Guest Post: JE Rowney

I’m delighted to be handing over Touring Tales Book Blog for a Guest Post from J E Rowney. Author of the hugely successful book series “The Lessons of a Student Midwife”, JE Rowney has kindly shared a guest post on her inspiration behind writing student midwife Violet’s follow up novel ‘Starting Out’.

Before I hand over to my guest post, here’s a quick summary of what you can expect from ‘Starting Out’.

Book Cover Notes

Violet thought midwifery training was tough, but now she has to step out onto the ward as a newly qualified midwife. She’s standing on the edge of her new life, but taking the leap is harder than she ever expected.

Living on her own for the first time, while best friend Zoe starts to build a future with soon-to-be-husband Luke, everything is changing for Violet.

Can Violet adapt and adjust, or will anxiety get the better of her?

“Starting Out” – the book from the world of “Lessons of a Student Midwife”.

Thank you so much for joining Touring Tales Books today, so tell us about the inspiration for your new book.

JE Rowney Guest Post

I’m JE Rowney and it’s great to be here today as part of the blog tour for my book, “Starting Out”.

This time last year I was part way through my MA in Creative Writing when lockdown started to become part of my ‘new normal’. I got stuck in to writing because I found that it was a great way to focus on something positive in a time of uncertainty. The result of this was my book series “The Lessons of a Student Midwife”, which comprises the three novels Life Lessons, Love Lessons, and Lessons Learned. The series follows student midwife Violet through her midwifery training as she struggles to overcome her anxiety and self-doubt and battles to make her dreams come true. It’s also a story of genuine friendship, as Violet’s best friend Zoe is always by her side.

It’s a fresh, vibrant alternative to Call the Midwife.  I had such positive feedback about the “Lessons of a Student Midwife” series that I decided to continue Violet’s story in this novel. “Starting Out” sees Violet in her first days on the ward as a midwife, and how she starts to make the transition into a qualified member of staff. “Starting Out” is set on the postnatal ward at St. Jude’s hospital. I present pregnancy, delivery and the postnatal period realistically, but that doesn’t mean it has to be graphic.

I trained as a midwife in the late 1990s, which seems like forever ago, but I still remember the way I felt trying to consolidate everything that I had learned as a student and taking my first steps as a midwife on the wards. Like Violet, my first midwifery job was in the hospital that I trained in, and I was lucky to have the support of some wonderful members of staff. Some of them are still working in that same hospital today.

I hung up my gloves some time ago, but the people I met – both staff and service users – has remained with me. Childbirth is such an intense experience for women and their families, and being part of that was always an honour and a privilege. I have so much respect for the midwives that have been working through the Covid crisis over the past year, they really are heroes.

There’s no mention of Covid in my novel, as it’s set in a fictional world, and I personally prefer escapism rather than reality. If you enjoy chick-lit or women’s fiction books, I’m sure you will love my series and my new book. Violet and Zoe have a wonderful friendship, and Violet is the perfect protagonist – you’ll be rooting for her all the way.

Where to Buy

Amazon Uk

About The Author

J.E. Rowney spent several years in the cold Yorkshire hills, but now lives on the south coast of England. She spent ten years working as a midwife before turning in her gloves to become an author.

She is an award winning poet, and also enjoys writing short stories. In May 2020 she was the winner of the Dinesh Allirajah Prize for Short Fiction.

“Charcoal”, her first novel, was published in 2012 to wide critical acclaim, and was a bestselling novel on Amazon within days of release.

She spends lots of time writing in coffee shops, so if you see her, say hello. Ms. Rowney says: “I always dreamed of being a writer, until I realised that I was. Then I started to write.”

Where to find JE Rowney online

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Bookbub

Further Book Info:

• Published Date: 30th April 2021

Blog Tour Organised by

Rachel’s Random Resources

A big thanks to JE Rowney for sharing her guest post with Touring Tales Books today. Thanks also to @rararesources for inviting on the book blog tour.

More Guests Posts Your Might Like:

• Zoe Wheddon – Author of Jane Austen’s Best Friend
• Andrew French – Author of The Hashtag Killer