FORMER Keighley resident Celia Micklefield has published her first novel.

She wrote Patterns Of Our Lives after writing many short stories for magazines such as Women’s Weekly.

Former Oakbank School student Celia, who lives in France, writes as Micklefield but her real surname is Smith.

She has been working hard in recent months on the final editing of the novel while recovering from a car accident and undergoing daily physiotherapy.

Patterns Of Our Lives is set in Kingsley, a fictitious town inspired by both her birthplace of Keighley, and Bingley.

Celia said: “The events of World War Two and how they affect the people of Kingsley feature prominently in Patterns of Our Lives, but it is essentially a story about love and the sacrifices people make in its name.”

The “heartwarming and heartbreaking” epic family saga asks how generations of one family could keep so many secrets such a long time.

Widow Audrey Freeman cherishes her old photograph albums, full of small square black and white prints.

But she realises the photos are like covers on a novel, and don’t tell the whole story.

When Audrey searches for the truth about her mother, generations of secrets and lies are uncovered.

Celia has used a dual narrative style, allowing the reader to discover more about Audrey's ancestry than she knows herself.

The reader witnesses scenes from Audrey's ancestors' lives, particularly those of the generation that lived through World War Two.

Celia said: “Readers will recognise thinly disguised Larksholme Lane (Lawkholme) and Old Man's Park which is what older generations used to call Town Hall Square.”

• Patterns Of Our Lives is available from Amazon and costs £3.03 for the Kindle and £7.79 in paperback.