Win five signed copies of new Triumph of the Shipyard Girls release

Penned by Sunderland author Amanda Revell Walton, who writes as Nancy Revell, the eighth instalment of The Shipyard Girls series, Triumph of the Shipyard Girls, is released on Thursday, March 19.

Inspired by the hundreds of Wearside women who kept the shipyard’s afloat during the war, Amanda’s characters are fictional but the streets, shipyards and incidents they encounter are based on historical records.

Amanda often utilises the Sunderland Echo archives for her research and her latest release features a photo from the Echo in 1943 showing women getting to grips with heavy metal welding in one of the then town’s shipyards.

The author, who pens her Sunday Times-bestselling novels from her Roker home, says she’s proud of her home city and its community spirit.

She said: “I've dedicated this book to the Hendon Community Library in Sunderland, which exists thanks to the Back on the Map charity, community support worker Pat Johnston, and the volunteer library workers. What they do is amazing - both in keeping the library alive and also the work they do in the community.

“The Villette Road area is also very close to my heart as my grandma, Elizabeth Revell, used to live in Cairo Street. My mum would take my sister and I there every Friday for tea - which I used to love as she made the best rabbit and black pudding stew ever - with dumplings!”

Amanda says she feels the unity of communities during WWII is something that’s all the more relevant as Britain deals with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

She said: “I was thinking how what was happening in WW2 at the time of the Shipyard Girls is reflective in some ways of the present situation - communities coming together to support each other, rationing, resilience, sharing - being selfless rather than selfish, showing humanity at its best, with those who are well and healthy considering and coming to the aid of those who are not.”

The last instalment in the series, Christmas with the Shipyard Girls, spent two weeks in a row in the Sunday Times bestsellers list.

Amanda said: “It was amazing to feature on the list - I was over the moon, as were my publishers.”

*Triumph of the Shipyard Girls is out on March 19 priced £7.99.

*Amanda’s planned signing at Waterstones, The Bridges, on March 21 has been cancelled due to Government advice concerning coronavirus.

Win a copy

We have five signed copies of Triumph of the Shipyard Girls to give away. To be in with a chance of winning, answer this question, which of these was a Sunderland shipyard?

A:: Austin & Pickersgill

B:: Austin & Patterson

C:: Austin & Pattersgill

Email your answer, along with your postal address, to [email protected] by noon on March 30. Usual JPI Media competition rules apply and are available to view at https://www.jpimedia.co.uk/competition-prize-draw-terms-and-conditions/