When the Small Creatures Wake

<p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>It is 1982 in Gritstone North West England. Despite the mill town being in the grip of a deepening recession the community survives.</span></p><p></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Stella always wanting more in adulthood after a childhood being stigmatised is trapped in an abusive relationship. Her teenage twins consider a different better future for themselves but are compromised by fears for their mothers' safety. Meanwhile Stella's mother Alice ignores the chaos - living high above town on the moors immersed in the natural world with her memories embedded in her beloved countryside.</span></p><p></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Jean a single mother irrepressible and tough carries on regardless of the slow decline in the industry that has held their community together for centuries. Midge her youngest daughter introspective and intelligent has dreams of a future different to the adults around her but pays a high price for her curiosity and thirst for knowledge.</span></p><p></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>When the Small Creatures Wake is a story of individuals linked by community and circumstance abuse and austerity conflict and challenge. But above all it is a story of hope friendship humour and resilience.</span></p><p></p><p>By Brigid Griffin </p><p>Published by Write on the Tyne</p>