Cover Love. . . With Rosie Hendry

This week, I'm delighted to welcome a new visitor to my blog - the saga author Rosie Hendry. Before she became an author, Rosie had careers in both teaching and scientific research. She has written a four-book series about the East End Angels - women ambulance drivers in London during the Second World War - as well as a series about land girls. Her latest WW2 series is about pregnant mums who are evacuated from London to Norfolk.

Today, as part of my Cover Love series, Rosie shares a book cover that is dear to her heart - and she has plenty to choose from!

* * * *

It’s so hard to choose a favourite cover, but Victory for the East End Angels, just wins, not only because I love the look of it, but because of what it represents to me. Victory is the fourth and final book in the East End Angels series, and over the four years of working on the books; living with the characters, going through their ups and downs in wartime London, finally coming to the end was a bittersweet time. It was wonderful to see the girls story completed, but at the same time I knew I was going to miss writing about them. And I do!

To me this cover sums up all that I went through writing the books, the many hours of researching, plotting, planning, writing and editing and creating the world of Ambulance Station 75 and all the characters. It feels like a celebration of all that as well as the culmination of Winnie, Frankie and Bella’s stories.

The origins for Victory’s cover started before any of the book covers for the series were designed, as the photo shoot for all four books was done at the same time. I was sent pictures of a selection of models who matched the descriptions of the three main characters in the books, and had to choose which ones I thought best fitted them.

Unlike a lot of the services, the Auxiliary Ambulance Service crews didn’t get their uniforms until sometime into the war, and I asked my publisher to reflect that on the covers. So, on the covers for the first two books in the series, the girls are dressed in normal clothing, while the final two have them wearing ambulance crew uniform. I supplied my publisher with details and photographs of the uniform to make sure it looked right.

It’s always nerve-wracking when an email arrives from my editor with the cover attached, but I was thrilled with this one. I love the image of the three girls, arm in arm, the best of friends having gone through so much. Victory’s cover always makes me smile, and I hope it does the same for readers, too.

* * * *

Blurb

As the war comes to an end, can the East End Angels keep the home fires burning?

Frankie's fiancé, a doctor, is away looking after the troops in Europe - will he return safely home?

Winnie has a happy secret - but can she carry on at Station Seventy-Five when she's going to have a baby?

Bella is intrigued by her new friend, a Polish airman.

As the war ends and victory is in sight, what next for the girls of Station Seventy-Five?

* * * *

Rosie's

My website is https://rosiehendry.com/ where readers can sign up for my newsletter and a free ebook of short stories.   Follow me on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/RosieHendrybooks/   Twitter - @hendry_rosie  https://twitter.com/hendry_rosie   Instagram https://www.instagram.com/rosiehendrywriterbythesea/