An amazing review as part of the Blog Tour!

** Blog Tour ** The Last Train from Paris- Juliet Greenwood

‘The Last Train From Paris’ by Juliet Greenwood

I love this review!

 Blog Tour for The Last Train from Paris by Juliet Greenwood

The Last Train from Paris is up on NetGalley!

The Last Train from Paris is now for review up on NetGalley

Click HERE to request a copy

Thank you to everyone who took part in the cover reveal for my second book with Storm Publishing. The book is now up for review on NetGalley, you can request it HERE

I loved writing The Last Train from Paris, it was a real passion project. The novel grew out of family stories, both my family here in the UK and those in France. It was particularly inspired by memories of my mum telling me about being near Paris as a seventeen-year-old on the day war broke out and having to make her way back home on her own as war broke out around her, and then sitting in fear and silence as her ferry was stalked by a German submarine. She didn’t know it at the time, but this was just hours before the first UK boat, the Athenia, was sunk, with the loss of over 117 civilians and crew.

Me with my mum when I was only a few days old

My mum’s stories made a huge impression on me as a child, even though I didn’t really understand, any more than I fully understood my teachers, including Germans, who had been refugees from the horrors of Nazism. They always made me aware of the fact that so much of war, and particularly the stories we don’t hear, is that of the courage and resilience of the civilians, and the women who battle for the survival of those they love, as well as their own, as well as building a new life after the fighting and the destruction is done.

Mum and Dad adventuring after the war

I hope you enjoy following the journeys of Nora and Sabine, and the tale of courage and survival that Iris uncovers, along with the fate of twin girls, born just as the world descends into war ….

The letters they exchanged in August 1939, when Mum was in France …

Still adventuring, with me and my brother in a camper van….

The Last Train from Paris

Request HERE

For Iris, each visit to her mother in St Mabon’s Cove, Cornwall has been the same – a serene escape from the city. But today, as she breathes in the salt air on the doorstep of her beloved childhood home, a heavy weight of anticipation settles over her. Iris knows she’s adopted, but any questions about where she came from have always been shut down by her parents, who can’t bear to revisit the past.

Now, Iris can’t stop thinking about what she’s read on the official paperwork: BABY GIRL, FRANCE, 1939 – the year war was declared with Nazi Germany.

As Iris peels back each layer of history, a sensation of dread grows inside her. The past is calling, and its secrets are more intricate and tangled than Iris could ever have imagined.

The year is 1939, and in Paris, France a young woman is about to commit a terrible betrayal… 

 A beautifully written and addictively compelling historical novel about the terrible choices ordinary people were forced to make in the horrors of World War Two. If you loved The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Alice Network and The Nightingale, you will devour this book.

Cover reveal for The Last Train from Paris!

I’m delighted to reveal the beautiful cover of The Last Train from Paris, which will be published by Storm on 23rd October, 2023.

It’s a story I’ve been longing to write, ever since I was a little girl and my mum first told me about studying French near Paris on the day war broke out in 1939. I couldn’t imagine then what it must have been like to have been a 17-year-old English girl, on her own, catching the train to Calais through a country preparing for war and finding herself on a ferry in the middle of the Channel, stalked by a German submarine.

It’s a story that’s haunted me, especially since we found the letters Mum exchanged with my dad in London, and the scribbled note she sent him when she finally arrived in Dover. I also remember visiting her French friends and relatives, some of whom were forced to flee, heading from Paris towards safety with nothing more than they could carry.

And so a story was born….

The Last Train from Paris is up for pre-order HERE

The Last Train from Paris

For Iris, each visit to her mother in St Mabon’s Cove, Cornwall has been the same – a serene escape from the city. But today, as she breathes in the salt air on the doorstep of her beloved childhood home, a heavy weight of anticipation settles over her. Iris knows she’s adopted, but any questions about where she came from have always been shut down by her parents, who can’t bear to revisit the past.

Now, Iris can’t stop thinking about what she’s read on the official paperwork: BABY GIRL, FRANCE, 1939 – the year war was declared with Nazi Germany.

When Iris confronts her mother, she hits the same wall of pain and resistance as whenever she mentions the war. That is, until her mother tearfully hands her an old tin of letters, tucked neatly beside a delicate piece of ivory wool.

