Sometimes working with other people’s problems can bring you face to face with your own. Social Worker Louise Kimber takes a six month sabbatical working on a Scottish island to help get over the end of a relationship. The setting works its magic and Louise does some excellent work in mental health and child protection, but its her work with twelve year old Ellie that really stands out.

Ellie has already been rejected by her mother and is about to loose her beloved Nan. Louise works with her and helps bring about a surprising change in the young woman’s life. But Lou still feels her emotional life is in tatters, yet it’s Ellie who despite her age, who has the wisdom to help Lou turn her life around.

This is an emotional novel about two women’s search for a new life.

Chelsea isn’t like most people. For as long as she can remember she’s been in care, and for all sorts of reasons this hasn’t gone well. At fourteen years old her past has been the stuff of nightmares, so much so that even she hasn’t wanted to know the full story.

Desperately searching for the love she’s always craved, her life takes an even more sinister turn when she’s befriended by two men with a string of convictions for the sexual abuse of minors.

Her only hope of salvation comes in the form of someone she’s never even met. Social worker Natasha Livingston is sent on a raid of the men’s house with the police. Little by little, Tasha uses her professional skills to help Chelsea understand her life and find a way towards a happier future. It means confronting some ghosts from the past but with support that helps her come to terms with what she’s been through.

Abandoned by My Mum is the story of Chelsea’s self-discovery and the recognition that whilst not everyone has her best interests at heart, there are some people who care enough to convince her she’s worth the effort.

This book is a work of fiction, presented as a case study, but it is based on similar events that have happened to real people so the story has real feeling and authenticity. The author has over twenty-five year’s social work experience in different local authorities.