#BlogTour #GuestPost & #Giveaway - Secrets of the Shipyard Girls by Nancy Revell



Sunderland, 1941
As the world war continues the shipyard girls face hardships at home, but work and friendship give them strength to carry on.

Gloria is smitten with her newly arrived bundle of joy, but baby Hope’s first weeks are bittersweet. Hope's father is missing at sea, and with their future as a family so uncertain, Gloria must lean on her girls for support.

Meanwhile, head welder Rosie has turned her back on love to keep her double life secret. But her persistent beau is determined to find out the truth and if he does, it could ruin her.

And there is finally a glimmer of hope for Polly and her family when Bel and Joe fall in love. But it isn’t long before a scandalous revelation threatens to pull them all apart.

It's my turn to host the blog tour for Secrets of the Shipyard Girls today and I'm delighted to be featuring Nancy Revell's Top Ten Writing Tips. I'm also thrilled to be able to offer a fantastic giveaway! One lucky winner can win the first three books of this series - The Shipyard Girls, The Shipyard Girls at War and Secrets of the Shipyard Girls. See below for how to enter to win this fabulous prize. Many thanks to Nancy for her post and to Clare Kelly and Arrow for inviting me to take part in the blog tour and for providing the prize.
The fourth book in The Shipyard Girls series, Shipyard Girls in Love will be out in March and can be pre-ordered now from Amazon.

 MY TOP TEN WRITING TIPS
BY NANCY REVELL

I’m often asked if I have any ‘tips’ on writing, or, to give a list of ‘My Top Ten’ and I have to admit that this always fills me with a sense of dread as it implies that I know what I’m doing – when, really, I don’t!
Most of the time I feel I just bluster through each book, tripping up, and going off-piste, but somehow reaching the end of the journey – and, hey presto! There’s a book!
Over the course of writing The Shipyard Girls series, however, I do seem to have developed certain habits:
1. I usually sketch out a rough outline of the plot, but nothing too stringent as I find my characters often take over and tell me where the story is going. Rosie and Gloria in The Shipyard Girls are particularly strong-minded and often veer off in a direction I hadn’t expected!
2. I make myself walk around in my characters’ shoes in order to really get to know them and empathise with them. By doing this, I’ve found with a couple of my less likeable characters in particular Bel’s wayward mother Pearl, that I often see a different side to them.
3. I set myself a daily task of writing at least two thousand words a day. Some people I have said this to have gasped in shock, but it’s really down to the fact that there’s a new instalment of The Shipyard Girls every six months, so I can’t dilly dally.
4. Having said that, though, even if I didn’t have such a tight deadline, I think I would still try and write a minimum of a thousand words a day quite simply because I like to write.
5. Since making the crossover from journalist to novelist, I’ve been binge reading anything that has me turning pages until I can’t keep my eyes open.
6. While I’m in the throes of writing a book I try to regularly do things that allow my mind to wander off on a tangent - usually swimming or decorating (our home is a never-ending project). I’ve thought of some interesting plot twists and turns when my brain has been free to go walkabout.
7. People say, write about what you know. I guess that’s true to a certain extent but I don’t know if I’d agree wholeheartedly. When I first started writing The Shipyard Girls I didn’t know much about the World War II or shipbuilding, but I loved learning about both and found it really inspiring.
8. I always have a note book to hand to jot down ideas – I’d have a pad and pen hanging around my neck if I could get away with it!
9. Finding an agent helped me enormously. Not only did my agent get me my first book deal and all subsequent deals, but more than anything her belief that I could become a published author gave me so much confidence.
10. Most of all, though, when I start a new book I tell myself that I’ve got to become totally immersed in the plot and the lives of the characters. If I don’t love the story and the people in it, then how on earth can I expect anyone else to?
These, however, are just my top ten tips, and they mightn’t work for you. Write in a way that’s right for you. (I think that now makes eleven!)
Happy Writing!
Nancy x

Thank you so much for those tips and insight into your writing process, Nancy. I love the idea of a pad and pen hanging around my neck too  - you can never have too much stationery!

About the Author
Nancy Revell is a writer and journalist under another name, and has worked for many national newspapers, providing them with hard-hitting news stories and in-depth features. She has also worked for just about every woman’s magazine, writing amazing and inspirational true life stories.
Nancy has recently relocated back to her home town of Sunderland, Tyne & Wear, with her husband Paul and their English Bull Mastiff, Rosie. They live a short walk from the beautiful, award-winning beaches of Roker and Seaburn, within a mile of where The Shipyard Girls series is set. The subject is close to Nancy’s heart as she comes from a long line of shipbuilders, who were well-known in the area.

Giveaway

One lucky winner will receive books 1 -3 of The Shipyard Girls series thanks to the lovely people at Arrow. First though, a description of the first two books to whet your appetite. Keep reading for seven ways to enter the giveaway!


Sunderland, 1940, and the women go to the shipyards to do their bit for the war effort.
Polly never dreamed she would be able to work in the shipyards like the men in her family but times are tough and her new job ends up giving her more than she ever expected when she meets enigmatic dock diver Tommy Watts.
During the day, head welder Rosie teaches her fledgling flock of trainees their new trade, but at night she hides a secret life.
And mother hen Gloria signs up to escape her brutal husband, but finds she cannot run from her problems.
The Shipyard Girls start off as strangers - but end up forging an unbreakable bond of friendship in the most difficult times.



1941: it takes strength to work on the docks, but the war demands all hands on deck and the women are doing their best to fill the gap. 
Rosie is flourishing in her role as head-welder while still keeping her double life a secret. But a dashing detective is forcing Rosie to choose between love and her duty.
Gloria is hiding her own little secret – one that if found out, could not only threaten her job, but her life.
And the shipyards are proving tougher than Polly ever imagined, while she waits for her man to return home safely. 
Join the shipyard girls as they journey through the hardships of life, love and war.


UK ENTRIES ONLY PLEASE. Good luck!
Books 1-3 of the Shipyard Girls series by Nancy Revell giveaway

Don't miss the rest of the blog tour, details are below.


Comments

  1. Love the sound of these stories. I find social historical stories fascinating.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They do sound good, don't they. Thanks for entering and good luck!

      Delete
  2. I'd love these as a smashing gift to my Mum

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think my Mum in law would love them too! Thanks for entering Linda, good luck!

      Delete

Post a Comment