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Jean Gill

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Jean Gill

Goodreads Author


Born
in Aldershot, The United Kingdom
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Influences
every writer I've read or been privileged to meet, such as Sheenagh Pu ...more

Member Since
January 2011

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Award-winning Welsh author and photographer Jean Gill lives in Provence with the best scent-hound in the world, a Nikon D750 and a man. Best known for writing epic medieval adventures in The Troubadours and The Midwinter Dragon series, Jean has published 27 multi-genre books since 1988, including the dog bestseller 'Someone To Look Up To'. Although she’s hung up her beekeeping gloves, she still cares about her wild neighbours, which include boar, badgers, foxes and hares.

For many years, she taught English, and was the first woman to be a secondary headteacher in the Welsh county of Dyfed. She is mother or stepmother to five children so life was hectic. With Scottish parents, Welsh and French residence and an English birthplace, she can usu
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Popular Answered Questions

Jean Gill That is the best thank you any author can have! You are welcome, Laura.
Jean Gill Bonjour from France, Heather.
Start writing. Stop after a chapter/10 pages and think about what you are writing and who for - if you intend publishing…more
Bonjour from France, Heather.
Start writing. Stop after a chapter/10 pages and think about what you are writing and who for - if you intend publishing it, which bookshelf will it go on? We are all so different and you won't know what sort of writer you are until you write. Then the advice means something and it's good to seek enough advice to help but not enough to put you off writing. 'Don't get it right, get it written' works for me. Then, when it's written, I go back to that first draft until I get it right.

The first thing I did when an idea picked me to write it as a novel, was to pick a novel from my bookshelf and calculate how many words were in it. 80,000 words. So that's how big my book had to be. Then I wrote the first scene - 3,000 words. That gave me a feel for how big and complicated the story would have to be to make a book and I started making some notes about the plot and structure.

Good luck with your book!(less)
Average rating: 4.03 · 3,549 ratings · 977 reviews · 50 distinct worksSimilar authors
Song at Dawn: 1150 in Prove...

3.79 avg rating — 923 ratings — published 2011 — 15 editions
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Someone to Look Up To

4.19 avg rating — 619 ratings — published 2010 — 12 editions
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The Ring Breaker: 1139: The...

3.97 avg rating — 322 ratings2 editions
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Bladesong: 1151 in the Holy...

4.14 avg rating — 272 ratings — published 2013 — 12 editions
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How Blue is my Valley: The ...

3.33 avg rating — 230 ratings — published 2008 — 11 editions
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Queen of the Warrior Bees (...

4.01 avg rating — 168 ratings8 editions
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Plaint for Provence: 1152: ...

4.36 avg rating — 140 ratings — published 2015 — 11 editions
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Among Sea Wolves: 1150 The ...

4.45 avg rating — 113 ratings3 editions
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Song Hereafter: 1153 in His...

4.49 avg rating — 109 ratings6 editions
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Arrows Tipped with Honey (N...

4.36 avg rating — 73 ratings — published 2020 — 7 editions
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More books by Jean Gill…

Voice by Jannie


From Regency lovers to bees and trolls, Jannie creates their voices!

Jean Gill, the author of Arrows Tipped With Honey, book 2 in the Natural Forces series, which I recorded recently, has asked me to tell you a bit about myself. You can watch this interview on video if you prefer. I did add a little more in the video!

VIDEO LINK

Jannie: I’m Jannie Meisberger, a British voice actor and audiobo

Read more of this blog post »
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Published on June 03, 2021 00:25
Song at Dawn: 1150 in Provence Bladesong: 1151 in the Holy... Plaint for Provence: 1152: ... Song Hereafter: 1153 in His...
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3.98 avg rating — 1,512 ratings

The Ring Breaker: 1139: The... Among Sea Wolves: 1150 The ... Hunting The Sun: 1151 The W...
(3 books)
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4.12 avg rating — 481 ratings

Queen of the Warrior Bees Arrows Tipped with Honey The World Beyond the Walls
(3 books)
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4.16 avg rating — 301 ratings

Left Out Fortune Kookie
(2 books)
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4.13 avg rating — 38 ratings

No Bed of Roses More Than One Kind
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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 35 ratings

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COURAGE: Tales of...
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Jean’s Recent Updates

COURAGE by Helen Hollick
"This was a whole new genre for me and it seemed a good place to start with short stories.

The books' title, Courage, was spot on as each story depicts courage of men, women and children through the centuries.

There are 15 separate stories and to be hon" Read more of this review »
COURAGE by Helen Hollick
"This collection is written by outstanding authors contributing stories that bring history alive across the centuries and around the world, along with the bravery of men and women from the highest born to slaves and serfs.

The stories are set as far ba" Read more of this review »
COURAGE by Helen Hollick
"Fifteen authors offer short historical fiction about characters who find courage during their unique time on earth, from a Roman province in AD 395 to The Netherlands in 1954, and even a bonus story from "present day anywhere."

