Ripple Effect

by Jenny Ferns

London, between the World Wars, was a period of indulgence and liberation for spirited women. Veronica longed to get married and have children, but her life and that of her sister, Rachel, did not follow the traditional pattern. Everything changed when Richard, a handsome Royal Air Force officer married Veronica just before WWII broke out in 1939.

The London bombings in WWII destroyed many lives. Thousands of children were evacuated to the countryside. Veronica adopted her sister’s illegitimate daughter, Susie, when her mother was presumed killed by a bomb. Susie grew up unaware of her heritage.

Postwar, the family struggled to live a normal life despite the devastating ripple effect of wartime losses. Richard, a returning hero, suffered battle fatigue, (PTSD) resulting in anger, violence and alcoholism. Wartime family secrets and tragedy almost destroyed the tenuous family bonds, until a path of truth and healing offered hope and new beginnings.

About the Author

Jenny Ferns is a Baby Boomer born post World War II. She spent her formative years and education in England. She graduated from Keele University in with a joint honors degree in Biology and Psychology then moved to Canada.

As a Biologist she taught High School for a few years before traveling Europe as a film production secretary for Ferns Productions. As a Biologist and fundraiser she worked for her naturalist mentor, Gerald Durrell and Wildlife Preservation Trust Canada. As a Psychologist her private practice in Canada, focused on alcoholism, trauma, family violence and PTSD. For relaxation she is a master gardener and plant addict. These themes surface in her writing.

Jenny lives in Florida with her husband and a miniature schnauzer. She visits family scattered through USA, Canada and England, whenever she isn’t writing, reading, playing Mahjongg or tending her garden.

Jenny Ferns