This is the first novel in a series that explores Stories of Childhood Loss and Hope. It sends a message out to anyone who has experienced the emotional pain of childhood loss that you are not alone in your grief.

The fictional story of little Marianne Bouchard set in 1942/43 through 2000 sees events through her eyes of growing up and then her grown up life - all experienced without her mother. Intertwined with this is Valérie's wartime story, her missing mother. It reveals the experiences of a woman's role within the Women's Auxiliary Air Force or WAAF and Special Operations Executive during World War II. A life that her daughter discovers the previously unknown and uplifting truth about 57 years later.

Was Valérie really who she thought she was? What secrets about the War had her grandmother Winnie kept hidden? From her dining room table, Marianne begins an investigation linking events and clues, then embarks on a journey of discovery to find the missing mother she never knew.

The backdrop of Valérie's wartime story tells of the bravery and courage of the women agents who served in the Special Operations Executive. In fighting for freedom and peace from the Nazi regime, many of them never returned to their homes and families.

These women played their amazing - if unbelievably true - part in defeating the tyranny in 1940's Europe. The story of the female SOE operatives is as fascinating as it is harrowing. They were ordinary women - wives, sisters, daughters, mothers. The sad and disturbing element of this is the fact that the real, detailed story of most of these women did not receive the public or authorities' recognition of their commitment and bravery until many years later.

The author pays homage to these brave souls and their contribution to peace and freedom.

About the Author: Joy Coutts is a copyeditor, proofreader, and author of A Missing Mother. In this first of two novels, she explores the experience of the childhood loss of a parent and the lifelong scars of grief and sadness that leaves. Joy was nearly five years old when her mother Valerie died, aged only 25 years.

Joy was far too young to understand the thoughts and emotions of losing a parent at an incredibly young age. It teaches a child either to believe in fairy tales and happily ever after, or it gives them a strong sense of self preservation and survival. Either way there is always hope of finding a path through life.

Fast forward to grown up life. Over twenty years of writing daily reports in the corporate business banking industry honed her writing skills. As Joy approached a significant half century birthday, she realized she knew little about the woman who had given birth to her. Family snippets of information collected over the years painted a hazy picture of a woman with a strong character, a caring and friendly personality, but little more than that. And so, eventually, Valerie faded from memory. She was 'missing'.

After completing two creative writing courses, Joy felt empowered to share her story of loss and grief. Joy recounts what it feels like to be a child without a mother. The fictional backdrop of her story was created out of Joy's deep interest in the rapid change of the role of women in the war years. She particularly highlights the bravery of the women, although classed as civilians at the time, who served with the Special Operations Executive.

Born in Darlaston and grew up in the West Midlands, UK she has lived in the beautiful north east of England for nearly 40 years. When she is not writing or working with other writers words, she walks, practices yoga and meditation, and sea dips at her local beaches.