AN author from Okehampton has recently seen the publication of her first novel.

Christine Munkenbeck recently had her novel 'Petals in Time' published by Amazon Kindle.

The narrative is woven around characters based on her own family history, following her ancestor Owen Rose, who lived at the turn of the 20th century.

Growing up in London during a time of great poverty and deprivation, the lives of Owen and his family are rocked by an event that leaves the life of Owen's father in the balance.

Shortly after, Owen signs up for the army while underage, preparing himself for war.

In a series of letters between Owen and his loved ones, the story examines the life of a soldier training for combat before unveiling the horror of warfare and the trenches.

The story also follows Owen's romance with Ruth, who herself joins the Voluntary Aid Detachment and ends up stationed in France.

Christine explained how the writing process for the book began: 'After retiring, I was inspired to write a novel. I began writing in 2009, joining creative writing workshops at Dornaford Farm in Jacobstowe.

'At these workshops, I found a new love of playing with words, inventing characters, revisiting past personal experiences and journeying to places in my mind and imaginings.

'My experiences of growing up in London, paired with over ten years of family history research prompted me to write Petals of Time.

'My family history research revealed much about the character of Owen.

'All that was needed was to weave in some intrigue and romance, and to recount his story.'

Christine grew up in London, before moving to Okehampton in 1980.

Her life in Devon has also inspired her writing, having written stories about the Dartmoor tin miners, looking at how people lived and worked in the rural environment.

The novel is now available on Amazon Kindle.