playnext.fm

Reading And Writing Podcast

Hazel Gaynor

·18 min·1 clip
Hazel Gaynor reveals the shocking true story of a torpedoed ship carrying child evacuees in 1940 that inspired her novel.
The episode opens with host Jess introducing Hazel Gaynor, author of the new novel 'The Last Lifeboat'. Gaynor describes the book as set in 1940 and inspired by the true event of a ship carrying child evacuees being torpedoed in the Atlantic. The story follows two women: Alice, who is adrift in a lifeboat with survivors, and Lily, a mother in London awaiting news of her children. Gaynor explains her initial research into little-known WWII episodes led her to discover the term 'sea vacuees' and the story of the SS City of Benares. She details using primary evidence from survivors, books by those who lived through it, and records from the Imperial War Museum and Maritime Museum in Liverpool. Gaynor shares her writing process as a 'pantser' who writes organically without extensive outlining, focusing on dual perspectives over eight days. She mentions working on the book for years while balancing motherhood. Gaynor recounts her own writing journey, starting at age 40 after leaving a corporate career, self-publishing her debut novel about the Titanic, and later securing a contract with HarperCollins. She offers writing advice: write regularly, finish the first draft even if messy, and connect with other writers to manage self-doubt. Gaynor recommends recent reads including 'Yellow Face' by Rebecca Quang and 'Wayward' by Amelia Hart. The episode concludes with Gaynor sharing her social media handles and website for listeners to find her work.

As heard by us

A measured conversation about turning a wartime tragedy into a humane historical novel.

Hazel Gaynor's conversation about The Last Lifeboat keeps the scale human while circling a wartime catastrophe. She discusses a novel set in 1940, inspired by a lesser-known tragedy in which a ship carrying young evacuees from Britain to Canada is torpedoed in the Atlantic.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You can hear how a 1940 wartime tragedy became a novel told through two women's experiences.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
Listen to the show on
Apple PodcastsSpotify
Play clips from this episodeMore from Reading And Writing Podcast