It was such a shame that the vagaries of technology failed us last week as I had hoped to stay in with lovely Rosie Blake on THE GIN O’CLOCK CLUB publication day last Thursday but sadly our emails got lost in the ether. However, it means that instead I can have a wonderful start to a new week by staying in with Rosie today instead.

You see, Rosie has been very much a part of Linda’s Book Bag since the very beginning. Writing as Cesca Major, her book The Silent Hours, reviewed here, was one of my Books of the Year in 2015. I also reviewed Cesca’s The Last Night and interviewed her about it here. The Last Night made it onto my Books of the Year in 2016!

Quite early on in my life as a blogger I reviewed Rosie Blake’s How To Stuff Up Christmas here. That was followed by my review of How To Find Your (First) Husband, and then my review of How To Get A (Love) Life. My next review of one of Rosie’s books is here and features The Hygge Holiday. Now, I loved every single one of those reads so you can see why I was so desperate to chat with Rosie about her latest book (which is on my TBR).

So, with all that in mind, let’s see what happened when Rosie stayed in with me.

Staying in with Rosie Blake

Welcome back to Linda’s Book Bag, Rosie. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me. I’m so sorry our emails got lost in transit!

It is lovely of you to have me here, I love a chat about books!

Me too. Now, I know I already know, but tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it? 

I’ve chosen THE GIN O’CLOCK CLUB which is my latest novel and inspired by the utter joy that was my own grandad. I always wondered what kind of advice he might doll out watching me rush around, often too busy to stop and smell the roses. The book is about Teddy and his eighty year old golfing mates that make up his ‘Gin o’clock club’ helping stressed granddaughter Lottie to slow down and save herself. Think old people on Tinder and young people on whist drives and you’re there!!

Knowing the fabulous humour in your books Rosie and with the reviews I’ve read from other bloggers I can’t wait to read this one. What can we expect from an evening in with THE GIN O’CLOCK CLUB? 

A career highlight for me was receiving a letter from my idol Jilly Cooper who described this book as ‘touching and hilarious’. I grew up on a diet of Jilly and to know she has read something I’ve written blows me away.

That must feel incredible to have such an endorsement.

And the fact that this book is inspired by my own grandad always brings a lump to my throat. I hope everyone who reads it can be wrenched out of this rather miserable year and lose themselves in the joy and wisdom of the older generation. It’s all about family and friendship and love.

And with everything that’s going on in 2020, I think family and friendship and love are the things we all need the most! What else have you brought along and why? 

I thought I would bring along a photo of my grandad so you can see the type of man he was and imagine what life advice he might give you!

Oh he looks wonderful Rosie. Reminds me of my Dad. Thank you for sharing him with us and for staying in with me, albeit a bit later than we meant, to tell me all about THE GIN O’CLOCK CLUB.

Thank you for having me Linda!

THE GIN O’CLOCK CLUB

Bring the sparkle and fizz back into your life with the help of The Gin O’Clock Club

Lottie is always in a hurry, rushing through her days ticking tasks off her to-do lists. Teddy is worried about his granddaughter – and he knows that his late wife, Lily, would have known exactly what to say to make things better. Now that Lily has gone, it’s up to Teddy to talk some sense into Lottie.

With the help of Arjun, Geoffrey and Howard, the elderly reprobates who make up his Gin O’Clock Club, Teddy makes a plan to help Lottie find her way back to the things that really matter – family, friendship and love. But as Lottie balances a high-powered job with her reluctant attendance at whist drives, ballroom dances and bingo, Teddy wonders if she’s really ready to open up her heart to the possibility of true happiness…

Laugh, cry and fall in love with this colourful cast of characters in THE feel-good novel of the year

Published by Little Brown imprint Sphere on 20th August 2020, THE GIN O’CLOCK CLUB is available for purchase through the links here.

About Rosie Blake

Rosie is a writer, recovering TV presenter and mother of many children. She has written for Cosmopolitan, The Lady, Best and Reveal Magazines. She has appeared on ITV, Channel 4 and Sky. She enjoys hosting writing panels and running creative writing workshops. Rosie has written comic women’s fiction for Atlantic Books and Sphere Fiction. Her latest, The Gin O’Clock Club, a quirky inter-generational love story about friendship, gin, golf and whist, is out now.

She continues to attempt to become Julia Robert’s best friend but is starting to worry it might never happen despite “liking” all her Instagram posts.

For more information, follow Rosie on Twitter @RosieBBooks, Facebook or Instagram – she has twins so she says she is always keen to chat.