Despite insurmountable odds Alicia is the beacon that lights the way for her family and sustains them for generations. Through illness, tragedy, and loss Alicia must cope with all life throws at her. When everything you love is destroyed you can just give up or carry on. Alicia's way is to carry on.
Strong-willed Sara, one of Alicia's daughters is almost defeated by the setbacks she encounters, but following her mother's example escapes an intolerable situation to forge a new life for herself in a new country. But always she yearns for the love she is forced to leave behind.
Reviews for Traces of Dreams
"Every book I pick up by Tricia McGill I fall in love with and this one is no exception. She has a way of spinning characters that embed into the heart of the reader and never let go. Her research is top-notch in all her stories. I adored Alicia, Mathew and all their brood of children. I love the fact Alicia is a good example to her family and her children follow in her footsteps. Each character in Traces of Dreams is so well portrayed that the story seems completely genuine. The background and the emotions of the players are so well-written, this reader felt as if they had stepped into the pages. This poignant tale is a winner that comes highly recommended by this reader." - 5 Hearts, Linda L., The Romance Studio
"TRACES OF DREAMS by Tricia McGill is a story that can't help but touch the reader's heart. It is a moving tale told in two parts. The first begins in London at the start of the first World War and showcases the plight of Alicia, a pregnant woman who sends her true love off to war. She is, of course, left alone as he's killed, and she must find a way to gather her shattered life into some semblance of normal for the child he's given her. She marries another man and bears nine more children. This is not a light-hearted tale. Matt and Alicia are horribly poor and nearly every twist of fate seems cruel. But the family has love and they survive. The second part of this tale deals with one of Alicia's children, Sara, and her story. Sara has learned much from her mother, and is as headstrong and determined as Alicia."
"I loved this story, although there were times when I felt tears welling in my eyes and an enormous lump in my throat. This story touched me deeply, and I won't forget it. Watching a family struggle so desperately is not easy, but seeing them triumph over tragedy is uplifting. I enjoy long, intense family sagas like this. Tricia McGill writes so realistically that the joys and sorrows portrayed in TRACES OF DREAMS made me laugh and cry. This is a novel of great emotional depth." - Kay James Romance Reader at Heart
"Tricia McGill's new novel Traces of Dreams proves yet again she excels as a writer of the romance genre. Alicia Martin and Arthur Bell find a fierce love for each other in a world of hate. Europe was on the brink of World War One, which would bring misery to millions of people. Especially for Alicia and Arthur, theirs was a special kind of misery that shrouded Alicia in a cocoon. McGill gives the reader a look into the lives of a family struggling to cope with poverty and torn emotions. She makes her characters come off the page and walk into the reader's mind. Laying bare all their emotions with such clarity, one feels an instant empathy with them."
"I found the book an enjoyable read, one where I could easily identify with the characters and all aspects of their lives. This is a book that will give much joy to those who read it. It is another wonderful book from a talented writer." - Reviewed by Warren Thurston
"Traces of Dreams is an enjoyable book that takes you through the lives of Alicia and Mathew, as well as their eleven children. It is well researched with respects to both historical fact, and the vernacular used at the time. All the characters both the main ones and the secondary ones are very realistic and well portrayed. If you enjoy reading accurate historical accounts with your romance then this is the book for you." - Regina--Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance
"Ms. McGill writes with a powerful voice that takes the reader deep into the soul of the era. While I was on the other side of the pond, I remember well, standing with my mother at the local town hall waiting in line for our ration stamps. This story took me back to that spare gray building and the feelings of insecurity. I hope this writer will continue in this epic vein as she is well suited to it. If you want to know what really happened, not just the numbers, but the real lives that were forfeited you must read Traces of Dreams. This book rates a 5 on my mascara scale (meaning you will need tissues to read this book)" - A. Dee Carey www.foxladycarey.com
"Londoner, Alicia Martin has only one night of bliss to her credit… that is, until Mathew Reede drops in for tea. Traces of Dreams is a historical account of how Alicia struggles to feed and clothe her ten children, and keep the rest of her family together during miserable times. She learns that during desperate times, one is often called upon to take desperate measures."
