Joanna, after a successful career in radio and TV scriptwriting, embarked on a captivating literary journey. Her first series of six novels revolve around a family-owned department store in Britain during the Second World War. Her latest series centres around ‘The Little Penguin bookshop’.
What are your top 5 writing essentials?
Peace and quiet – no music, ever – copious amounts of tea, AAA batteries for my overworked keyboard, and family photos and drawings by my granddaughters, to remind me, if the writing’s not going well, of the really important things in life.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
I could be flippant and say ‘my delivery deadline’ but the truth is, I don’t really know. I only know that when I least expect it, a way for two unlikely characters to meet or a neat plot resolution will pop into my head. In terms of ideas for saga series, there are more than I have years left in me to write!
Can you tell us a little about your latest book ‘The Little Penguin Bookshop?
Carrie, my heroine, has always been a bookworm, and when she’s frustrated in her hope of joining the WAAF at the start of World War Two, seizes the chance to ‘do her bit’ by opening a bookstall on her local station. Books – and the sixpenny Penguin paperbacks in particular, she’s sure, will provide an escape for troops going off to fight, and a comfort to those left behind. She finds firm friends – and an enemy – on the station, and romance in the shape of an early customer, junior officer Mike. But the course of true love doesn’t run smooth, especially in wartime…
Who’s your favourite book character and why?
Jo in Little Women – possibly because she was the first literary character I encountered who shared my name! I was never as daring or outspoken as she was, but her way of disappearing off to read while munching Russet apples (my favourite too) struck a chord with me.
What are you working on next?
I’m copy editing the next book in the series, called – what else? – ‘A New Chapter at The Little Penguin Bookshop’. Through the horrors of the Blitz, it continues the drama for Carrie, her pilot brother Johnnie, her friends Penny and Bette, and of course, Carrie’s soldier boyfriend Mike, who’s sent on a new posting far away. It’s out in January next year and I do hope anyone who enjoyed ‘The Little Penguin Bookshop’ will want to read on…
Find out more about Jo and her new, or previous books, on her Facebook page: facebook.com/joannatoyewriter
She’s also on X: @joannatoyewriter
Her books are available on Amazon, in all bookshops, and of course, in libraries – in print, e-book, audio and large print versions.
This interview was conducted in 2024