England, 1644. The Civil War is not a distant rumble any more. It is boots in the lane, swords in the yard, and soldiers who killed her friend's brothers just last week. When the King's men ride toward the Carew farm, Ruth's mother gives her one clear task: take the satchel of valuable documents up into the loft and hide them there. There is only one problem. Ruth has not been able to climb a ladder since she hurt her leg falling from one as a child of four, and no amount of love or coaxing has ever changed that. Her brothers are hiding in the tiny calf shed hay loft above her, buried under straw, their lives depending on not being discovered. The soldiers are already moving toward the shed. Ruth stands at the foot of the ladder, shaking, knowing exactly what she must do and completely unable to make herself do it. Time is running out, and the only way through is up. "Eggs for Supper" is a prize-winning short story that captures an ordinary moment of extraordinary courage in the middle of one of England's most turbulent centuries. Readers who love intimate historical fiction, strong young protagonists, and stories that earn their emotion will find this brief, precise tale impossible to forget.

p.d.r. lindsay (no capitals please in tribute to a favourite poet, e. e. cummings) makes New Zealand home. Born in Ireland, brought up in Yorkshire, educated in England, Canada and New Zealand, writer p.d.r. lindsay is also Mrs Salmon, Ms Lindsay-Salmon and even for eight years in Japan, Professor Lindsay-Salmon. This wide experience of different cultures colours her writing and keeps her travelling.
Social issues are her main concern which is why she writes historical stories about ordinary people, the ones whose names and lives we don't know much about. Reading the diaries and letters of parsons and farmers, wives and daughters, merchants and tradesmen showed her how the basic human dilemmas do not change over the centuries. She finds that certain human trait both good and bad, can be better shown through historical stories than through contemporary ones and hopes that readers will think about those failings as they apply to today.