Welcome to another Weekend Read. My guest this week is prolific author Rachel Brimble who’s dropped by to talk to us about her latest book, Shared Secrets for the Home Front Nurses, and her writing life. So grab a cuppa, get cosy and let’s get chatting to Rachel.

Blurb

1943: Becoming a Home Front nurse, meant Kathy Scott was finally able to escape the violence of her childhood. At long last, her life has taken a turn for the better. Particularly because, for the very first time, she’s made some wonderful friends–fellow nurses Sylvia, Freda and Veronica.

Kathy’s known for not being short of a word or two. So nobody’s more surprised than her when she finds herself tongue-tied around Freda’s handsome brother, James – who’s home from war with an unexplained injury.

Eventually they start to open up to each other… But can two people who have felt so broken by their experiences ever find a chance for happiness?

Don’t miss this powerful and unputdownable wartime saga about courage, healing and the power of friendship!

LINK: https://mybook.to/SharedSecrets

Welcome to my blog, Rachel. Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Since I was about eight or nine! It was after I discovered Enid Blyton’s Secret Seven series and love the books so much that I decided I wanted to be an author one day. Of course, life went on and I finished school at 16, worked for 9 years in a bank before leaving to have my first daughter.

It wasn’t until my second daughter was at school full time that I had a ‘now or never’ moment – my first novel was published two years later and I haven’t looked back since.

I loved reading Enid Blyton’s books when I was a child too. What are you writing at the moment?

Right now, I am editing the first book in a brand new series – it is actually a spin-off of the Home Front Nurses, but also written as a stand alone so new and existing readers will (hopefully!) enjoy it equally! Book one releases in September 2026, tentatively called War Orphans…

Ooh, that sounds interesting! What inspired you to write the Home Front Nurses series?

The idea was actually given to me by fellow saga author Lizzie Lane!

I was at her house and trying to grapple with a saga idea that might interest Boldwood Books – she said that as my books are set in Bath, I should base something on the Baedeker raids. What are those? I asked. She went on to tell me about the 3-day raids on Bath during 1942 and the ideas for a nursing series started growing in my mind.

I knew pretty soon that book 1 would introduce three newly qualified nurses, book 2 would cover the Bath bombings and who knew after that? Thankfully, Boldwood loved the idea and offered me a 4 book contract based on the first 3 chapters of book 1. Happiness!

Wow, congratulations! What time of the day do you write best?

My day is actually quite split – I am usually at my desk by 8.30am and work on admin/social media until about 10am and then I walk the dog before getting back to my desk and striving for an hour’s work on my degree (I’m studying for a history degree with the OU!), then I re-read what I wrote the previous day before taking an hour for lunch. Then it’s writing or editing until approx. 5.30pm and then start all over again the next day!

That’s a busy schedule! Do you have time for hobbies? Is so,what are they?

I am an absolute TV and jigsaw puzzle addict so I combine the two! I have a complete set up with my puzzle board securely perched on my lap on my bed, TV on and my favourite drink to hand – happiness. Me & my puzzle is a daily occurrence, I must admit…

Sounds perfect! What advice would you give to other writers?

Oh, I have so much advice! I LOVE mentoring other writers and even set up my own Etsy shop, The Writer Printable Co last year, selling printable writing resources for new writers. Here’s the link if you fancy a browse: https://thewriterprintableco.etsy.com

My biggest advice has always been to ‘give yourself permission to write a crappy first draft’ – this was so liberating when another writer said it to me. Other than that, I also advise new writers to plot an outline, preferably a paragraph for each chapter. Having said that, I know there are a lot of writers who can’t work like that and like to just write, no plan required! Yet, I still think it’s great advice for any writer who finds them going over and over the first few chapters (or even chapter one!) and not moving forward. Until you actually finish a book, you don’t know if you can!

That’s great advice. Thanks for dropping by to talk to us today, Rachel. I’m off to check out your Etsy shop now. It sounds fab.

Author bio

Rachel Brimble is the author of 35 novels and has been published by Harlequin Mills & Boon, Kensington Books, Harper Road Press and more. She now writes for Boldwood Books. Her latest Amazon bestselling WWII series, The Home Front Nurses is her most popular series to date with book four released in February 2026.

Her next series will be set in Castle Combe, The War Orphans will start in September 2026.

Rachel is also the owner of The Writer Printable Co, an Etsy shop offering printable and editable novel writing resources to help new authors on their journey to writing success.

Link: https://thewriterprintableco.etsy.com

To sign up for her publisher’s newsletter, click here: https://bit.ly/RachelBrimbleNews

Website: https://bit.ly/3wH7HQs

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3AQvK0A

Facebook: https://bit.ly/3i49GZ3

Instagram: https://bit.ly/3lTQZbF

BookBub: https://shorturl.at/nrxFJ

More of Rachel’s books