Hello and welcome to my world....

Although I now live and write full-time in France, I was born in north east England in a miner's cottage overlooking the banks of the River Tyne, which is where my dream of becoming a writer started. My memories of the early years of my life provide me with a rich background for many of my stories, together with later experiences in so many more beautiful and exotic parts of the world. I have been there, done that…the rest is pure imagination.

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June

News Update - January 2008

It’s some time since I thought to bring you up to date with my writing world. Suffice it to say that 2007 was not the best of years for me personally. There were family problems and one or two wobbly health moments, but from the writing side it wasn’t too bad at all.

In March 2007, Robert Hale published The Glory Girls, which had some really good reviews – in fact I couldn’t have wished for better. When the public at large are told that your book is special, you know the hard work that led up to it and went into it was all worthwhile. This is what a reviewer on Singletitles had to say about the “girls”: “Saga fans are in for a treat when they pick up June Gadsby’s latest saga The Glory Girls. Meticulously researched, wonderfully evocative and engrossing from start to finish, the Glory Girls is a wartime romance readers will find absolutely impossible to put down! Take the phone off the hook, and get ready to lose yourself in this wonderful saga laced with plenty of intrigue, passion and danger! June Gadsby is a terrific storyteller who creates characters which leap off the pages and which you will not be able to resist taking to your heart. Poignant, witty, emotional and absolutely unputdownable, you’ll devour The Glory Girls in a single sitting – I know I did!” Wow, how uplifting is that for a writer who was once told to give it up! Needless to say, I ignored that piece of useless advice and am SO happy that I did.

Also in 2007 D C Thomson published another of my novellas – Valley of Brave Hearts – and this is soon also to appear in Large Print. Meanwhile, I went back to finish the temporarily shelved twenties/thirties saga, Voices of the Morning. I’m delighted to report that this has now been accepted for publication, again by Robert Hale and will, hopefully, appear in print towards the end of this year. I had promised myself to write a short novel with a Christmas theme to it and this (A Touch of Magic) is now completed and awaiting the editor’s verdict. A nail-biting time, for nothing is ever guaranteed in this business.

So, what are my plans for 2008? Well, I’m working on the re-write of my very first saga, written originally some years ago and I’m hoping that this time round it will be successful. Last week I was inspired by an idea for a further saga, so I’m in the embryo planning stage with that one – and I’m also trying to work on a proper, contemporary thriller. There’s no shortage of ideas – only a shortage of time, but then I can’t complain, for I do still “achieve” on the writing side of things, despite having taken up painting again and thoroughly enjoying it.

Read my blog at: www.junegadsby.blogspot.com

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About my Books

The Glory Girls

Published 30th March 2007

Mary, Anne, Iris and tough little Effie, form a formidable group when, in 1939, they join the FANYs*, euphemistically calling themselves ‘The Glory Girls’. The dreamed-of glory, however, is short-lived as they are moved with their unit into the real war, going from the London Blitz to occupied France. Forbidden love, betrayal, and tragedy stalk them at every turn. Personal courage is tried and sometimes found wanting, and survival depends largely on luck. Especially for Mary. As a Special Operations Executive, and with very little training, she is parachuted behind enemy lines in a desperate attempt to save the lives of the men in a safe house under Nazi threat - and her only contact has been murdered by the Gestapo...

Available from Amazon.co.uk

To The Ends Of The Earth

Published 31st December 2005

Wild and beautiful Gwyneth Johnns is a Patagoinian with a scandalous past that shocks the Victorian ladies of the small pioneering town in the Valdes Peninsula. She has sworn never to let any man get close but her resolve is weakened by a handsome Spaniard, Miguel, who is not all he seems. Then, new immigrants arrive from the north-east of England. Gentle giant Rob, his younger brother, Davy, and the hard-drinking, amoral Matt with his young wife. Gwyneth is called upon to teach them how to be gauchos. Reluctantly, she accepts the challenge and risks losing her life and new-found love to the cold glaciers of the Andes.

