By Audrey Anderson
Hometown Weekly Correspondent
On Wednesday, April 12, at the Islington Branch of the Westwood Public Library, author Jane Healy discussed her March 2023 release, Goodnight from Paris. She presented an informative slide show of characters and scenes from her novel and then answered questions from the audience.
According to Jane, she “loves to write about lesser-known women in history,” including “how they changed their lives and made a difference” in the world. Goodnight from Paris relates the courageous story of American actress Drue Leyton, who was known from her roles in three Charlie Chan movies in the 1930s. At the beginning of World War II, she moved to Paris to broadcast for the Voice of America/Paris Mondial.
Along with other expatriates such as Dorothy Thompson, Josephine Baker, and Sylvia Beach, she eventually assisted the French resistance and personally rescued American, Canadian, and British pilots.
Jane’s previous historical novels include her debut novel, The Saturday Evening Girls Club, The Beantown Girls (a Washington Post and Amazon Charts Bestseller), and The Secret Stealers (an Amazon First Reads Editor’s Pick and an Historical Novel Society’s Editor’s Choice pick). She is also the host of the Historical Happy Hour, a monthly webinar and podcast that includes interviews with other historical fiction authors.
When asked about her writing schedule, Jane said that she works with a weekly word-count goal based on the due date for her current project. If she falls behind during a week, she makes up the word count on the following weekend, so she will still be on schedule to make the deadline. This is a great example for all writers to follow, whether they are still in school or if they write as part of their jobs.
Now that Goodnight from Paris has been published, Jane is working on a new project. She told a few friends and family members about a couple of ideas she had and “ended up talking herself out of them.” So, she is keeping the subject of her new book a secret.
To support their favorite writers, Jane encouraged the audience in Islington to tell their friends, libraries, and book clubs about books they like. She also suggested that they write social media posts and post online reviews, as well as subscribe to the writers’ podcasts and YouTube Channels.
