AN author from Millhouse Green released her latest book on local women in the steel industry - and the support has been ‘tremendous’.
Michelle Rawlins, 47, of Ecklands Croft, started following the ‘Women of Steel’ campaign in 2009 until 2016 when a statue was erected in Sheffield in their honour.
Her first book on the project, also called Women of Steel, was released last year after two years of research and focused on how South Yorkshire’s ‘feisty factory sisters’ helped win the war.
This time Michelle turned her hand to writing a non-fiction novel, called The Steel Girls, after being approached by HQ Stories of HarperCollins publishers.
The university lecturer told the Chronicle: “I was asked by HQ Stories if I would write some historical fiction and the novel came out last month - the second will be out in November and the final in the trilogy will be out in the spring.
“It’s fictional but it’s based on real-life stories - I couldn’t have written it without research and it’s been wonderful looking in to it.
“The support has been incredible so far and there’s been lots of engagements online as well.
“Many of the women are still alive and there’s people whose family members were involved - it’s keeping their memory alive.”
