In Christmas for the Shop Girls by Joanna Toye, we find ourselves in the Second World War, experiencing a wartime Christmas. This is Book 4 in the Shop Girls series. Today I have an extract to tempt you and also the opportunity to win a print copy of the book. Details on how to enter are at the foot of this post. (UK only) First, a little about the book:
For Lily Collins and her fellow shop girls at Marlow’s
Department store, another Christmas with ration books, shortages of goods and
staff – not to mention a store coping with war damage – will be a real
challenge.
But the girls rally round and put their worries aside to
make this, the hardest wartime Christmas yet, one that their families, and their
town, will never forget.
Book link: Amazon UKExtract
In her shop nearby, Beryl was getting ready to lock up. She
picked up the card which had been propped in the window for the past fortnight.
Beryl’s Brides will be showing one of our dresses as the
GRAND FINALE to the Fashion Show to take place on the First Floor of Marlow’s
on Wednesday, 21st April. Entrance free but ticket required. Reserve early to
secure your seat. Enquire within or at the store for details.
Over the bottom corner she folded a slip of paper reading:
TODAY.
Turning the sign to ‘Closed’ and stepping outside, she
locked the shop. It wasn’t much of a place – or hadn’t been when she’d first
seen it. But Beryl had always had an eye to the main chance and a way of
talking herself into it.
Her little shop was one of Marlow’s former ground floor
window spaces, blown in by the bomb. With no chance of replacing huge sheets of
plate glass, opening up small units like Beryl’s had seemed the best way
forward. Cedric Marlow, always cautious, had taken some convincing, but
persistence had paid off and within weeks Beryl had moved her bridal hire
business from her front room to proper premises. She’d been talking for weeks
about having one of her dresses in the show, all the more because Beryl’s
dresses were second-hand. ‘As-new’, she called it, but it meant the same. After
her own wedding, she’d spotted an opening. With materials in short supply and
clothes rationing biting, who could afford to splurge all their coupons on a
dress you’d wear only once? And so her business had been born.
Having a Beryl’s Brides gown as the finale to the fashion
show was intended to give sales a boost, and Beryl was hanging every hope on
it.
The dress she’d chosen for the catwalk was already upstairs
in the store, and very classy it was too. Pre-war of course, Brussels lace,
V-necked with a tiny stand collar and elbow-length sleeves. To go with it she’d
chosen lacy gloves, a paste tiara and a short veil. Jim had promised he’d
organise some kind of bouquet. It was going to be lovely.
Back in the staff canteen at Marlow’s, the full horror had
dawned on Gladys.
‘You’re right! Beryl’s going to be devastated!’ Lily reached
for her bowl; pudding might help her think. She was always hungry: everyone was
always hungry.
‘What is this jam?’ she asked after a few mouthfuls. ‘It’s
not carrot, for once. Is it marrow?’ But before Gladys could answer, Jim
arrived at speed, practically screeching to a halt like something out of a
cartoon.
‘Lily! There you are! How big are you?’
‘What?’
‘How big?’ ‘You know how big,’
Lily looked up at him, spoon poised. ‘Five foot seven.’
‘Not your height! Your – your – vital statistics!’
Gladys spluttered pastry all over the table. Lily stared at
Jim.
‘I beg your pardon!’
‘Miss Drake thinks you’re a thirty-six. Up top, anyway. Are
you?’
Lily put down her spoon. ‘Isn’t this a bit of a private
conversation to be having in a public place?’
‘There’s no time to be discreet. You’re going to have to
model!’
About the Author
Joanna Toye joined the production team of THE ARCHERS after
reading English at Cambridge University, and became a scriptwriter for the
programme for over twenty years. She has also written a number of spin-off
books about the long-running radio drama. On television, she has written for
CROSSROADS, DOCTORS and EASTENDERS.
You can follow Joanna here: Twitter | Facebook
Thanks to Joanna Toye, Harper Collins and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for a copy of the extract, the giveaway and a place on the tour. Check out these great bloggers!
Giveaway (UK only)
To win a print copy of Christmas for the Shop Girls just Follow and Retweet the tweet at @bookslifethings Closing Date is December 16th 2020 and there is one winner. Good luck!
*Terms and Conditions – UK only. The winner will be selected at
random via Tweetdraw from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter
and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right
to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the
competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with
third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed
to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize. I am not
responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
Thanks for the blog tour support Pam xx
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