Rugby author celebrates launch of novel to tie in with 80th anniversary of Coventry Blitz

Inspired by long-told tales from his own family history, The Birds That Do Not Sing is set on the day after the World War Two city bombings campaign, seen through the eyes of a ten-year-old boy from a pacifist family in neighbouring Rugby.

Steve, 59, said: “I wanted to give readers a vivid and authentic sense of time and place, from my father’s memory of watching the German bombers overhead, Coventry burning on the horizon, and all the everyday details that framed a wartime childhood.

“There is still a rich oral history living around us, but the generation with first-hand memories of the war is slipping away from us. I hope this story will cause readers to explore their own family history, to unearth the stories and cherish them before they are gone forever.”

The launch, timed around the anniversary of the bombings on Saturday, marks a proud moment for the recently retired financial services director, who reconnected with his love of writing whilst on his daily commute to London.

Moved by his father’s accounts from one of the darkest times in history, the book has been hailed as a brilliant and emotive literary arrival by the former Dunsmore Boys School student, who is one of four generations of a Rugby family that stretches back to before the First World War.

The book is available to order from book shops as well as online. It is also available as an e-book on Amazon. Visit the official website: https://rookabbeypress.com