A fine romance
Nurse turned author Joy Wood is delighted to have found a second career which she loves as much as her first, as she tells Kate Chapman.
Joy admits she had no idea how things would pan out when she first put pen to paper, but a decade on she has published 11 books independently, while last summer her ninth won the prestigious Romantic Thriller Award 2025, from the Romantic Novelists’ Association (RNA).
Whatever It Takes tells the story of new neighbours who become friends until things take an unexpected turn following a fatal accident, while her latest release, A Family Affair, was inspired by the warring families of 1980s dramas like Dynasty and Dallas.
“I love romance, that’s what I like writing, but I also like a bit of intrigue with it, that’s my passion – I do like things to go wrong!” says Joy, who lives in Cleethorpes.
“When I heard I’d been nominated for the RNA award, I thought there was no point in going all the way to London, but my husband insisted I must! There I was sat there around the table with all these authors – no-one knew who I was – and I won!
“I had no speech prepared, but I do a lot of public speaking, so I was able to ad lib a bit! I was so happy, it’s such a wonderful thing. I wasn’t seeking the validation, but it really was the icing on the cake. All the years of blood, sweat and edits came together to get this prestigious, beautiful award.
“I was ecstatic, it was so humbling as it was chosen by a reader panel – people had voted for it.”
Transition to author
Joy, who grew up in Cleethorpes and also lived in Keelby, enjoyed a lengthy career in nursing after beginning her training in 1977. She worked all over the county including stints at St Hugh’s Hospital and the Diana Princess of Wales Hospital, both in Grimsby.
She progressed into more senior nursing roles followed by management positions, which culminated in her working at Lincolnshire Community Health Services managing Children and Family Services.
After taking redundancy in 2012, Joy decided she would try and write a novel.
She recalls: “I was very good at English at school and loved reading. I’ve always enjoyed wordplay and humour and would always write little poems for people leaving the ward. I’d often thought I would like to do a novel, but that was as far as it had gone.
“The first book took me a year to complete as it was a hobby, I wasn’t writing every day, and then I got myself an editor and somebody to design the front cover.”
Joy published her novel independently. She was delighted with its success and was spurred on to write more, although she switched genres to focus more on romantic crime.
Despite offers from small publishing houses, she’s chosen to remain independent and keep control of her work.
“I do everything myself,” she explains, “People can often be a little scornful, and act as if self-publishing is of no value, but there are so many good independent authors out there.
“If I was younger and looking for a really big career, then I’d consider going with a publisher. I’m really happy as an independent author at the moment and I like to fly the flag for that.”
Local inspiration
Joy takes her inspiration from all around and has set a couple of her stories in hospitals. She finds the coastal landscape of her hometown a particular source of comfort when she’s working through ideas and plots, although she has chosen not to set any of her books in Lincolnshire, as she feels this has been done a lot already.
“Because I live in Cleethorpes, I walk along the seafront early. I don’t like crowds, so always walk in the morning. I watch the tide turn and that’s where I think about things.
“What I like, before I write any book, is to have the major twist in my mind. I like to have a big twist mid-way through. I want my readers to be saying ‘Oh, my goodness! I never saw that coming!’
“When I get back, I jot down a few ideas and it all starts to form in my head, so then I can write the story up to the twist and then work out the ending.”
Each of Joy’s books is a standalone story. Although she focusses on romance/crime stories, last summer she published a romance novella, which she sold in aid of charity. She is now planning a second this year, which will be followed up with her annual crime release in the autumn, in time for the Christmas market.
Self-publishing
When it comes to marketing her books, Joy uses social media, has her own website and they are all available to buy on Amazon. She is also a popular public speaker – her talk titled ‘From Bedpan to Pen!’ covers the transition she has made from being a nurse to a writer – and she has a regular after-dinner speaker and also addresses ladies’ lunches and WI groups, using the opportunity to promote and sell her books.
“As part of my talks, I also cover the difficulties that I’ve had to overcome, where doors have closed, because I’m not with a traditional publisher. I’ve had to work really hard to push myself, without being too pushy, but people have been very good helping me, and I have a lot of support for my books locally,” she adds.
Later this year she’s delighted to be returning to Swanwick Writers’ Summer School, in Derbyshire, where she first completed a writing course six years ago. This time she will be taking to the stage and giving the opening talk on the first night.
Joy says: “I love writing. It’s all about keeping the readers invested, you want them to keep turning the pages, read just one more chapter, and enjoy it.
“I try to keep things going with a few red herrings, so when it comes to what happens they never see it coming! My writing has improved greatly over the years and I’ve done a few courses. I honestly believe everyone has a book in them. To anybody else thinking about doing it, I’d say go for it.”
Joy adds: “Write your story, do a little bit every day and put your heart and soul into it, and then seek some help. Writing is for everybody.”
To find out more about Joy and her writing visit joywoodauthor.wordpress.com
Photographs: Courtesy of Joy Wood
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