Even amid the war, a broken heart can heal …
Sunderland, 1941
With a brief break in air raids providing some much-needed respite from the war, things are looking up for head welder Rosie, who has fallen head over heels for Detective Sergeant Miller. But how long can their romance last in such uncertain times? Life remains full of challenges for Gloria, who must face her abusive ex-husband and confront her own guilty conscience about baby Hope’s real father. The secret is tearing her apart but if she admits the truth, she will risk losing everything.
Both women are determined that their love and faith will be enough to keep the most difficult of promises, but nothing is as simple as it seems …
It's my pleasure to be hosting the blog tour for Shipyard Girls in Love, the fourth book in Nancy Revell's The Shipyard Girls series, today. Many thanks to the author, publishers and Clare Kelly for inviting me to take part in the tour.
I'm delighted to welcome Nancy Revell to Hair Past A Freckle today. She has very kindly answered a few questions about her Shipyard Girls series.
This is the fourth book in the Shipyard Girls series. How do you approach the challenge of moving the plot forward for existing fans of the series while still making each book accessible to new readers?
It’s quite hard because you don’t want to bore the readers who have been with The Shipyard Girls from the off, but at the same time you want readers who are new to the series to enjoy the book they are reading, regardless of where it is in the series.
With each book I try and weave in the characters’ back stories early on in the book, but I have to make sure that those back stories don’t override the plot and slow down the pace.
Most of the people I talk to about the books have all said the series is best read in order, although I have had a lot readers who have told me they have read one of the books on its own, and still loved it, and have then gone back and read the series in order, which is a huge compliment, as it means they want to stay with the series.
Do you feel any pressure setting your books in your home town of Sunderland or does your familiarity with the area make it easier?
Both. I feel an incredible pressure to get everything right about Sunderland – what it was like during the Second World War, the buildings and landmarks of the town, many of which are no longer there, the streets – again, many of which are now car parks or shopping centres – as well as being fastidious about historical facts and details about the shipyards. I live in fear of making a mistake!
But, on the other hand, it is easier to write about the place where I was born and spent the first eighteen years of my life (and where I came back to live after a thirty year hiatus). I know the area, the weather, the culture, the dialect, the people. I know the essence of the place. It’s in my bones. It’s part of my DNA.
I would find it much more difficult – and it would certainly require more research – to write a saga series that was set in a place I didn’t really know, or had just visited a few times.
If you could write about any other historical era what would it be?
Mmm, now you’ve got me thinking. I’m not sure… I think it would probably be around the turn of the century and the lead up to the First World War. I’ve had to do quite a lot of research for the retro chapters in both Shipyard Girls in Love and Secrets of the Shipyard Girls and I've found myself wanting to know more, especially about what life was like for women during that time. At the moment, though, I’m more than happy to be writing about life during the Second World War (and as the series progresses, the post war period).
I hope my answers have offered some insight into writing and historical fiction.
Thanks for having me on your blog.
And happy reading!
With love, Nancy x
Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer my questions today, Nancy, I really appreciate it. I wish you every success with Shipyard Girls in Love and the rest of The Shipyard Girls series.
Shipyard Girls in Love is published by Arrow Books and can be purchased here.
Don't miss the rest of the blog tour, details are below.
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.
You can follow Nancy on Twitter as @arevellwalton.
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