Children's author publishes second novel inspired by national heroes

Rescued tells the enchanting story of two children who find themselves at the centre of a dramatic sea rescue with their grandfather who is a retired boatman with the RNLI.

And the two main characters, Ellie and Joe, are based on two of Jean’s three grandchildren who also featured in her debut novel The Unlucky Black Cat, the story of an unfortunate feline who has nowhere to live.

As winter approaches he searches for a place to shelter from the terrible weather. He gives up hope of ever having a normal life again, when he spots lights in the distance. Will he be lucky or will he be left out in the cold?

In Rescued, Joe and his sister Ellie are used to seeing the lifeboat being launched when they spend time at their grandparents house overlooking the coast.

However as the story unfolds, Joe’s ambition to be involved in a rescue is achieved in a very unusual way.

Jean, who lives in Padiham and was a teacher at Read Primary School and also Padiham Green C of E Primary, decided to pen her second book after seeing the work of the RNLI during a family holiday on the East Coast.

She used the area as the setting for Rescued which she hopes will be as popular as her debut novel.

Jean said: “We love going to the East Coast as a family and after I saw the work of the RNLI there I decided to use it as the setting for the book. It is an ideal book for adults to read to children for them to get maximum enjoyment from it.”

The book is once again illustrated by Brenda Oliphant and is available from Art and Soul in Padiham, Emma’s News on Padiham Road, Burnley and Amazon.Jean is also a Brownie Guide leader, and in her spare time enjoys crown green bowling, reading, and writing.