Dorset author's lockdown book endorsed by Camilla

A writer who completed her first novel during the lockdowns of 2020 has had her work endorsed by Queen Camilla.

Joanna Quinn, who was made redundant before the pandemic, finished writing The Whalebone Theatre while home schooling her daughter.

The book, set in Ms Quinn's home county of Dorset, has been chosen by the Queen for her book club.

It also led to a "surreal" appearance on the Today show in the US and an invitation to Clarence House.

Ms Quinn, who lives with her 10-year-old daughter near Weymouth, began writing the book as part of a creative writing PhD which she began soon after becoming a mother.

She said: "I did it in tiny chunks, in lunch breaks and on train journeys, so by the time lockdown came I had about four fifths of it done.

"Then My PhD supervisor, who's a writer, got in touch to say his agent was looking for stuff to read in lockdown."

After going "hell for leather" to finish the book, Ms Quinn, who was struggling to make ends meet, had a nerve-wracking wait while the agent looked for a publisher.

She said: "My stress levels were increasing by the day and my landlady, who was so kind to me, let me pause my rent for three months so I could have a good run at it.

"I'm also extremely lucky that my daughter's dad lives nearby and shares all the childcare with me."

The book, which was released in paperback at the start of August, features in Waterstone's books of the month, The Queen's Reading Room book list and Jenna Bush Hager's book club - Read With Jenna.

Ms Quinn said: "When I was on the Today show and at Clarence House, I probably looked slightly shell shocked because my publishing deal happened online - it was all Zoom meetings because we were still in lockdown - so to come out into the world at such a surreal level and in such surreal places was a real shock to the system."

The Queen said she was "completely enchanted" by the book.

Her review on the Queen's Reading Room website said: "This is an undeniably lovable book about three charming siblings who are determined to seek their own adventures."

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