Elaine Everest Talks "A Gift From Woolworths"

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

*blows raspberry at Halloween* Like I have said in the past on here and on my social media platforms, I like Halloween in theory. In practice, not so much. So, tonight, I will be hiding in a dark house, eating all the sweets I'm might to give to trick-n-treaters...

But a holiday I am excited to celebrate is Christmas so when the lovely Faye at Faye Rogers PR asked if I wanted to be involved in a Christmasy blog tour, I jumped at it (and got the Michael Bublé at the ready, much to my Other Half's annoyance!)

So today, I am thrilled to welcome back Elaine Everest who is gonna get us in the Christmas mood with a small Q&A to celebrate the release of her newest Christmasy novel, A Gift from Woolworths!

The Second World War moves to 1945, the lives of the women of Woolworths continue. Betty announces she's pregnant, her future life is Douglas is about to change more than she expects. Freda has fallen of a Scottish engineer - will it end happily? Maisie loves being a mother and adores her nieces - but when her brother returns on the scene, trouble follows. All Sarah wants is her husband's return, but Woolworths beckons.

With a wedding on the horizon and Christmas round the corner, happiness surely lies ahead for these friends... right?

Now, before I hand you over to Elaine and those tricky questions, I want to thank Elaine for taking time out to answering these questions and to Faye for asking if I wanted to be involved in this tour. Now, if you want to check out Elaine on her social media, check her out on Facebook - Elaine Everest Author - or her Twitter - @ElaineEverest. Now, let's get in the Christmas spirit!!!

Thank you so much for inviting me to your blog today and also for the interesting questions.

What made you decide to write this book?

I was thrilled to be invited by my publisher, Pan Macmillan, to write the next part of The Woolworths series. This follows The Woolworths Girls, Carols at Woolworths, Christmas at Woolworths, and Wartime at Woolworths. This brings the girls to the end of the war – and beyond.

What was your favourite thing about writing this book?

My favourite thing about writing this book was to be able to decide what my characters would be doing after World War Two. The girl’s lives had changed so much since we first met them that I found it a struggle at times to do right by them. I confess it took me an age to write that last chapter.

What is one piece of advice you would give to others writing books?

Be true to yourself and your characters. Don’t copy any other writers writing styles, or attempt to write just for the fame and fortune (joke). Try to tell a good story and above all else enjoy writing the story. Treat your writing like a job as even in your early days you are joining a profession. Learn from others by joining writing groups and taking lessons from well-published authors who know the publishing world.

Do you read other books while writing?

I never stop reading books. If I’m not writing I’m reading or chatting with my loyal readers. I have a couple of books on the go at any one time. At the moment I’m reading the latest Peter James, Absolute Proof, and also Donna Douglas’s A Nightingale Christmas Promise. I’m also working through the Dick Francis books for the umpteenth time. I also have a lovely pile of sagas to read all written by my writing friends. Look out for the Fiona Ford books as she is a fab writer!

Where do you do most of your writing?
I’ve turned a bedroom into an office with lovely white walls and teal accessories. Bookcases line the walls although I need more as there are also piles of books heaped everywhere. I promise myself I’ll have a good sort out but then I start another book… Having a laptop as well as a desktop computer I can wander about to write and often do. If it is sunny I’ll write in the garden whilst supervising my husband as he sorts out our garden or potters in the greenhouse. I also write at the kitchen table with the TV on – I can’t write in silence. An afternoon of quiz shows is ideal as I can get through a few thousand words. You can also find me watching old wartime movies so I can dream about handsome matinee idols. I have my own movie star in my books. Have you spotted Johnny Johnson in my stories? 

What do you do when you’re not writing?

So many of my friends are writers that I never quite escape the writing world. I can be attending parties and conferences run by the Romantic Novelist’s Association and other writerly organisations. Or perhaps off on a one-day writing retreat – or even a week long retreat. Afternoon teas with friends are a must so we can gossip and catch up on news and have a good moan as well. With my husband we like to visit National Trust properties or wander round garden centres where I always spent too much money – crikey I sound like a grown up! We love to visit Cornwall a few times each year. In fact if I had my way we’d live there. I did want to call this blog tour ‘Buy Elaine a Holiday Home by the Sea Tour,’ in the manner of Peter Kay. My husband said I’d have to sell exceedingly more books!

Thank you again for hosting me today and to the readers for stopping by. Please look out for my Facebook Author Page (Elaine Everest Author) and my Twitter (@ElaineEverest) where I’m organising competitions, etc.