Hi June and welcome to Tuesday Talk. Can I begin as always by asking you a little about yourself?
I was born in Southampton of a seafaring family and from the age of five, wanted to be a hairdresser. I did love writing and as a teenager I had seventeen pen friends. I thought when I retired I would write a novel. I spent seven years as a hairdresser for Cunard, sailing on the Queen Mary for almost four years, looking after Hollywood movie stars and rich women, then moved to the Mauritania which cruised around the West Indies and the Caribbean.
I met an airline pilot when I was on leave and he eventually flew to New York when I was cruising and proposed! Very romantic!
What made you decide to become a writer?
I married and had two daughters. It was Maxine who saw an advert in the library for a class for Creative Writing and said , “Mother, you’ve always said one day you wanted to write a novel, why not go to the class. So I did. She’s responsible for setting me off on this wondrous journey.
How have you maintained such a prolific writing career – where do your ideas come from?
My ideas come from many places. Something I read, a memory, a conversation, sometimes even a piece of music will start the mind working.
If money was no object, where in the world would you like to go?
Back to New York! It’s my favourite city in all the world and I’ve seen quite a bit of the world in my time.
Kindle or book, which is your personal preference?
I prefer to hold a book to read, but Kindle does have its place.
Can you tell us what are you currently working on?
I’m currently working on a book about a girl who witnesses a murder, but dare not tell anyone. This will be my twenty first saga.
And finally you’re planning to get away for a whole year. Your destination is one of the well known holiday islands in the West Indies. What four ‘must haves’ would you take with you and why?
If I was going away for a year, I’d have to take my mobile! It has my life on it! Secondly, plenty of money. It would be a necessity for such a long time. My lap top as I’d probably want to write and Idris Elba for company!!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
June Tate was born in Southampton to a seafaring family. She trained as a hairdresser and spent several years working on cruise ships, including the Queen Mary and the Mauritania meeting Hollywood actors and VIP’s on her travels. After her marriage to an airline pilot, she lived in Sussex, Hampshire and Portugal. June has two adult daughters and has since returned to Sussex.
Southampton, 1912. Jessie is just nineteen when her father passes away and her mother decides to return to her native Ireland. But Jessie, headstrong and independent, prefers to take charge of her own destiny and finds employment at a workman’s cafe, becoming the darling of the dockworkers who are fiercely protective of her.
When one of her customers charms his way into her heart, Jessie becomes Mrs Conor McGonigall and soon assumes ownership of the cafe. All the pieces of her life are coming together. But when a pushy local businessman and a former employee with a grudge have other ideas, everything she has worked for is slowly chipped away. Can she find the strength to rebuild the life she wants in the face of immeasurable personal loss?
‘Her debut book caused a stir among Cookson and Cox devotees, and they’ll love this. Compulsive reading’ Woman’s Weekly
‘A heart-rending tale’ Gilda O’Neill
‘A page-turner for all saga lovers’ Katie Fforde
‘A heart-warming tale with a vividly drawn central character’ Peterborough Evening Telegraph
‘Excellent and gripping . . . compelling. I am eagerly awaiting June Tate’s next offering’ Sussex Life
Buy Link Amazon.com: http://a.co/d/bGGsQTs
Buy Link Amazon.co.uk http://amzn.eu/d/cKKsC5p
JO LAMBERT 