through developing journal writing to use as a therapeutic tool. The book includes advice on working with individuals, facilitating a therapeutic writing group, proposed clinical applications, practical techniques, useful journal prompts, exercises and case vignettes.

Can she help Maddie exorcise her demons?In this moving, bittersweet, joyously romantic tale, Maddie Goddard confronts her innermost fears, makes new friends, and learns that life really is worth living...

I could hear Dennis talking to my ma. 'She was little,' he said. 'Little like me. But old. Older than you.' Those words gave me a cold shock. I could see Dennis imagining fairies, but old ones?When Bobby's mother moves the family into a rented house in the country, a neighbour tells him that a child was once murdered there. Bobby doesn't care. All he wants is to get back to Dublin and to resume his wild life there, stealing from the crowded shopping streets and racing stolen cars at night. But getting his old life back doesn't turn out to be so easy, and the longer he spends in the old cottage, the more convinced he becomes that something very strange is going on there. Was there really a murder? And if so, was it the one he has been told about?

Deidre O'Dare is a rising stage and TV soap star, but jealous fears that her roguish boyfriend Rory is having a Hollywood fling theaten to ruin her happiness. Retreating from Dublin to the West of Ireland, she meets gorgeous Gabriel, the squire of the local manor.

We've all dreamt about it, but for Cleo Dowling the dream becomes a reality. When film director Jethro Palmer chooses Kilrowan as the location for a blockbuster movie, the consequences have a cataclysmic effect on her life. Deirdre O'Dare leaves her husband Rory behind in LA to accompany her friend, movie star Eva Lavery, to Kilrowan.