"During their struggle for survival, this family saga concerns Alicia, and her daughter Sara's historical account. It will make you yearn to belong to a large loyal family of your own. It displays all the hatred and loves you might expect to find within a huge family, and how they struggle to survive." - Reviewer: JoEllen Conger Conger Books Review
Visit Tricia McGill's web site
An excerpt from Traces of Dreams
About Tricia McGill
Award winning author Tricia McGill's books cross many sub-genres, but all have romance at their heart. She's written contemporary, mainstream, futuristic, time-travel and historical. Her short stories have been published in the Australian Women's Day magazine. She's also produced two books of short stories and poems for a local community group where she is a volunteer. Born in England Tricia moved to Australia many years ago and lives in Victoria where most of her contemporary romances are set. Traces of Dreams is based on her mother's life, in that the heroine bore ten children and was poor in material possessions, but rich in the things that matter. It is set in the district of North London where Tricia lived until journeying to Australia.
Tricia McGill's Web page: http://www.triciamcgill.com/
View Tricia McGill's book videos on My Space: http://www.myspace.com/triciamcgill
Backlist
Amaryllis - Oct 2001-Publisher: Wings ePress. Love can be found in the unlikeliest places. In Melanie Ross's case it is with an alien, Reve, on the far side of the Universe.
Designing Heart - Oct 2002-- Publisher: Wings ePress. Stefan Soultanakis decides to find an unemotional wife. The assistant designer in his fashion house is flamboyant, vivacious, and gregarious. Stefan's lifestyle is turned upside down by Georgie, this tiny whirlwind.
Until Eternity - Feb 2003-- Publisher: Wings ePress. During a dream an English earl travels back to 450 AD. Brys must face many dangers as he escorts Haesal and her brother to their home in Cornwall.
Autumn Fire - April 03-- Publisher: Wings ePress. Tess Barrett's world is rocked by Jack Donovan's return into her life. Tess spent many hours fantasizing about Jack when he worked for her deceased husband.
Look Into Your Heart - June 2003-- Publisher: Wings ePress. Kate Emmanuel steers clear of emotional involvements: until she goes to Liam Austin's house. Then her attraction to Liam forces her to follow the dictates of her heart.
Shrinking Violet - May 2005-- Publisher: Wings ePress. When a landscape designer agrees to work on a private investigator's garden she becomes embroiled in a series of unsavory events involving kidnapping, and a dead body.
Irresistible Challenge - July 2006-- Publisher: Wings ePress. Expected to marry Tony, Amy secretly still loves his brother, Andrew, who spurned her adolescent love. Can she now believe Andrew wants her for his wife?
A Lonely Heart - Oct 2006- Publisher: Wings ePress. Lani Morgan's cosseted, sheltered life is changed drastically when the loving family she yearns for arrives in the shape of two children in need of a mother.
White Clover - April 2007- Publisher: Wings ePress. Swept back in time a thousand years, isolated in an alien and hostile world, Andrew and Liz are forced to fight for their survival.
My Highland Love - Sept 07- Publisher: Wings ePress. Beth finds the secret pathway to the past discovered by her friends Liz and Andrew in White Clover, only to discover a changed man from the lovable rogue, Travis, described by Liz.
An Interview with Tricia McGill
By Holly Hewson, Marketing Director for The Romance StudioHH: Tricia, welcome back to TRS. Please tell us about your featured work, Traces of Dreams. TM: Hi Holly. So glad to be back featured on my favorite romance site. The idea for Traces of Dreams first came into my mind many moons ago. It began as a story about my large family and the struggles my parents endured raising this large brood in North London through two world wars, post-war depression, and poverty. Despite all these setbacks we were enormously grateful to have a loving home where we were taught to be strong and to face obstacles head on. I was advised after the first draft to consider revising and making it fiction. This I did and although it is based on our mother's life in that she reared ten sensible and reasonably intelligent children, the majority of the characters are purely my creation. When it was first published Traces of Dreams won the RWAustralia Romantic Book of The Year Award (One of my proudest moments). It has been revised and re-published in its present format by Calderwood Books and I feel it is a better book than it was first time around.
