Tag: historical fiction

I’m delighted to welcome author Zoe Caryl to What Cathy Read Next today. Zoe’s novel Julia Sleeps was published on 8th June 2025 and is available to purchase now in paperbook or as an ebook. Read on as I chat to Julia about the very personal inspiration for the book, her research and what she’s working on next.

Listen to Zoe reading an excerpt from Julia Sleeps here.

About the Book

Glasgow 1936. In the very heart of the city, Evie Jameson, the child of a poor tenement family is determined to follow her dreams of becoming a singer, but must persuade her loving family of where her vocation truly lies. Her path is paved with triumphs and setbacks.

‘The world is bigger than Glasgow – do you want to see it?’ her agent challenges her, sparking excitement in her heart. ‘Yes! Yes, I do!’ she exclaims, and her resolve only deepens when war breaks out and she is called on to serve her country. The conflict thrusts Evie into dangers and adventures she could never have imagined, but amid the chaos, will she also find love?

From London in the blitz to magical, mysterious India her courage and integrity are put to the test and she must draw on the strength forged by her proud Scottish heritage.

Inspired by a true story, Evie’s tale is one of nostalgia, ambition and resilience where true friendships and love shape both the woman and the singer she is destined to become.

Find Julia Sleeps on Goodreads

Q&A with Zoe Caryl, author of Julia Sleeps

Q. Julia Sleeps is based on a true story. What was it that made you want to turn it into a novel?  

Whilst Julia Sleeps is a work of fiction, the inspiration for the main character Evie was my wonderful, funny, glamorous, talented, charismatic mother Celia. In the final year of her life, I helped her seek a publisher for her memoirs, gain interest from presenters of nostalgic radio shows and many others concerned with the history of entertainment. Our endeavours were not successful and I was very disappointed for my mother, as she still had much to contribute and was a great storyteller. I began to consider attempting to create a novel based on her memoirs, wondering if this might be a more attractive way to tell the story of her life, and so the initial idea for my novel Julia Sleeps was born. Sadly, my mother passed away whilst the idea was still in its infancy, and my life took a turn that did not permit the writing of a novel. I was finally able to complete the work and publish it in June 2025.

Q. Can you give us brief pen pictures of your main characters? 

My main character is Evie, who we find at age eleven entering her first Go As You Please singing competition in Glasgow. She is a determined wee soul and knows even from this young age that her raison d’être is to sing. She is fiercely loyal to her family, ambitious, fun loving and not afraid of hard work. Her father Johnny is her champion, a man toughened by the struggle to survive the First World War and the need to feed and care for his large family during the Great Depression, but his love for his children and wife shines through. Evie’s mother Maggie is one of those women on whom Glasgow’s greatness is built; born a Catholic, she defied her parents to marry Protestant Johnny and devotes her life to him and their children and is the heart of their little tenement home. Later in the novel when Evie is older there is romance, but to find out about who she falls for – or doesn’t – you’ll have to get the book!

Q. The book is set in 1930s Glasgow, WW2 London and post-war India. What do you think is the secret of creating a strong sense of time and place? 

To create a strong sense of time and place I think I invented the three-sense rule for myself. Or, maybe I didn’t invent it and it arrived in my mind some other way. I ask myself this: what can the character concerned see, hear, feel, smell, taste or sense? Then I try only to pick the three most important of those answers and include them in the piece. I try not to overload the reader with too much detail. For example, in one chapter Evie sees the headline on a newspaper stand which reads ’14th November 1941 – the Ark Royal torpedoed and sunk with only one life lost.’ She’s on her way to have tea in a café in wartime Glasgow and rationing is mentioned, so she ‘tastes’ the meagre fare that passes for afternoon tea, she ‘sees’ the headline on the way in and she ‘feels’ compassion for the cold watery death of the one sailor who died.

Q. How did you approach your research for the book?  Did you discover anything that surprised you during your research?

I adore research and particularly enjoyed studying old maps of Glasgow as compared to the modern city; it was fun to imagine my characters walking through old lanes and streets that have long gone. My most precious resources were all the wealth of things left to me by my mother, which included the wartime letters between her and her father. It is a huge privilege to be the guardian of these and to note the tone in which certain things were mentioned which was often the opposite of what one might expect. A saved menu from a forces canteen in Calcutta from 1945 can tell us many things not presented to us in a documentary for example.

Q. Julia Sleeps is your first novel. Based on your experience, what advice would you give to other first time writers?

I actually did a blog on this as so many people remarked that they also had ideas for novels or writing projects that they intended to get around to, when I published Julia Sleeps. I called it ‘How a state school educated girl dared to write a book’. I’m very fortunate to have a photo of my class with our wonderful English teacher Mrs. Read who inspired and encouraged me. You can read the blog here.

Q. If you had to describe Julia Sleeps in three words, what would they be?

Heartwarming, nostalgic, inspiring.

Q. Do you have any writing heroes? 

I have many writing heroes but to name just three I would choose Richard Adams whose novel Watership Down resonates with me to this day. His general message of ‘be kind to the other creatures with whom we share the Earth’ affected me deeply; I think this book should be required reading for all children over the age of ten.

I admire Edward Rutherford immensely for his ability to bring to life the various locations and eras that feature in his novels, but he takes it so much further. His method of giving the equivalent of maybe five or six novellas in one book, each one with a new storyline is staggering, keeping the reader’s attention through sometimes a thousand years of history.

Like countless other writers, I am also eternally grateful to Steven King for his book On Writing. Although not a fan of his genre, the advice on writing contained in that book has proved invaluable to me.

Q. What are you working on next?  

The sequel to Julia Sleeps, entitled Julia Wakes. This work is currently in the editing process but I have found that the more I write, the more I want to write! The idea for a third novel has been with me for some time, and after the busy summer season I now have the opportunity to begin it, so these are exciting times for me.

About the Author

Zoe writes: I’m a stage school educated girl from West London, UK and have sung professionally all my life. I have been fortunate enough to work in TV, film, radio and musical theatre, playing the title role in the musical Annie in the West End of London as a young girl, amongst other credits. After appearing in Starlight Express for five years I became a solo singer, following in my parents’ footsteps in taking engagements all over the world. In 2014 my husband Kenny and I moved to France where we continue to play concerts.

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