I’m
delighted to welcome Lizzie Page to
my blog.
 |
| Lizzie Page - Author |
Hello
Lizzie – I’m so pleased we were able to connect through social media and the Romantic Novelists' Association Facebook Group. I always marvel at how supportive and encouraging various reading and books groups
can be when sharing ‘book’ news. But before we discover more about your latest
release - The Wartime Nanny - here
are a few questions which will hopefully give your readers and followers an
insight into some of the things that matter to you.
Arabella: You’ve got an
idea for a story but it has yet to take shape. Where do you start? Do you
concentrate on the location in the story, or developing the characters
personalities, or are there other key points you might consider?
Lizzie: This is exactly where I am with my writing now!
So, I have an idea for some of the
characters, their issues and the journey I want to take them on. I have some
idea of the era – late 1940’s and the settings – an orphanage – the theme which
is along the vague lines of ‘It’s not only the children who are looking for
home.’ And I kind of know the beginning and the end, but I have no idea
of location AT ALL – possibly Suffolk? or, as yet, what happens in the (very
saggy) middle. I’m hoping that will reveal itself to me once I get going
properly!
Arabella: In your
latest release, The Wartime Nanny, what is the overall theme or premise, and
what made you choose this topic?
Lizzie: The Wartime Nanny is about a young Jewish woman,
Natalie, who comes to London from Austria, in the 1930s to work as a nanny for
a small boy. As the situation back home worsens, Natalie has to work out who
she can trust and how to get her family to safety.
It
was inspired by finding out that 20,000 Jewish girls came to London from
Germany and Austria to work as domestic servants in the UK. This is a feature in The Remains of the Day
where Stevens the butler stands by his boss who wants the girls sacked. I
wanted to write a story from one of the girls’ points of view. Cultural
struggle, first love, guilt and grief, ‘being good’, are some of the themes. Refugees
are rarely out of the news; I wanted to humanise a refugee story and also cover
that painful sense of being ‘Lost
between two shores’. It has turned out to be my most personal novel yet, and I
have borrowed quite liberally from my own life.
Arabella: You’re stuck
in a lift and it’s a two-hour wait before a pain-free extraction. What
emergency rations would you like to be sent down the lift shaft?
Lizzie: As long as I have something to read, my phone
to play on, and – either coffee and cake, or crisps and a fizzy drink, I’ll be fine.
Send down all the unhealthy food – Under the circumstances, I think it’s
acceptable!
Arabella: You’ve
arranged to meet up with friends and family for an afternoon of fun. Where do
you go and what do you do?
Lizzie: Ooh...beach, bookshops, coffee shops, even a
lift shaft if it’s with amusing friends. I live by the sea so am often to be
found mooching there, but I love days up in London – museums and art galleries
- and have a special liking for National Trust tea rooms.
Arabella: The moment we
are published, a career path is usually envisaged. Do you have any aspirations
or ambitions for yourself and any future novels you might write?
Lizzie: I hope to keep on, keeping on. I wanted to
write (and to get paid for writing) for gazillions of years: to be published is
a huge privilege and I’m determined to run with the opportunity. The book I’m
working on now is part of a three-book series, so I hope that’s not a flop. I
love hearing from contented readers. It really is special to hear that your
story moved someone, or made them think or gave them pleasure. Another
favourite thing is to be translated in another language, so I’d love to see
more of that. More than that, who knows?!
Thank
you for joining me on Arabella’s Blog and Chit-Chat, Lizzie. It was great to
discover you are working on a new novel, and I hope your “saggy middle” rises to
become a fluffy centre piece.
All
the best for you latest release – The
Wartime Nanny
Arabella
About Lizzie Page
 |
| Lizzie Page - Author |
I
love escaping into fictional worlds especially historical fiction - I
particularly love reading about the way women used to live. I grew up in a
sea-side town in Essex, about forty miles from London. After studying politics
at University, I worked as an English teacher in Paris and then in Tokyo for
five years. I came back to England, worked in various jobs, and eventually did
an MA in creative writing at Goldsmiths. Husband Steve, three lovely children
and Lenny the cockapoo all conspire to stop me writing.
Social Media
@LizziePagewrite
(twitter)
LizziePage
(FB)
Lizziepagewriter
(insta)
Book Blurb: The
Wartime Nanny
The Nazis are everywhere now. We must leave
Vienna. It might be that soon our letters won’t get out anymore. Can you help,
dear sister? Please, ask for us. Send news, and quickly. Please.
London, 1936. Sixteen-year-old Natalie Leeman leaves her family behind in Vienna and travel to England to join her cousin Leah in service. Natalie is placed with a wealthy suburban family, the Caplins, as a nanny to their energetic six-year-old.
At first, Natalie is delighted by the huge house and beautiful gardens, but things aren’t as perfect as they seem. While Natalie dotes on their child, she is increasingly wary of Mr Caplin, whose gruff manor and fascist politics scare her. And then there are those still waiting at home – Mama and her two sisters, as well as a blossoming romance with her English tutor that had only just begun.
But when Vienna falls under Nazi rule, Natalie begins to fear for her family, especially her vivacious, tomboy little sister Libby. Then rumours of a possible escape route from mainland Europe called the kindertransport begin to swirl – can Natalie help her family escape the Nazis before it’s too late?
A heartbreaking wartime novel – emotional and unforgettable. Perfect for fans of The Alice Network, The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Before We Were Yours.
London, 1936. Sixteen-year-old Natalie Leeman leaves her family behind in Vienna and travel to England to join her cousin Leah in service. Natalie is placed with a wealthy suburban family, the Caplins, as a nanny to their energetic six-year-old.
At first, Natalie is delighted by the huge house and beautiful gardens, but things aren’t as perfect as they seem. While Natalie dotes on their child, she is increasingly wary of Mr Caplin, whose gruff manor and fascist politics scare her. And then there are those still waiting at home – Mama and her two sisters, as well as a blossoming romance with her English tutor that had only just begun.
But when Vienna falls under Nazi rule, Natalie begins to fear for her family, especially her vivacious, tomboy little sister Libby. Then rumours of a possible escape route from mainland Europe called the kindertransport begin to swirl – can Natalie help her family escape the Nazis before it’s too late?
A heartbreaking wartime novel – emotional and unforgettable. Perfect for fans of The Alice Network, The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Before We Were Yours.
The Wartime Nanny - Release date: September 11th 2020
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Wartime-Nanny-totally-unputdownable-historical-ebook/dp/B089WHBTVJ/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3D7F85B296HXH&dchild=1&keywords=lizzie+page+kindle+books&qid=1595588086&sprefix=lizzie+Page%2Caps%2C505&sr=8-2
Telling this story is a journey you obviously believe in sharing, Lizzie. Well done for tackling such an emotive issue. Historical novels need a lot of research and it sounds as though you have the passion for this genre. I wish you well with The Wartime Nanny.
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