HH: Your heroine is a strong woman who sustains her family over many years. This is a touching, emotion-filled story. Where did you get the idea for it? TM: As I said above the idea came from being a part of this large family (I was the youngest so when I came along things had begun to look up for us) My older sisters still reminisce about their early days so I had no shortage of research material and have reams of notes garnered from their stories. Our mother was into middle age when I was growing up so I had to rely on my eldest sister to fill me in on the conditions etc they lived through.
HH: What do you like best about Alicia? TM: Her strength. Despite struggling to make ends meet, enduring poverty I can only imagine, she never lost her sense of humor, and like most women who lived through the two world wars in Britain, and endured deprivations and loss, she always fought back and did her best for her family.
HH: What sort of research was required to bring this story so marvelously to life? TM: Apart from the research needed as described above I had to find out exactly when invasions took place during both wars, had to find out the simplest things such as when certain newspapers or radio shows first came to light. I only knew the basics about the war years and what I'd learnt from my siblings so had to do an immense amount of research on the wars. Then there was the subject of birth control! Imagine a life without the necessities we take for granted today.
HH: What is your fondest memory of writing this story? TM: I think that would be Mathew's unswerving love for his Alicia. I loved that man and even though I've probably read the manuscript dozens of times I still sob my heart out when I come to the part where he dies. I reckon most women pine for an enduring love such as theirs.
HH: What are you working on now? TM: I'm still struggling away on my Viking series. Things have sort of come to a stand-still writing-wise recently due to family commitments but any time now I am going to get my time-travel finished. Two friends go back in time in York, England, finding themselves in 879 AD. They get separated and most of the first part is Madeline's frantic search for her friend, Amber. Amber hasn't told me yet what she has been up to while Maddie searches, but currently Maddie is having fun and adventures with her Viking trader.
HH: What else do you have in store for readers in 2008? TM: My historical romances, Blue Haze and its sequel, Remy O'Shea are to be re-released soon by Calderwood Books. A previously published and renamed contemporary romance, A Second Chance for Sally is also scheduled for release some time in the future from Calderwood Books.
HH: After writing for several years now, how do you keep the stories fresh for yourself? TM: Probably by my intrinsic love of romance and a happy ending. I always tell people I've lived a charmed life as I've known what it is to love and be loved by the men in my life and my family and friends. When I begin a new project I am always excited and love the journey my characters take me on. Most of the time I only have a very general idea of where I am heading and find the anticipation the stimulating part.
HH: What do you consider to be your unique contribution to the romance genre? TM: I write strictly sensual romance books. All right, there may be lots of weird things going on out there in the "real" world, but I will never lose my romantic tendencies and belief that true love will always find a way. A recent review of one of my romances, A Lonely Heart, from Brenda Talley here at The Romance Studio began with the words, "I believe this is the best book I have ever read! I probably think something similar when I finish a book, but I have never before printed the words." So as long as I continue to garner reviews such as this I will strive to please my readers and write the best romance books I can.
HH: What would you like most for readers to know about you? TM: Hmm, I'm an open book. I lead a full and satisfying life. I am a volunteer for a community group that supplies computer equipment to disabled and housebound adults and schoolchildren in wheelchairs and I'm immensely proud of my contribution to this program. When I'm not writing, my charity work takes up the majority of my time. My family and friends are vitally important to me. I have a web page: www.triciamcgill.com where people can go to find out what I've done in the past and a myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/triciamcgill where fellow myspacers can add me as their friend and can view my book videos if they feel so inclined.
HH: Thank you!
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