A midwife who drew on her experience of helping to birth hundreds of babies to write her first book, will be signing copies of her best-selling novel in Stroud this morning.

Mandy Robotham's book A Woman of War was launched last December and has been met with such positive reviews that publishers have now decided to translate the book, and publish it internationally.

The popular midwife will be signing copies of her successful first novel at Stroud Bookshop, in the town's High Street from 11am to midday today, Saturday, March 23.

Stroud News and Journal:

“There are four births scenarios in the book and every one of them has happened to me in one form or another,” said Mandy Robotham, a former journalist turned midwife now attached to Stroud Maternity Unit.

Her book, A Woman of War, is set during the Second World War - a time when epidurals were unknown and babies were born under the threat of bombs.

“The essence of birth hasn’t changed in thousands of years - only everything around it has changed,” said Mandy.

“And it’s a great equaliser - rich or poor, powerful or not, at that pinnacle all women are equal, all need our help.”

Her novel centres around a moral conumdrum Mandy has discussed with her fellow midwives at Stroud Maternity Unit: is there a woman or baby a midwife might not want to look after?

That dilemma faces protagonist Anke Hoff, who has been assigned as midwife to one of Hitler’s inner circle and is torn between her duty as a caregiver and her hatred of the regime.

Mandy started on her book after completing a masters in creative writing, spending three years on it all the while working full time and being on-call for homebirths.

It is published by Avon Books - an imprint of Harper Collins - A Woman of War came out as an eBook on December 7 last year, with the paperback launching this month.