Over the last few months I’ve been chatting with authors who, like me, write Family Sagas, (#familysaga) a genre that can cover many countries, years  and cultures. I am thrilled that so many excellent writers agreed to meet here with me.  Rosie Goodwin is the last (and posted a little later than I anticipated) but is certainly not the least.  I’m sure you’ll  find her as fascinating as I do. her novels will definitely have your TBR list of books toppling over!!

Welcome, Rosie, good to see you here today.

It’s good to be here, Judith.

Please tell us, first, where did your love of books/storytelling/writing etc. come from?

I can’t even remember a time when I didn’t love reading and writing. Even as a child I always had my head buried in a book or I was scribbling a story.

How long have you been writing?

Again, I can’t remember a time when I didn’t write. I was always top of the class or close to the top in English at school although I was dismal at maths. However, I wrote purely for pleasure back then, I’ve only been published for almost thirteen years. My first novel, THE BAD APPLE was published in June 2004 and it’s been hectic ever since.  I have just finished writing my 31^st book.

What kind of writing do you do?

I write saga’s mainly although I have also written quite a few contemporary novels as well as a ghost story and a murder. I love sagas, they are a mix of everything.

What did you most enjoy about writing these books?

I love the whole thing, developing and bringing the characters to life, the plot, all of it whether they be contemporary or historic.

Are you a full-time or part-time writer? How does this affect your writing?

I write two books a year which is full time. It’s very different to when I used to write purely for pleasure as I’m now governed by deadlines. Thankfully I still love what I do so it isn’t a problem.

What are some of the day jobs that you have held? How does that affect your writing?

Until just over a year ago I was also a full-time foster mum and during that time I cared for dozens and dozens of children. I also worked for Social Services as a Placement Support Worker and an NVQ Level Three Assessor. I think this gave me a very good insight for when I wrote my contemporary novels.

What projects are you working on at the present?

I’m currently working on a seven book days of the week series, beginning with MOTHERING SUNDAY, which was released last week, and I’m delighted to say it went straight to number 7 in the Sunday Times bestsellers and this week is number 2. I’ve already also finished Monday’s child, which will be out in November and is called THE LITTLE ANGEL and Tuesday’s child, title to be decided.

What does your typical day look like?

I don’t have any set pattern but I do have a large house, five dogs and quite a large garden so I am never bored. The family are used to me disappearing off to the study at any time but I most enjoy writing in the evening when all the jobs are done and I can lock myself away in the study without interruptions. I also find it much easier to write in the winter when there’s no chance of me escaping out into the garden, but whatever time of the year it is I write every day.

What is something memorable you have heard from your readers/fans?

It comes across very strongly in my reviews that my readers like the fact that I try to write about believable characters, i.e. they don’t all have to be beautiful and perfect. I like to write about people you might pass in the street, real people with flaws. I also love twists and turns in the story and my fans appear to as well. I’ve been in the top fifty library authors for some years now so hopefully I’m getting something right!