A TALE of two very different siblings is brought to life by Prittlewell author Bernardine Kennedy in her new novel, Shattered Lives.

A story of despair, hardship and betrayal, the book follows sisters Hannah and Julie, who were orphaned at a young age and forced to look after themselves.

Years later and all grown up, Hannah, with her steady job and happy marriage, seems to have fallen on her feet.

The same can’t be said for Julie, however, who first fell pregnant at 15 and now has three children from as many different men.

Throw in a serious drug addiction and you can see she is in desperate need of help.

Hannah is the only one who can pull her sister out of her miserable rut. But in doing so, she discovers, in the most devastating way, her own life might not be so perfect after all.

“It’s the old story of nature versus nurture,” says Bernardine. “The two sisters haven’t seen each other for years, until they meet by chance in a social worker’s office.

“They are both in their late thirties and life has treated them very differently. It’s a definite yin and yang, opposite end of the scales affair. They may be bonded by blood, but, like many siblings, are very different. They are like chalk and cheese.

“It’s a story which is full or real-life issues and human interest, but I can’t promise a classic happy ending.

“However, there is a ray of light in the resolution of the two girls’ dilemma, via various twists and turns, which I hope leaves the reader with hope.”

Not one to rest on her laurels, Bernardine is already cracking on with her eighth book.

“It’s a similar sort of book, very much focusing on real things and real people,” she adds.

“It follows the story of a grandmother, mother and daughter across the different generations, starting in the Sixties and moving up to the present day.

“I’d like to believe it is going to be another book which forces the reader to think. I don’t really do comedy, but I hope there is some amusing stuff in there too.”

Bernardine has led a varied life and taken on multiple weird and wonderful professions.

She has worked in social work, helping people with learning disabilities, been an air hostess, collected football pools in Africa and had a stint as a secretary for Iraq’s Embassy in Nigeria.

“I’ve always liked to do different things and I travelled a lot when I was younger,” she explains.

“Visiting different places and taking on very different jobs teaches you a lot about people and the world in general.

“It really is the best possible grounding for a writer, especially somebody like me who concentrates on human interest topics, which could happen in any of our lives.”

Bernardine went to school at St Bernard’s, Westcliff, at the same time as an aspiring actress who would also go on to fill many roles and travel the world, Dame Helen Mirren.

“Helen always stood out at school and was Miss Popular,” recalls Bernardine. “She was very fashionable and it doesn’t surprise me she has gone on to do so well and become a really big star.

“I’m really pleased for her, but I don’t think I would want to have my picture taken on a beach in a bikini and splashed across the newspapers, even if she does look great for her age.

“When I go away on holiday I want to be able to relax, not worry that a photographer is lurking behind a rock somewhere.”

Shattered Lives, published by Headline, is available in bookshops for £6.99.

For more information about the author, visit www.bernardine kennedy.com l For your chance to win a copy of Shattered Lives, tell us which famous female author wrote Death on the Nile.

Send your answer on a postcard, including your name address and a daytime contact number, to: Echo Features BookCompetition, Chester Hall Lane, Basildon, Essex SS14 3BL. Closing date for entries is February 7.

Usual Newsquest Essex Ltd, terms and conditions apply. Copies available on request.