Dear Rachel,
Thank you so much for
inviting me to your blog once more. It is always a joy to be hosted by you.
When my publisher
asked for me to write another Woolworths book my first thought was ‘but the war
is over!’ After the palpitations eased I started to wonder what would have
happen after WW2? I delved into my non-fiction books, sourced a few more (we
can never have enough books!) as well as looking at events and timelines for
post war Britain. Two big events stood out. Princess Elizabeth’s wedding to her
Philip in 1947, and the ‘Austerity Olympics of 1948, which was conveniently set
in London.
Having events that
some readers would know of meant I next had to consider how these would affect
my girls’ lives. Living in Erith, which at the time was in NW Kent, but now
considered to be SE London it was possible that some of the Woolies staff would
have gone along to watch and possibly slept in the street in order not to miss
a thing. However. That does not make a story – I will need to have something
happen. Also, with the Olympics would this not interest some of the staff and
their families? What if one of them was to compete…?
Having well-known
events in a book is not enough for a saga. Ditto when we cover a war. Things
need to happen to our characters, and this is when the really hard work starts
for an author. Weaving the lives of characters through true events we hope will
be recognised by readers, is the most important part of a saga. If we get this
wrong our readers will soon let us know.
Wedding Bells for Woolworths is the sixth book in the series, so when one reader said to me, ‘I just
knew Maisie would be the one to have gin and fruit cake in her bag,’ I was able
to breathe a sigh of relief and know all was well.
Book
Blurb:
July 1947:
Britain is still gripped by rationing, even as the excitement of Princess
Elizabeth’s engagement sweeps the nation…
In the
Woolworth’s canteen, Freda is still dreaming of meeting her own prince
Charming. So far she’d been unlucky on 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 lheal in time for hom to compete? Can
he ever forvie 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.
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.
Bio
Elaine Everest is from North West Kent and she grew
up listening to stories of the war years in her hometown of Erith, which
features in her bestselling Woolworths Girls series. A former
journalist, and author of nonfiction books for dog owners, Elaine has written around
one hundred 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 Polish Lowland Sheepdog Henry.
You can find out more about Elaine on:
Twitter : @ElaineEverest
Facebook: Elaine Everest Author
Website: ElaineEverest.com
Instagram:
Elaine.Everest
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