Retreating to the loft, Iris steels herself to at last learn the truth, however painful it might be. But, as she peels back each layer of history before her, a sensation of dread grows inside her. The past is calling, and its secrets are more intricate and tangled than Iris could ever have imagined.

The year is 1939, and in Paris, France a young woman is about to commit a terrible betrayal… 

A beautifully written and addictively compelling historical novel about the terrible choices ordinary people were forced to make in the horrors of World War Two. If you loved The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Alice Network and The Nightingale, you will devour this book.

Publication Day for The Shakespeare Sisters!

The Shakespeare Sisters

Today is publication day for the kindle edition of The Shakespeare Sisters, which you can get for just £1.99 HERE

I’ve loved every minute of working with my publishers, Storm Publishing, to bring to life this story of four motherless sisters trying to find their way to escape their father’s determination to marry them off to rich men. His aim being to Arden House, a crumbling Tudor mansion near Stratford-upon-Avon, once frequented by Shakespeare himself.

The sisters find the clues to their own futures in volumes of Shakespeare, a secret inheritance from their mother. These are based on my family’s own leatherbound volumes, complete with Victorian illustrations, that have been passed down the generations. I remember them vividly from my childhood, when they first intrigued me with their stories, even before I could understand the plays.

I’m loving seeing Rosalind’s story of becoming a photo journalist, and following her heart, go out into the world. And I can’t wait to share the stories of her fellow Shakespeare Sisters….

Published!

Today is publication day for The Shakespeare Sisters, published by Storm Publishing, which you can get here:

To celebrate, my publishers have sent a box of personalised brownies, which are both pretty and delicious.

A wonderful way to enjoy the day!

There are plenty of celebrations planned with friends and fellow authors, but today I’m going to enjoy sitting in my garden with coffee (and a brownie, naturally), and just absorb the miracle (and the hard work) of having a book out in the world.

I still have to pinch myself ….

Cover Real Day for The Shakespeare Sisters!

It’s cover reveal day for The Shakespeare Sisters!

I always find it strange when I hand in the proofs of my latest book, when there is no more I can do but let my beloved baby (who has lived with me, heart and soul, for months, even years), go out into the world.

So today I’m a little sad to say my farewells to Rosalind and the rest of the Shakespeare sisters, Bianca, Kate and Cordelia (for now, at least). But it’s also hugely exciting, as it’s when the world gets its first glimpse of the glorious cover, along with a hint of Rosalind’s story.

I’m loving working with Storm Publishing for my books set during WW2. It’s an era I’ve always been fascinated with, like so many of us growing up in the sixties and seventies, the war formed some of my parents most intense memories, and formed them for the rest of their lives. My dad used to talk about working in London and seeing the barrage balloons go up, to protect the city against enemy aircraft, and knowing the war really had begun. My mum described making her way through the rubble of bombed-out Birmingham as she tried to keep on with her studies, and standing in the garden with her family as they watched the glow of Coventry burning. She also had even more terrifying stories of escaping France the day war broke out – but that’s for another time…

But The Shakespeare Sisters also draws on other memories, of a time before mass media, when village choirs and amateur dramatics were the centre of so many people’s lives. It’s inspiration came from the well-loved illustrated volumes of Shakespeare’s plays that have been passed down the family, and also first gave me a love of stories and story-telling, which soon led to a burning desire to write.

So welcome to the world The Shakespeare Sisters! Next stop, publication day on May 23rd. I can’t wait! That’s when my beloved baby will finally head out into the world!

Carol Lovekin on having a book shortlisted ….

After having a book published, most authors dream of seeing their book shortlisted for an award. So thank you to Carol Lovekin for her thoughts on her haunting novel Wild Spinning Girls, published by Honno Press, being shortlisted for the prestigious Rhys Davies Trust Fiction Award 2021.

One Bird at a Time
(Thoughts on having a book shortlisted)

Carol Lovekin

Several years ago, as a fledgling author with one novel under my belt, I read a book called Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott. The title is based on an incident when Lamott’s father urged her ten-year-old brother, who was struggling to finish a report on birds, to tackle it, ‘Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.’ (Already convinced my imaginary Muse was a local crow who left random words on my windowsill, the title of the book alone appealed to me.)

And bird by bird, is how Lamott advises her readers to write their books.

