My previous post was about the female friendship at the heart of my novella, Stolen Summers. This is about my character Matilda’s short-lived friendship with a male patient and the surprising discovery I made when I was researching his background. I made Eustace a Black World War I veteran, partly to do my small bit…
At a book fair last month, I finally achieved a goal I’d set myself more than five years before. Yet, until the opportunity arose, I’d forgotten it was ever on my to-do list. I’d set this as a target for 2020 – but we all know what became of live gatherings that year. Amid the…
Do you ‘read’ audiobooks? I often meet booklovers who express an interest in my novels and short stories but prefer to listen rather than read. About eighteen months ago, I bought some kit and did a record-your-own audiobooks course but, after much frustration, concluded it wasn’t for me. But never say never. When my fellow…
When readers asked about a follow-up to my debut novel, Sugar and Snails, I was surprised. Although I had thoughts about how my character, Diana, might have developed since 2004 when the novel is set, I didn’t plan to explore them in fiction. My perspective turned on its head shortly after I submitted my third…
I’m truly honoured that book blogger Veronika Jordan loved Lyrics for the Loved Ones. In fact, it’s one of her favourite books of the year: At times very emotional, at others filled with warmth and humour, it’s so beautifully written, it’s stunning. It will stay with me for a long time and is one of…
Different readers will find different things in a book and the author doesn’t always know best. Nevertheless, I’ve drawn up a list of seven things I’d like potential readers to know about my novel, Lyrics for the Loved Ones. Find out more in my post on the website Female First.
I was immediately impressed by the author’s ability to convey exactly what her characters are thinking and feeling. Equally skilful is the use of dialect to create both setting and character. Linda Hill
Thanks to Cathy Ryan for this wonderful review. Anne Goodwin portrays Matty beautifully and in a way that endears her to the reader, both in the confusion of her thoughts and also the rarer moments of clarity. Her skull is a cutting room, celluloid clippings strewn across the floor. She plunges in, gathers armfuls, splices…
I’ve been leading a walk through Jane Eyre territory for years but last month was the first time anyone asked me where Mr Rochester, the owner of Thornfield Hall, got his wealth from. I couldn’t remember what Charlotte Brontë tells us in the novel but assumed – as did the woman who asked the question…
Readers aren’t being rude when they refer to the heroine of my latest novel as a funny old woman. As she approaches her hundredth birthday in a care home, her youth has long gone … Read about my elderly heroine on the wonderful book blog, Being Anne:
The title is a quote from Annie’s review of Lyrics for the Loved Ones, but also applies to the author’s (i.e. my) response to discovering such positive reviews. Here’s a quote from Left on the Shelf book blog: I have read many, many books over the years and Matty remains one of my favourite characters….
What a delight to be interviewed again on Hannah’s Bookshelf on North Manchester FM. This time the focus is on Lyrics for the Loved Ones, the follow-up to Matilda Windsor is Coming Home, which Hannah and I discussed on the programme in August 2021. Hannah was curious about what it was like to return to…
Caroline Lodge, co-author of The New Age of Ageing and Retiring with Attitude, has been on a quest to find books that depict older people, especially older women, as real humans, with the full range of emotions and experiences. She has now reviewed over sixty, and has also questioned assumptions about older women writers, on…
“There is a lot going on in this novel, which was a little overwhelming at times, however the inclusion of the impact of recent events (such as the Windrush scandal) on the lives of ordinary people, got me talking to others about this book – which is always a good sign!” Read Emma’s review.
Fiction is a branch of the entertainment industry, so even serious novels need to raise the occasional smile. But even though there were moments of comedy in my first two novels, I wouldn’t have thought humour was my strong suit. That changed with my third novel, Matilda Windsor Is Coming Home, published in 2021. It…
I’m truly honoured that book blogger Yvonne Gill has taken such care with her review of Lyrics for the Loved Ones. Not only has she beautifully articulated her response to the novel – both her reservations and appreciation – she’s shared some of her favourite quotes from the text. I’m delighted that, overall, she found…
Although lockdown literature is not – yet – officially a genre, I’m not the only author who found inspiration in the changes wrought by the Covid pandemic. In my recent guest post for Shiny New Books, I’m sharing my reflections on some of the novels I read as I was drafting and editing mine. I’m…
I’m delighted to reference Stephanie Jane’s thoughtful review of Lyrics for the Loved Ones. “Matty herself is a lovely character to spend time with and I loved being part of her world.” Read the full review on My World Reads
Here’s a taster of a lovely new review of Lyrics for the Loved Ones. Click the link below to read the full review. Anne Goodwin has the knack of striking that balance between injecting an element of lightheartedness into the narrative without diffusing the gravity of the situations. Neither does any one thrust swamp another….
As mentioned in an earlier post, British Royal family had a lavish ceremony earlier this month and millions of fans from around the world joined in. But I was focused on a milestone in a much more modest House of Windsor as my fictional Ms Windsor becomes a three-book series. In my new novel, Lyrics…
