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?

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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.

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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.

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I’m delighted to welcome back author Rosemary Noble to Patricia’s Pen. This time it’s to celebrate the release of her latest novel, Isabella’s Curse.

About the book

Two women, two hundred years apart. Can a family curse be broken?

East Norfolk 2019
When Esther Mayhew is engaged to find provenance for art works in a Norfolk country house after the death of Sir Hugh, little does she know what mysteries and dangers lie before her. Why did Sir Hugh leave the estate to an obscure charity and not his grandson? Who was the enigmatic Spanish Lady in the portrait? Why does her curse resonate down the centuries?

Jamaica 1798
Isabella, a new bride, thinks her life is mapped out on her husband’s plantation. Newly pregnant, life is at last peaceful after fleeing uprisings on Hispaniola and losing her beloved mother. Surprisingly, her husband is called back by his father to Norfolk in England and Isabella’s nightmare begins. Trapped in an increasingly bitter family feud, Isabella desperately tries to find a way to escape before her husband can receive her inheritance and there is no longer any reason to keep her alive.

And here’s a taster!

Prologue

Easterton, Norfolk, December – 1799

Tom Woodman snapped the latch behind him while the brindle hound whined and scratched forlornly at the rough timber planks. Unhappy at his desertion, her whine turned to a yowl.

‘Hush Bess, I don’t want even you as a witness.’

His soothing voice calmed her, but she continued whimpering. No one would hear, no one would care. Tom shivered, the biting easterly wind coursing its way through the layers of his clothing, but it was not just the wind; his stomach churned as he considered the task ahead.

Pitch-black, save for the stub of candlelight behind the waxed paper window, he knew his way blindfold. He was born in the cottage twenty-five years before, if he was lucky, he would die there more than twenty years hence, and with a son to follow in his footsteps. With the coins now tucked in a leather bag deep in a hole scraped into the chimney breast, he could afford to court Alice Carter at last. The one good thing to come out of this. Who was he to say no to the master? Not this master at any rate. A chip off the old block, for sure, maybe worse. Time would tell.

He stiffened his back and strode across the yard to the woodshed where he had hidden the tiny pine coffin made the day before. His hands trembled as he lifted the lid, the body of the newborn failed to distress him so much this time. He understood the dilemma, the master would never have accepted a tainted child. It wasn’t up to such as he to question the whys and wherefores. The family at the big house could depend upon his silence.

Taking an acorn from his smock pocket, the gravedigger placed it in the babe’s mouth, dislodging the penny the midwife had placed there. She too no doubt had been proffered a bag of coins, one larger than his, before she scurried off back to Cromer. Far enough away from gossip. Poor mite, the babe had even been denied a shroud. Tom took a scrap of muslin from his pocket.

An owl hooted from the branch of a nearby oak. He took it as a sign.

‘Hear you this, little’un, one day, a great oak will honour you. I’ll keep it watered and tell my son to do the same, should it please God that I am so blessed. Them as live in the big house may forget, but not I. This I vow on my mother’s life.’

He smoothed the thin muslin around the baby’s body, tucking it in gently while reciting a brief prayer. The words came easily. How many times had he heard them as he hung back in the shadows waiting for the vicar and mourners to disappear? Tonight, he was both sole mourner and gravedigger. He took the lid and placed it over the coffin, a hole cut for a sapling to sprout above the babe’s mouth, then hammered in the nails lightly, enough to stop foxes.

Hoisting the tiny coffin in his arms, he walked back into the open where a sliver of sickle moon had resurfaced from behind a rain-laden cloud, picking out the ruins of the old church a few hundred yards in the distance. That afternoon he had hidden a shovel in the nave. The babe would lie in consecrated ground, the least he could do for the lad. In the distant future, he imagined visitors to the church marvelling at an oak tree growing amidst the ruins, a canopy of branches and leaves where the roof should be. Lovers would tryst there, maybe another babe would be made on a bed of its coppery autumn leaves. A child who would be loved and cherished and grow strong, not smothered then cast aside like a drowned kitten. The idea comforted his soul.