I’m a slow writer and over the years have discovered it takes as long as it takes. One step – one bird – at a time. This approach works equally well with regard to the ongoing fact of being published. I’m nothing special, I’ve just written a few books some people have liked and even loved. Writing is my job now, so just show up, follow the birds and get on with it?

Having an idea for a story you sense might work is a moment of wonder for any writer. It can be a tiny spark or an explosion. Either way, it’s the beginning of something unique to the author. And there is something irresistible in the idea that you might, for a while, cause magic in the mind another person through the act of storytelling. Plus, never mind the reader, who knows where a new story will take the writer? 

Over the years since I’ve been published, the idea that anything I’d written might be considered for an award never crossed my mind. (It’s the secret dream of course, like having your book turned into a film, and as unlikely to ever happen.) When I received the email telling me my third novel, Wild Spinning Girls, had been shortlisted for the Rhys Davies Trust Fiction Award 2021, I had to read it twice, look for the bit I’d missed: about it having to do with someone else? Slowly, it sank in – my book had been selected. (One of the birds appeared to have taken an unexpectedly big step!) And to be perfectly honest, I still can’t quite get my head around it.

What is gratifying is the sense of validation. I was seventy-two when Ghostbird was published and that, frankly, was the box ticked! I’d done it, the dream come true! Since then, even after having three more accepted (my fourth novel – Only May – is due for publication on 19 May this year) I still pinch myself.

I write very much from instinct and was unsure if my quirky style would ever find a publishing home. It was my good fortune to be signed by a press who made no attempt to persuade me towards a more commercial brief. Honno gave me a chance and I have been privileged to be superbly edited by two outstanding women: Caroline Oakley and Janet Thomas. The nomination for Wild Spinning Girls says as much about Honno – about them – as it does about me.

Which brings me to the question, the one I am often asked: how does it make me feel? Having my book nominated? Needless to say, I am indebted to Literature Wales for choosing my book for their shortlist. It’s pretty wild to be honest and yes, a little bit special. It’s affirming, certainly. Above all though, I remain hugely grateful to Honno for their faith in me. I write because I love it, and because someone else might love what I write too. So I shall keep on doing it – continue writing stories from my heart – one bird at a time.

Stop Press! Carol’s new book has just had its cover reveal, and it’s looking gorgeous! Only May will be published by Honno on May 19th – available for pre-order now!

Penguins and Harp Makers – and the making of Hazel Prior’s new harp!

Hazel playing her new Celtic Harp

• I loved your tweet about ordering a new harp to celebrate the publication of Ellie and the Harp Maker. I just had to ask what drew you to playing the harp, and the Celtic harp in particular?

Thanks so much, Juliet! Yes, the new harp was a ‘reward’ for my debut novel, although it ended up being two year’s wait before I actually got it! This was because it was hand-made to order … and then of course COVID made everything take even longer. It’s a beautiful instrument though, and I’m delighted with it.

The harp in the workshop

I first started harp-playing when I was at university, many years ago. I’d always loved music but never played an instrument. It was a happy accident that led me to a locker that contained a battered, broken old harp. It belonged to one of the music societies but I instantly loved it, so I kidnapped it that summer and had it mended. I realised then how much I longed to play it. It took me a long time to learn but I’m so glad I did!

Although it was chance rather than choice that paired me up with this particular instrument, it’s the perfect one for me. I’ve always been drawn to anything Celtic (I have some Scottish blood, which could be a reason) and I do prefer Celtic harps to classical harps. To my ears the sound is more organic, more ancient, wilder and wiser. It moves me deeply and somehow, in this complicated world, seems to heal and help put things right again.

A harp begins …

• What were the origins of ‘Foxwillow Trio’? Have you managed to keep on playing and composing during lockdown?

I joined Foxwillow a few years ago. Martin and Celia, the other members, had already been together as duo for over a decade. We met at an informal gig where I was doing some harping and they were singing with guitar, flute and clarinet accompaniment. They invited me and my harp over to theirs the following week and I busked along to their lovely, nature-themed songs. They seemed to like it… at any rate they still keep inviting me back! They write all the songs for this group but I compose the harp parts.

