Today is my stop on the blog tour for Wedding Bells for Woolworths. Wedding Bells for Woolworths by Elaine Everest is out now, published by Pan Macmillan, priced £6.99 as paperback original and eBook. I have an interview with Elaine Everest to share with you today and if you like the sound of that, you can click here to order your copy now. Don't forget to check out the other stops on the tour for more exclusive content and reviews.
Here's what it's all about...
Wedding Bells for Woolworth is the latest feel-good novel in former Woolies girl Elaine
Everest's bestselling Woolworths Girls series. It sees the return of her well-loved characters in
another heartfelt and gripping story.
July 1947. Britain is still gripped by rationing, even as the excitement of Princess Elizabeth’s
engagement sweeps the nation…
In the Woolworths’ canteen, Freda is still dreaming of meeting her own Prince Charming. So far she’s
been unlucky in love. When she has an accident on her motorbike, knocking a cyclist off his bicycle, it
seems bad luck is still following her around. Anthony is not only a fellow Woolworths employee but
was an Olympic hopeful. Will his injured leg heal in time for him to compete? Can he ever forgive
Freda?
Sarah's idyllic family life is under threat with worries about her husband, Alan. Does he still love
her?The friends must rally round to face some of the toughest challenges of their lives together. And
although they experience loss, hardship and shocks along the way, love is on the horizon for the
Woolworths girls.
Are you ready for that interview?
Thank
you so much for inviting me to your blog today.
First
question- how did you get into writing?
I’ve
been a fulltime freelance writer since 1997 when I gave up my work in
office management to concentrate on my writing. It wasn’t a good
year as I had health problems and both my father and father in law
passed away. It was the nudge I needed to turn a hobby into a
business, and I steamed in writing short fiction for magazines,
articles for newspapers, online content, competitions etc. There were
highs and lows, and a lot of hard work, but twenty-three year later I
can say it was enjoyable and successful.
How
do you develop your characters as you write, are any of them based on
real people?
I
never base my characters on real people. However, I may lift an
interesting trait, circumstance, or mannerism from time to time.
I
will know all my characters before I start to write. I will make sure
I know their motives, weaknesses and strengths. Knowing what makes a
character tick means I can throw them into any situation and
understand how they will react.
What
was the inspiration behind Wedding
Bells for Woolworths?
My
previous Woolworths novels had brought us to the end of WW2. With
Freda appearing in The Butlins Girls we knew what she was up to in
1946. So, when another book was requested by my publisher, Pan
Macmillan, I knew we had to move forward and away from the war years.
I hit the history books and discovered that Princess Elizabeth
married Phillip in 1947 and the ‘Austerity Olympics was held in
London the following year. With the historical information in place I
could next decide what should happen with my characters. That is
where the fun starts!
What
is your writing process - do you plan it out first? Write a bit at a
time?
When
an author is contracted to a publisher it is not possible to ‘just
write’. We need to have an outline and for our editor to ‘really
love it’ before we plan more before starting to write – and send
in the manuscript on time six months later.
How
much of you is reflected in your writing?
I
write sagas set in a time before I was born – but the town is my
place of birth and I know the Woolworths store (I was a Saturday girl
many moons ago), and I know the people who lived in the town. So, in
a way much of what I am is in my books.
What
kind of research did you have to do before/during writing Wedding
Bells for Woolworths?
A
lot! I have to know what is happening with Woolworths at the time of
the book. What is happening with my characters since the last book –
that means checking character profiles and notes. I need to know what
is happening in the world since the end of WW2 and also what has
happened in the town where the books are set. I love this aspect of
writing my books especially when I come across a little nugget of
information that I can use in a story.
How
much attention do you pay to the reviews that you get?
I’m
grateful to anyone who spares time to write a review, post something
about my books on their blogs. A comment on social media, private
messages, and letters are all a joy to receive.
However, I’m
not happy with the underbelly of the review world where people write
horrid comments about authors and their books whilst hiding behind
made up names. Some of the major websites and selling sites refuse to
help authors by taking them down and for new authors this can be
distressing. There are also some smaller publishers who nag their
authors to ask on social media for book reviews – this is so tacky!
Reviews should be given freely in appreciation and accepted with
love.
Which
other authors inspire you or are there any you particularly enjoy
reading?
I’m
in awe of many of my fellow saga authors. They write with sincerity
and a great knowledge of their subject. We are a close circle who
chat online and meet up whenever we can. The support we received when
times are hard – writing as a profession can be so hard at times –
is valued so much. So, if you don’t mind I’ll not single out any
one author. x
Finally,
what are you working on right now?
I
have two books already written and with my publisher, Pan Macmillan.
Christmas with the Teashop Girls
is to be published in October 202, with another book linked to my
Woolworth characters coming out in March 2021.
I’m
in the process of starting a new WW2 novel for October 2021 at the
moment, which I’m excited about as it is a little different to my
past books.
Thank
you for such interesting questions
Elaine
xx
About the Author
Elaine Everest is from North West Kent and she grew up listening to stories of the
war years in her home town of Erith, which features in her bestselling Woolworths
Girls series. A former journalist, and author of nonfiction books for dog owners,
Elaine has written over sixty short stories for the women's magazine market. When
she isn't writing, Elaine runs The Write Place creative writing school in Hextable,
Kent. She lives with her husband, Michael and sheepdog Henry.
You can find out
more about Elaine on Twitter @ElaineEverest or Facebook /elaine.everest
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