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As the first anniversary draws close, I’ve decided to offer The Woodhaerst Triangle, the first book in this 1970s love story wrapped in family drama, for FREE on Amazon Kindle. If you haven’t read it yet, it’s the perfect time to get to know Rachel Webster and Peggy Davies. If you have read it, and enjoyed it, perhaps you could let your friends know that it will be available to download FREE from Sunday 7th September 2025 – 11th September 2025.

Download for FREE HERE

What Readers Say

“This book is a real page turner full of memorable nostalgia and showed family life in a true setting.”

“This book took me back to my youth. It is a beautifully written story by Ms Osborne which many will empathise with, of an eternal triangle but not solely of the romantic kind.”

“I loved reading this book, it took me on a nostalgic trip to the 1970’s, but, this didn’t take away from the powerful meaning hidden within its pages. I would highly recommend it.”

“Prepare to be taken on a rollercoaster of emotions to those early days of first job, family secrets, the bestie who could be counted on to lead you astray and that first unforgettable love.”

“I loved the cover, the colours are beautiful (not that I’d judge a book by it’s cover!) – the setting and story telling is engaging, and I loved the nostalgia of the era.”

“Full of well-researched detail of the 1970s and with a great twist that I didn’t see coming. Recommended to all lovers of family-sagas and twentieth century stories.”

“An intriguing story with surprising twists and turns – not to give too much away! Happiness, heartache and soul-searching aplenty.”

“Loved all the little details evoking memories from my youth – clothes, cars, interiors, Woolworth’s…”

“So pleased this is a three-parter which means there are two more books still to enjoy in this series. And plenty more books to come I hope.”

Read full reviews and more over on Amazon


Download FREE NOW

And if you liked it, this is just the first book in the trilogy.

LIMITED OFFER – ENDS 11TH SEPTEMBER 2025

Please join me in congratulating Linda Huber on the release of The Attic Room (a gripping psychological thriller)

About the book

A father’s secret … a mother’s lie … a family mystery.

An unexpected phone call – and Nina’s life takes a disturbing twist. Who is John Moore? And how does he know her name?

Nina travels south to see the house she inherited, but sinister letters arrive and she finds herself in the middle of a police investigation. With her identity called into question, Nina uncovers a shocking crime.

But what, exactly, happened in the attic room, all those years ago? The answer could lie close to home …

The Attic Room A gripping psychological thriller

(Family Secrets Book 1)

Like the sound of this book?

Buy your copy HERE

Rebel Hearts and Society’s Expectations

✨ A moving coming-of-age story about love, rebellion, and a young woman’s fight to shape her own destiny. 

The publisher has reduced House of Grace down to 99p/99c. if you missed the chance to download at this low price last time, Now’s the time to grab it before the price goes back up.

Find out more and download your copy

Amazon UK HERE

Amazon.com HERE

Please join me in congratulating Carmen Radtke on the release of Axes and Alchemy (a cozy midlife witch mystery): Willowmere mysteries 2.

About the book

Pirate loot and deadly feud …

So much for a peaceful next chapter: Novice witch Bex Merriweather has her hands full running a leading library and secretly studying magic under the critical eye of her opinionated familiar and mentor, cat Cosmo.

The last thing newly divorced perimenopausal Bex needs is more tasks needing her attention. But when a podcast connects a pirate treasure and magic with tranquil Willowmere and treasure hunters as well as occultists flock to the town, feuds erupt.

When a dead body is found, Bex and Cosmo can’t discount the idea that greed and black magic had something to do with the murder. But can she protect her secret and the town without exposing the truth about her inheritance? And is somebody already on her trail – somebody wishing her ill? With only her cat and her trusted circle of friends, Bex sets out to catch a killer before the treasure claims another victim.

Axes and Alchemy is the second case in this fun-filled series. Perfect for fans of cozy mysteries, magical mayhem, and heroines who believe it’s never too late for a new chapter—or a little witchcraft!

Like what you’ve read?