We had masses of gigs lined up for 2020, all of which were cancelled, along with my solo performances. It’s been a sad time for musicians (and I’m extremely grateful that writing is now my main income.) Whenever regulations eased and weather permitted we met up in gardens to keep practising. 2021 has, at last, given us opportunities to perform again. We’ve recently been on stage at the Mid Devon Show and will be playing again at Watchet Festival in August. But it will be a long time before I’ll be able to return to Care Homes with my harp.

• Do you find the process of writing music for your harp differs from writing a book, or do you find there are similarities?

They’re pretty different, but they complement each other well. Writing drives me slightly crazy because there’s so much intensive thinking involved, so I do need the less cerebral process of music-making as a break from it. Songs or harp pieces are much quicker to write than novels, too, so you have the satisfaction of actually completing something more often.

The two creative processes do have similarities, though. Both take a lot of energy and experimentation. I’m not a very systematic person and when I start a new project I tend to blindly follow my gut instinct. But once I’ve found something I like I’ll doggedly hone and hone. I delete a large proportion of everything I write and I never perform a huge chunk of my repertoire, so masses of work doesn’t actually get used. Maybe I’m too perfectionist?

• Can I ask you what inspired you to write the story of Ellie and the Harp Maker?

The beginnings of Hazel’s harp in the workshop

My first inspiration was all the people who came up to me after harp performances and said: “I’ve always wanted to play the harp.” I was amazed at the number of people (both women and men) who have this dream. I thought about how much of life we spend dreaming and how we sometimes follow these dreams but often don’t; about what happens when dreams come true… and how they have a habit of not quite turning out the way we expect.

A harp skeleton…

As I was pondering, I was going on a lot of walks in the Exmoor countryside and that became an integral part of the story too. Dan (the harp maker) emerged as not only somebody who could make Ellie’s dream come true, but also someone living a solitarily life, immersed in the local landscape. Then came Phineas the pheasant, who plays an important role in the drama. He was inspired by Exmoor as well.

• The character of Dan and the details of harp making in Ellie and the Harp Maker were fascinating. Do you think it takes a special kind of person to create a Celtic harp? And were you able to see your new harp being made?

I’d say it does take a special person to create a harp, yes. Of course a great deal of woodworking experience is required, and masses of patience, precision and passion. I’ve never met anyone quite like Dan in real life, although I’ve met several harp makers.

Most harps are factory-made these days, but there are still quite a few skilled harp makers around. My old harp (which I still love, by the way!) was made by a German harp-maker called Frank Sievert. To research Ellie And The Harp Maker I went down to Cornwall and quizzed Tim Hampson, who patiently explained a lot of harp-making details to me and showed me around his workshop. My new harp was made by Mark Norris, who’s based near Peebles in Scotland. It was too far to visit to see the harp being constructed (and it was lockdown anyway) but he generously sent me lots of photos of my harp-in-the-making.

This is just how I imagine Dan’s workshop!

• I loved the description of surroundings, do you find nature important for the creative process?

Absolutely! I couldn’t do without my ‘thinking walks’. It’s unhealthy to be stuck behind a computer screen all day anyway, and the act of walking is scientifically proven to help problem-solving. Fresh air, flowing water, blowing breezes, buzzing insects, singing birds, green hills… I’m greedy for them all and my writing would lose so much without them.

• Can you say what you are working on now, both for books and music?

I’ve just finished proof-reading my third novel, Call Of The Penguins, which will be out in November. I have something up my sleeve for book 4, which I’m very excited about but not quite sure how it will pan out so I’d probably better not say more than that.

Music-wise I’m out and about with Foxwillow Trio again and getting my solo repertoire together, with a few private gigs booked. Normally at Christmas I play a glorious festive selection at Dunster Castle and I’m hoping that will happen again this year. I’ll be appearing at some literary festivals too (e.g. Taunton, Exeter and Yeovil) where I’ll be accompanying readings with my harp and playing my song about penguins, Waddling On. So it’s a good mix, and all good fun!

Thank you so much for having me, Juliet. It’s a real pleasure and honour to be featured on your website.

Thank you, Hazel, it’s been a huge pleasure – and I’ll keep my fingers firmly crossed for live audiences being able to enjoy performances of Waddling On!

You can find out more about Hazel, her harp and her best-selling books Away with the Penguins (currently just 99p on kindle!) and Ellie and the Harp Maker on her website, and there are also details and buying links below. Enjoy!

https://www.hazeltheharpist.co.uk/