Available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com

The Jealous Land (Hale, March 2005): Following the death of her parents, Sophie is sent to live with relatives n London, where she is treated like a servant. Later, her chance to escape an imposed life of hardship comes in the form of Daniel Clayton - a formidable explorer and photographer.

Sophie agrees to his proposal of a loveless marriage, but this union plunges her into the midst of a family feud. She faces unforeseen treachery, a terrible secret in her husband's past and her greatest dilemma yet.

Available from Amazon.co.uk

When Tomorrow Comes (Hale, March 2004): This is a family story set during the years of the 2nd World War. Hildie Thompson is the kind of woman who goes through life with unputdownable optimism. But even she has her solid roots shaken as, between air raids, members of her family present her with more problems than Hitler’s bombs.

Available from Amazon.co.uk

The Iron Master (Hale, April 2003): In 1908 Ellie Martin, a young working-class girl, turns down a proposal of marriage from her older, but beloved employer. Unable to continue working for ‘the professor’, Ellie returns to her pit cottage home, where she finds her family in dire straits, the local pit having closed down and the men out of work. Ellie’s mother, with a dark secret in her past, approaches the master of an iron foundry in Durham, blackmailing him into employing her sons and her husband. When Ellie comes up against the son of the ironmaster, she soon realizes that he is the one man who can bring some magic into her life. Then the unbelievable strikes

"This novel is well-plotted and the characters varied and interesting. Even a lengthy time break between Parts 1 and 2 does not impede the flow. Readers who like sagas set in the North East will enjoy this one." ~ Marina Oliver, Historical Novel Society review

"This book set in the North East of England from 1908 until just after the first war, is a great start from June Gadsby. It captures the hardships and deprivation of people working in the Iron industry, the closeness of families who have not much money or hope, and at the same time has a super love story running through it. It's a very readable book, and the dialogue, written in the Geordie accent, is wonderful. That must have been difficult to do even for a native. Hats off to June Gadsby, I'm really impressed and already awaiting her next book." ~ A reader from Nice, France

Available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com

The Novellas

Originally published by My Weekly Story Collection (D C Thomson) and now available in Large Print (Linford Romance Library) - available from Amazon or from local libraries:

Precious Love - Millie Farrow headed for a remote Scottish village to recuperate, where she soon met local doctor, Alexander Logan. There was an immediate attraction, which she found hard to dismiss – even when she discovered the truth about him.

Kiss Today Goodbye - Out of a job and desperate for money, Bernie Brooks is forced to sell the home she has come to love. She’s convinced her life will never be the same – or is fate about to prove her wrong?

Secret Obsessions – Vania Westlake had loved Ross Nolan for as long as she could remember, but because of his offhand attitude towards her she thought she had finally succeeded in teaching herself to hate him! But he was the only man who could help her find her brother, missing in Ecuador.

The Rose Carousel – Sally Rose owned a very unusual toyshop, a paradise for children. Then one day, a very special little girl drew her into an adventure and a daunting responsibility.

The Safe Heart - Delphine’s dream holiday in the South of France turns into a nightmare when she witnesses a murder. Placed in a ‘safe house’, she is faced with the dilemma of not knowing whom to trust. Handsome commissaire Paul Dulac, in charge of her safety, would appear to be on the side of the villains. Her new boyfriend, Mark, is not exactly what he seems either. And what is the important evidence they seem to think she possesses?

The Miracle of Love - When Holly’s much longed-for promotion goes to handsome outsider Joel Richards, she has reason to suspect that something mysterious is going on. This is confirmed when Joel replaces the store’s regular Santa Claus with yet another outsider and there follows a string of Christmas burglaries. With her career in jeopardy and the interests of her young clients at heart, Holly decides to investigate and ends up being more involved with her new boss than she ever imagined possible.

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This page was last updated on 6 February, 2008