Today I am
delighted to welcome Elaine Everest. This was such an enjoyable interview to do
– like taking a trip down memory lane.
Thank you for inviting me to your blog, Natalie.
Many of us
will remember the iconic fascia that was Woolworths, sadly no longer a part of
our high streets. What prompted you to choose them as one of your major
characters?
I
knew that my WW2 saga would be set in the town of Erith, Kent – Erith was
situated in Kent at that time and true locals still think of it that way and not as part of Greater London. I knew that my main character, Sarah, would be starting
work in the town and there she would make new friends and meet the love of her
life. So where should I bring young men and women together in a place that
would be recognised by readers? There were plenty of armament factories at that
time but Erith was a thriving town with lots of busy shops. Coming from the
area I recalled with fondness shopping trips to Woolworths in the sixties. We
still had the original store with high counters and polished floors that had
survived WW2 although it succumbed to a fire in the seventies. I’d been a
Saturday girl at another Woolies store in nearby Dartford and the ideas started
to form…
I appreciate
that you wrote about an area in which you lived and were raised but you aren’t
old enough to remember the events you describe, in fact you weren’t even born
when they occurred. How did you undertake your research?
I
grew up listening to stories of the area told by my family. In fact there is
still a strong connection between ‘old locals’ of the town who meet on forums
to chat and share memories of the good old days. To a writer this is a gift.
Although we were never taught the history of WW2 whilst at school in the
sixties, I’ve devoured history books to find out what happened. It fascinated
me that the house I lived in when first married had survived both wars. Where
better for the Caselton family to live than my old home? Local history archives
held at The London Borough of Bexley were a great help, as was Erith Historical
Society and the wonderful Woolworths Museum who came up with some gems about
the Erith store that I was able to include in my story.
The Woolworths
Girls tells the story of three friends, though one stands out as your main
protagonist. Is this a theme you plan to carry through to your next book?
Yes.
You will find this theme in many WW2 sagas. Three, four, even five friends who
are thrown together in wartime sharing good times and bad.
Speaking of
your next book, is it in the pipeline and what can your readers expect?
In The Butlins Girls, due for publication
in Spring 2017, there are three girls thrown together at Butlins Skegness in
1946 just after WW2 ends as Billy Butlin reopens his well-known holiday camps.
Molly Missons has fled Erith because of a family problem, aided by another
friend who appeared in The Woolworths
Girls. Each girl has her own reasons for being at Butlins which we find out
as the story unfolds.
It’s been a
long while since acceptance of your manuscript by your publisher, Pan
Macmillan, to today’s publication. Can you tell us something about the process
of assembling all the ingredients together to getting them onto the table?
These
days authors seem to expect their novels to be published much quicker due to
E-books and digital first. In truth it has always been the norm that
traditional publishers contract books for the following year or even the year
after that. Copy for The Woolworths Girls
was filed at the beginning of last year and then the hard work began.
Structural edits came first with the book being passed through each editing
stage until Pan Macmillan and myself were happy with the book. Along the way I
wrote the ‘end bits’ and I was included in the design of the cover – isn’t it
lovely? My input was encouraged as models were chosen and the uniforms
discussed. Then the PR team took over and that alone has been – and still is –
another part of an exciting journey. As publication day draws near I’m already
working on the edits for The Butlins
Girls and planning my book for 2018.
You haven’t
always written novels. What came before?
I’d
always wanted to be a novelist but first, whilst honing my skills, I was
earning a living with other forms of writing. I sold over sixty short stories
to Women’s magazines and wrote prolifically for newspapers and magazines with
features – my specialism was the canine world as it’s a big part of my life.
I’ve been commissioned for, and written, three non-fiction books for dog owners
and do continue to write for some of the publications. I’m called upon to
broadcast about aspect of the dog world although I’ve given up my columns to
focus more on my novels. Whilst promoting The
Woolworths Girls it has been good to have the support of many publications
and radio stations that I’ve worked for in the past. I also won, or was placed,
in a few prominent writing competitions that not only helped me along the way
to being a novelist but still look good on my writing CV. One was the BBC
Radio Kent short story writer of the year and to this day the company have
supported all my work, be it The Write Place creative writing school, charity
anthologies such as Diamonds and Pearls
which celebrated my thirty year remission from breast cancer or my books.
As a journalist
and someone who runs a creative writing school, as well as being a novelist,
how do you prioritise your time?
I
have no idea! At times it can be hard to juggle everything. All I can do is
make a list and try not to panic. However, my priority has to be my novels as
that is my career. Everything else has to wait.
Finally, what
do you do for relaxation – that is, if you have the time!
My relaxation is my dogs, or dog at the moment. Although I no longer sit
on committees or write so much about the dog world I still like to get to dog
shows and exhibit my Polish Lowland Sheepdog, Henry. I’ve been involved in dogs
since the early seventies and like to promote the image of pedigree dogs as
much as I can. These day we try to go away for the weekend and take in a
championship show. It is so much more relaxed than the days we would drive to Wales,
show a couple of dogs and then drive home all in one day – there again it's not
always possible to do this on our motorways anymore. I’m hoping to have another
puppy soon but not sure if it will be another Polish Lowland or my one true
love – the Old English Sheepdog. I miss having them in the house.
Links:
Twitter:
@ElaineEverest
Thank you,
Elaine. Happy publication day and good luck with The Woolworths Girls.
It is rare for
me to post on a subject that doesn’t in some way involve writing but this time
I’m hanging it on my hero – my real hero; my husband. He has for many years
been one of that quiet band of self-effacing people who give of their time and
energy, sometimes in very difficult circumstances, for the welfare of others.
At The Mansion House on 4th July, along with twenty-eight others, he
was recognised for his contribution at the annual ceremony of The League of
Mercy.
