People have been pouring into the city for months. Now it's surrounded by invading armies. Cadiz is the last holdout of an inevitable invasion. As queen, Sarah suspects the end is near, but then as all hope seems lost she encounters someone. Someone whose survival is more important than her city. Who is this person and how could they possibly get out of Cadiz?This is a short story, roughly 10 pages. It was created as an assignment for a college level creative writing course. Tris Caldwell, mother of three and a full time nurse, works in the Emergency room of the local hospital. A city in which the crimes are normally petty, at least those that the citizens know about. When the unthinkable happens, a shooting at one of the local elementary schools, Tris and her co-workers prepare for the worst. As the death toll rises, only one child is brought in along with the man responsible for killing several children.

Iris is an ex-nanny, Lya is a broken mechanic, and Zelle goes from job to job. These three are bound by fate, circumstance, and a love of alphas. Eventually.

'Maggie Joel's The Safest Place in London is a beautifully written exploration of desperation and hope in a time of war. The novel captures the essence of the era with subtlety and style, while the shifting new world pushes characters to extreme lengths. A remarkable story of family, survival and how one decision can change lives for better or worse.' - Jane Harper, author of The DryOn a frozen January evening in 1944, Nancy Levin, and her three-year-old daughter, Emily, flee their impoverished East London home as an air raid siren sounds. Not far away, 39- year-old Diana Meadows and her own child, three-year-old Abigail, are lost in the black-out as the air raid begins. Finding their way in the jostling crowd to the mouth of the shelter they hurry to the safety of the underground tube station. Mrs Meadows, who has so far sat out the war in the safety of London's outer suburbs, is terrified - as much by the prospect of sheltering in an Eastend tube...

How cosy I made it sound. How easy. Sam and Ella both looked at me for a moment, their faces a mixture of apprehension and wistfulness. I smiled back at them indulgently, feeling so pleased with myself. Now, I look back and I want to grab my old self by the shoulders and shake, hard. I want to slap the smug smile off my face. I wasn't just complacent; I was blind. Jane Berry has always dreamed of moving to the country. When she uproots her family and takes them to live in a rural paradise, at first it all seems perfect. She has the house and the space she always longed for and is determined to make a better life for herself and her children. But when her marriage comes under pressure the dream starts to fall apart. A seemingly promising new friendship shows its dark side and Jane finds her life spiralling out of control. Then one night a line is crossed that threatens to ruin her and break apart her family forever.