Many of the contributor" Read more of this review »
COURAGE by Helen Hollick
"Courage is an anthology of (mostly) historical short stories about courageous characters. The settings span centuries and countries. I liked how the authors had their characters face courage in different ways; some had to stare down their pasts, othe" Read more of this review »
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COURAGE by Helen Hollick
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With Raven Wine by Jean Gill
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Jean Gill answered Judith Worthington's question: Jean Gill
That's lovely to hear! As it's exclusive to my newsletter readers I don't think I can add it on goodreads but thank you so much for asking.
Jean Gill rated a book it was amazing
By Blood, by Salt by J.L.  Odom
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Brilliant! I lived this book!
It’s an epic page-turner set in a fantasy world that drew me in from the start. Tribal and landscape detail accumulated as a natural part of the narrative and the tension never let up. High life-or-death stakes kept me on
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The Star of Ceylon by Clare Flynn
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Deserves to be a bestseller!
Great holiday read! Every bit as good as ‘The Pearl of Penang’ with gripping personal dramas set in 1906 Ceylon. I was completely transported to this exotic location through the lush descriptions and the day-to-day detail
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FATE by Helen Hollick
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Quotes by Jean Gill  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“Everything was a song if you knew how to listen.”
Jean Gill, Bladesong: 1151 in the Holy Land

“Power does not always shout its presence, my Lady, and each of the two hundred men armed behind you on this road represent a thousand more ready to die at your command. Every word you speak has the weight of those men.”
Jean Gill, Song at Dawn: 1150 in Provence
tags: power

“And then the great music of which the world is made took him over, beyond thought, beyond control until he heard her cry his name and they fell together off the edge of the world.”
Jean Gill, Song at Dawn: 1150 in Provence

Topics Mentioning This Author

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Game Night: This topic has been closed to new comments. Spelling Hornets Casual Scrabble 151 33 Sep 05, 2016 09:10AM  
English Translati...: * Norway 52 816 Aug 28, 2017 05:46AM  
WACKY READING CHA...: Once Upon a Time 153 200 Dec 21, 2017 08:25PM  
WACKY READING CHA...: Ellis Island 103 85 Jul 02, 2018 05:24PM  
“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”
Shel Silverstein

“My friend, blood shaking my heart
The awful daring of a moment’s surrender
Which an age of prudence can never retract
By this, and this only, we have existed
Which is not to be found in our obituaries
Or in memories draped by the beneficent spider
Or under seals broken by the lean solicitor
In our empty rooms”
T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land, Prufrock and Other Poems

“The feelings I don't have I don't have.
The feelings I don't have, I won't say I have.
The felings you say you have, you don't have.
The feelings you would like us both to have, we
neither of us have.”
D. H. Lawrence

“And then the great music of which the world is made took him over, beyond thought, beyond control until he heard her cry his name and they fell together off the edge of the world.”
Jean Gill, Song at Dawn: 1150 in Provence

“It’s not the one who climbs beneath your bedcovers who satisfies you. It is the one who climbs beneath your skin.”
Sawyer Belle, Love of a Lioness

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ALL GENRE COMMUNITY OF BOOK LOVERS-Perfect for those interested in good books of any genre, film and lively discussion!- from current fiction, thrille ...more
45566 Q & A with Jean Gill - CLOSED — 2 members — last activity May 01, 2011 07:13AM
Dear readers and writers, It's a pleasure meeting with you here in Goodreads. From 25th April until 9th May, you may ask me questions about 'Someone ...more
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Comments (showing 1-4)    post a comment »
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message 4: by Jean

Jean Gill Kristin wrote: "Fascinating story behind the book, 4.5 years. My husband's father was a prisoner of war for 3 years and he never said too much about it, but you could see that it was a terrible experience for him..."

I think one effect of reading the book is that it enables people who've known similar situations - any kind of 'prison' - to talk about their experiences. Dave was so young and yet so enterprising in the ways he made contact with other prisoners - through maths and music. I wanted to call it 'Private Taylor's Accordion' but for him it was always '4.5 years' stolen from his life. And there was no post-traumatic stress counselling in those days...


message 3: by Jean (last edited Apr 30, 2012 07:15AM)

Jean Gill Ellen wrote: "Hi Jean! Thank you for connecting with me. I put your book Someone to Look Up to on my shelf, it looks wonderful.
Have a great day!
Ellen"


Thanks Ellen - hope you enjoy 'Someone to look up to'
Regards, Jean


Kristin Gleeson Fascinating story behind the book, 4.5 years. My husband's father was a prisoner of war for 3 years and he never said too much about it, but you could see that it was a terrible experience for him. This made me realize it even more.


message 1: by Ellen

Ellen Maze Hi Jean! Thank you for connecting with me. I put your book Someone to Look Up to on my shelf, it looks wonderful.
Have a great day!
Ellen


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