I find it so frustrating that life simply doesn’t afford me the time to read every fantastic sounding book. Today I am chatting with Rita Bradshaw about her brand new novel and I’m devastated I haven’t been able to add it to my TBR. My enormous thanks to Chloe Davies at Pan Macmillan for putting Rita and me in touch with one another once again as I previously got to interview Rita some six years ago when her book A Winter Love Song was published. You’ll find that post here.

Let’s find out more:

Staying in with Rita Bradshaw

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag, Rita and thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

I’ve brought along A Woman of Courage to share this evening.

Apart from being my latest book the story is a favourite of mine. I got to research New York in the 1890s which was absolutely fascinating as the story is split between the North East of England and America, and on both sides of the Atlantic the divide between those who had and those who had not was massive. Central Park had only recently been built and the way that came about is a story in itself, as you’ll discover.

You’ve got me intrigued now as I worked in New York for a while.  I believe A Woman of Courage is out today in paperback so Happy Publication Day too! Tell me, what can we expect from an evening in with A Woman of Courage?

An evening in with A Woman of Courage means the reader will be taken back over a hundred years and more to where our heroine, Josie Grey, battles against dark circumstances including domestic abuse, prejudice and the fact that it’s very much a man’s world. It’s a gritty saga encompassing resilience against the unfairness of life, particularly for women in that era. We see Lower Manhattan with its separate ethnic groups and gang culture, and for a woman on her own with a young child it was a dangerous and inhospitable environment. But Josie is a northern lass and made of stern stuff; she refuses to bow down to the bigotry of the day that placed women in an inferior position and fights to carve a place for herself and her son in this hostile world, making enemies as well as friends.

That sounds brilliant Rita!

What else have you brought along and why have you brought it?

Personally, I don’t think there’s anything better than curling up with a good book that takes me to a different place with a glass or two of wine to compliment the process, so I’ve brought along a nice bottle of red to share. Of course, there has to be munchies too, so a selection of cheese and biscuits along with red and green seedless grapes (can’t stand the ones with pips in, far too much bother), are in my bag too for us to enjoy, and the naughty bit is a box of hazelnut pralines.

Who counts calories on an evening of indulgence? Anyway, everyone knows that reading and drinking wine and eating burns off more calories than a work-out at the gym!

Ha! If only that were true. Thanks so much for staying in to chat this evening.  Sadly wine doesn’t suit me, which leaves an extra celebratory publication day glass for you Rita, but I’ll certainly help you out with the cheese and chocolates! Now, you pour yourself a (large) glass of wine and I’ll give Linda’s Book Bag readers a few more details about A Woman of Courage.

A Woman of Courage

It’s 1890, and Josie Gray is an innocent and beautiful fifteen-year old when Adam McGuigan, the youngest son of a dangerous and influential crime family spots her singing in a Sunderland public house. Adam is handsome and charismatic, sweeping Josie off her feet with his beguiling lies and promises. He charms her into marrying him on her sixteenth birthday, but on her wedding night the fairy tale ends.

Josie finds herself trapped in a living nightmare and there’s no one to help her. Events spiral out of control, and when her life is put in danger she escapes with her baby son. Fleeing to a different country, Josie fights to make a good life for her child and then love beckons again.

But the McGuigan family’s power is far reaching. When the day of reckoning comes, can Josie survive it?

Out today, 9th November 2023 in paperback from Macmillan, A Woman of Courage is available for purchase here.

About Rita Bradshaw

Rita Bradshaw was born in Northamptonshire, where she lives today. At the age of sixteen she met her husband – whom she considers her soul mate – and they have two daughters, a son and six grandchildren. To her delight, Rita’s first novel was accepted for publication and she has gone on to write many more successful novels since, including the number one bestseller Dancing in the Moonlight.

As a committed Christian and passionate animal lover her life is full, but she loves walking her dog, reading, eating out and visiting the cinema and theatre, as well as being involved in her church and animal welfare.