Buy your copy HERE

Grace Granville/Gilmore begins her new journey with dp books. House of Grace, the first book in the family saga trilogy, is now available to preorder on kindle.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS NOT A NEW BOOK BUT A RE-RELEASE with dp books so if you’ve read it, you don’t need to buy it again, but if you haven’t, it’s only 0.99p on preorder. And you can still read it with Kindle Unlimited. Paperback still available under White Wings Books.

Preorder HERE

Watch out for further updates on The Coal Miner’s Son and The Granville Legacy with new covers and preorders both coming soon.

Thank you for your continued support.

Please join me in congratulating Allie Cresswell on the launch of The Standing Stone on the Moor.

About the book

Yorkshire, 1845.

Folklore whispers that they used to burn witches at the standing stone on the moor. When the wind is easterly, it wails a strange lament. History declares it was placed as a marker, visible for miles—a signpost for the lost, directing them towards home.

Forced from their homeland by the potato famine, a group of itinerant Irish refugees sets up camp by the stone. They are met with suspicion by the locals, branded as ‘thieves and ne’er-do-wells.’ Only Beth Harlish takes pity on them, and finds herself instantly attracted to Ruairi, their charismatic leader.

Beth is the steward of nearby manor Tall Chimneys—a thankless task as the owners never visit. An educated young woman, Beth feels restless, like she doesn’t belong. But somehow ‘home’—the old house, the moor and the standing stone—exerts an uncanny magnetism. Thus Ruairi’s great sacrifice—deserting his beloved Irish homestead to save his family—resonates strongly with her.

Could she leave her home to be with him? Will he even ask her to?

As she struggles with her feelings, things take a sinister turn. The peaceable village is threatened by shrouded men crossing the moor at night, smuggling contraband from the coast. Worse, the exotic dancing of a sultry-eyed Irishwoman has local men in a feverish grip. Their womenfolk begin to mutter about spells and witchcraft. And burning.

The Irish refugees must move on, and quickly. Will Beth choose an itinerant life with Ruairi? Or will the power of ‘home’ be too strong?

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What Advanced Readers Say

“An interesting tale that transports the reader back into the sometimes-brutal world of nineteenth century Yorkshire.”

“I really enjoyed my time with this book. I love the gritty classics like Wuthering Heights and anything by Catherine Cookson and those books are what this book reminded me of strongly, both in the style of writing and the events that happen on the page.”

“This is a romping good tale with pace, energy and some fantastic twists and turns.”

“The book is populated with a large cast of characters … but a couple require special mention. The first is the moor itself, sumptuously described but staying out of Bronte-land. The second background character is the house, Tall Chimneys, which seems to cast a spell over anyone who’s in contact with it.”
 

And here’s a teaser:-

The moor was vast and largely impassible—an expanse of black bogs, impenetrable undergrowth and dense woody swathes of small tufted shrubs. Here and there were smooth green deceptive clearings but these were sucking swamps where the unwary sank up to their necks in stinking water. Trees were few and far between, very stunted, and the whole moor—though beautiful in its wildness—was also exposed and bleak. The wind was constant, either benign—just riffling the heathers—or malevolent, a howling tearing violent thing that made men mad who were exposed to it for too long.

Lacing across the moor was a network of tracks used by carters and farmers and by those on foot crossing the heath. Some were wide enough to accommodate a cart or a carriage but dangerous to traverse at night when no light, kerbstone or other guide prevented the unwary from miring his horses up to their chests in black oozing swamp. Other pathways were suitable for foot travellers only, being narrow and meandering. It could take a lifetime to learn the secret ways, and many were the drovers and shepherds who had been lost along them. Sheep possessed a peculiar intuition that kept them from sinking in the bogs as they grazed the tracks, so the grass there was short, and in summertime threaded with innumerable small, sweet-smelling flowers that hummed with bees.

Like what you’ve read?

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It’s an honour to appear on iambpoet.com (Wave 22) with three of my poems. My thanks goes to Mark Antony Owen who works so hard to make these waves happen.

It would be wonderful if you could visit my iamb page and listen to me reading, Galanthus, Journey Through a Mythical Forest, and I am.

Please also take the opportunity to hear the other featured poets and get acquainted with their work.

Pop over HERE to read and hear my poems. And HERE to listen to all of Wave 22.