Chatting with Elaine Everest (Again!)

Once again I am delighted to welcome Elaine Everest to chat over a cup of tea/coffee. This time we’re talking about her latest book in the Woolworths series, Wedding Bells for Woolworths.

It lovely to see you again, Elaine and what a wonderful opportunity to catch up with some old friends. And to meet some new ones too. There’s a lot of optimism in this book. Well, just look at the title. But there’s tragedy too. You don’t make it easy for your girls, do you?

Hi, Natalie and thank you for hosting me today. No, I try not to make things too easy for my girls as the books would be quite boring!  This time I’ve looked at their longstanding relationships with each other and started to think what could pull them apart and how would they react? In real life we can all think of a friendship, or marriage that has failed, and how other friends take sides. Amongst the many weddings in the book I had to think how friends who had fallen out would react when pushed together in social situations, or how they would connive to avoid each other.

You’ve introduced a few more characters and they all slip into place quite beautifully. I found Lemuel’s story particularly interesting. You always succeed in weaving historical events seamlessly into your stories. Did he come fully formed?

I loved writing about Lemuel and how he slotted into the Erith community during the mid 1940s. As soon as I decided to introduce a plotline that would introduce a man from Trinidad, I knew how long-standing characters would react. People could be racist – even ‘back then’– and I needed to show how locals distrusted the stranger and turned against him just as many did in real life. It was uncomfortable but had to be done. I confess to pulling back on some of the nasty comments as it upset me. I could see Lemuel’s family featuring in future books as well…

Speaking of historical events, the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip! What a gift to the writer, but how did you contrive to make it part of the story without over-egging it (not that eggs were in such abundant supply at the time)?

Being a very crafty saga author I needed to be able to bring in a few historical events to my book. The last book in which some of ‘the girls’ featured was The Butlins Girls set in 1946, so I needed to work forward. With Princess Elizabeth’s wedding in her handsome Philip in 1947 and then the Austerity Olympics of 1948 those two years were a gift. The girls weren’t likely to receive an invitation so how else could I weave a story around that happy event…?

I must say that the ending took me a little by surprise (no spoilers) but I was pleased to see you left it open for the next book. Please tell me – and the rest of your readers – that there’s going to be a next book.

Oh my! I changed that ending so many times. If I could go back now, I’m sure I’d change the ending. However, in life we have to let go of loved ones at some point, and so it was with this book. I still smile at my original outline when I was supposed to kill off George Caselton in The Woolworths Girls, but couldn’t do it – he broke his leg instead!

And what of Ruby? You had me worried about her there for a while.

Ruby worries me a lot. So many readers love the matriarch of the extended Caselton family, and she is growing older with each book. She reminds me of my paternal grandmother and many others of her generation. They broke the mould with those women!

You’ve obviously been working on other things since you handed your manuscript over to your publishers all those months ago. Can you tell us what you’ve been doing? What’s coming next for Elaine Everest fans?

This book went to my publisher at the beginning of last year so yes, much water has passed under the bridge since then. Christmas with the Teashop Girls is to be published in October and it was a joy to return to Ramsgate and carry on with Rose, Lily, and Katie’s story, and to catch up with the women living at the Sea View guesthouse.
I’ve also just handed in the manuscript for a very special book. I was delighted when my publisher approved the idea and I could go back in time to 1905 to the day that a young Ruby Caselton moved into her new home in Alexandra Road, Erith. Publication will be for Mother’s Day in 2021.
At the moment I’m writing the first chapter of yet another idea which takes me to Biggin Hill during WW2 and that’s as much as I’m saying …

Intriguing! Obviously nothing to do with the Woolworths Girls but I must say I’m glad we’ll be hearing from Ruby again. I bet she was a feisty one in her youth!

Thank you again for inviting me to your blog, Natalie. I can rely on you to ask me some interesting stories

Elaine xx

It’s always a pleasure, Elaine. I look forward to the next time.
Natalie xx

ABOUT WEDDING BELLS FOR WOOLWORTHS

Wedding Bells for Woolworth is the latest feel-good novel in former Woolies girl Elaine Everest's bestselling Woolworths Girls series. It sees the return of her well-loved characters in another heartfelt and gripping story.

July 1947. Britain is still gripped by rationing, even as the excitement of Princess Elizabeth’s engagement sweeps the nation…

In the Woolworths’ canteen, Freda is still dreaming of meeting her own Prince Charming. So far she’s been unlucky in 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 heal in time for him to compete? Can he ever forgive 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.

ABOUT ELAINE EVEREST:

Elaine Everest is from North West Kent and she grew up listening to stories of the war years in her home town of Erith, which features in her bestselling Woolworths Girls series. A former journalist, and author of nonfiction books for dog owners, Elaine has written over sixty 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 or Facebook /elaine.everest

Elaine lives in Kent is available for interviews and to write features.

Wedding Bells for Woolworths by Elaine Everest is out now, published by Pan Macmillan, priced £6.99 as paperback original and eBook

Links:

Website:                                   elaineeverest.com

Facebook Author Page:           Elaine Everest Author

Twitter:                                     @elaineeverest

Instagram:                                elaine.everest

Amazon:                                   https://amzn.to/2V8xWNm

Hive:                                         https://bit.ly/3aXvVdE  

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