Patricia M Osborne

I’m excited to announce that today, 10th November 2025, sees the release of The Girl in the Ticket Office Window, my first historical timeslip. I can’t wait to hear what my readers think about this one.

Girl misses train – catches a ride backwards in time

Journalist Zara Wiseman discovers an unexpected story for Feminine Smile Magazine when she finds herself transported back to 1910 and becomes Lady Rebecca. Initially the 24-year-old believes her quest is to save Rebecca from an arranged marriage to Sir Richard Cavendish but soon realises he’s not the true villain. As Zara unearths two deadly dark secrets, she fears Rebecca and Sir Richard’s lives could be in danger.

Torn between travelling back in time to save Rebecca and Richard and leaving her own life behind, Zara summons all her strength to fulfil her mission. With a dual timeline slipping between present day and 1910, Zara is caught in a love triangle with dishy boyfriend, Scott, and Sir Richard, the dashing and devoted gentleman.

Can Zara accomplish her mission?

Will she find her way back home?

Will she want to?

BUY

The Girl in the Ticket Office Window

Patricia M Osborne

Chapter One

Strobe after strobe of blinding light seared through my eyelids then shattered into a thousand stars. I thought my head would burst. Stunned, I forced myself to reopen my eyes. What the…? My jeans and trench coat had gone. Instead, I was dressed in an emerald velvet gown to my ankles. Commuters carrying laptops had disappeared. In their place a few gentlemen in dark suits and bowler hats sauntered over to the platform, swinging large brollies at their sides. I stared up at the unfamiliar glass ceiling. What the hell had just happened?

I moved over to the ticket office window and peered at my reflection. A straw hat topped with flowers and feathers matching the cream lace bodice was positioned on my piled-up hair. No sign of the wheeled suitcase either. It was like I’d stepped inside someone’s dream. My pulse pounded. There had to be some kind of scientific explanation. I headed back out of the station hoping everything would be as usual but all was far from normal.

The road was empty with not a car in sight. I inhaled clean air. My stomach churned so I covered my mouth to stop throwing up. This couldn’t be real. My eyes shot to a little girl in a white smock dress and straw boater perched on a fence. She appeared mesmerised by two young lads in a scuffle. They wore grey tweed flat caps just like my great grandfather had owned. I was losing myself in a history book. I blinked back salty tears. If this was real, supposing I never got back to my own time? Mum and Dad couldn’t lose another child. And what would become of Chloe? My sister needed me.

The bridge ahead was blemish free and surrounded by greenery. As if in an early twentieth century movie, a gentleman in Edwardian dress promenaded out of The Fox Inn. His eyes lit up with recognition as he approached. ‘Good morning, Lady Rebecca.’ He doffed his bowler hat.

Lady Rebecca? Who the hell was I? My name was Zara. Once he’d passed me by I whispered, ‘Please God, if there is a god’ – I sobbed – ‘please help me.’

After stepping off the pavement I witnessed another blinding flash. Disoriented, I stepped back and tripped. A blue Volkswagen almost hit me. The woman driver hooted her horn and raised her fist shouting
abuse. The pedestrian man changed to green. As I hurried across the road my ankle boots felt huge on my feet; the court shoes had gone and so had the dress. I was wearing my own twenty-first century clothes and the suitcase rattled on wheels. The bridge was covered in grime and graffiti. The Fox Inn had disappeared and The Fox Revived had returned. Thank goodness I was back in 2023. I gave a sigh of relief. Had I gone through some kind of portal and then back out again?

My heart pulsated as I turned towards Bridge View Station. Avoiding the main entrance in case it sent me back, I slipped in through the side doorway.

***

Available to buy : Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, Paperback. Available from Amazon or order from bookstores. Also available from your local library. If they don’t have a copy, ask them to order it in. Quote ISBN number: 978-9957107-7-1.

Preorder Prices on Amazon Kindle will stay live at 99p/99c up to 8pm (UK time) 10th November 2025.

BUY

Thanks goes to my wonderful friend, Maureen Cullen, for her brilliant editing. Sometimes I think she knows my characters better than I do! To Andy Keylock for the gorgeous cover. To all my beta readers. To my family and friends who’ve supported me throughout, and thank you to all of you too for being my readers.

Finally, if you do read the book and like it, a review is always welcome.

Welcome into the world to my first timeslip, but it won’t be the last. Book 2, The Girl in the Attic Mirror (possibly just a working title) is over two-thirds written.

BUY