Many thanks Rachel for inviting me to Saga Saturday.
If anyone had told me when I was young that I’d get to be an
author, I would have laughed and told them they were mad. People from my
background don’t ever get to do that, though on reflection I had always told
stories, written scripts and organised my amazed friends into appearing in one
of my plays.
So time marched on and to some extent I still feel it’s all
a bit surreal. Like a lot of you, I get paid for writing stories and perhaps
like me, you sometimes wonder when they’re going to find you out. After all,
you’re doing something you love rather than any onerous chore.
I’ve written across many genres to a total of over fifty
books and had my own newspaper column for many years. As a lot of you know, I
have also had a number of pseudonyms.
Today I am Jean Moran and the first book under that name is
entitled Tears of the Dragon. It’s very gritty far removed from the cosiness of
Home Front sagas set firmly in the UK touching on, as it does, the horrors of
the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong on Christmas Day, 1941 and culminating in
the suffering caused by the atomic bomb in 1945.
If I’m honest, I’ve never been that interested in romantic
novels unless they’re set against big historical events; e.g. Gone With The
Wind or The Far Pavillions. Whilst trying not to sound too stuffy and dry, I’ve
always had an interest in the military and political aspects of war – also the
terrible slaughter, trying to understand the reasons – though most of the time
failing miserably.
Doctor Rowena Rossiter, an obstetrician, is caught up in the
attack. She has also become an obsessive interest for a local opium crime lord
and an Irish sergeant named Connor.
The story follows Rowena and Connor in their bid to survive
a world that is burning around them, the atrocities, the glimmer of hope amidst
the fear.
They’re separated, Rowena is raped by Japanese soldiers and
becomes pregnant. At first it’s difficult to accept the child born of this horror,
but with time she adopts a more pragmatic and caring attitude. There’s a new
world to build following the dropping of the bomb when she is sent to care for
its victims.
I’m pleased to say Italian rights have been sold and that
the sequel, Summer of the Three Pagodas, set partly in Korea during its
terrible war, comes out in March.
I’m on Facebook and Twitter, sometimes on Linked In. Haven’t
got round to Instagram yet.
Please note I am always happy to help budding authors.
Questions and queries are welcome. The giving and receiving of advice is a two
way street that satisfies both the giver and the taker. Creativity is something
to be shared and encouraged.
A sweeping, exotic historical saga for fans of Dinah Jefferies.
One sultry evening in Kowloon, Dr Rowena Rossiter and Sister Alice Huntley are off-duty and in search of fun – little knowing that their world is on the brink of collapse.
That night, Rowena will meet two men who will fight for her heart for the next four years. Connor O'Connor, the rebellious Irish soldier, who will woo and then lose her, and Kim Pheloung. Immensely rich and the most beautiful man Rowena has ever seen, he is also the most ruthless, with a sinister need to possess and control.
When the Japanese invasion leaves this previously strong and independent woman raped and broken, who will succeed in claiming Rowena's body and soul? And will she ever learn to love the child born of that terrible Christmas Day?
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/38wARV8
Jean's social media links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jean.goodhind
Twitter: https://twitter.com/baywriterallat1
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