Wolverhampton Lit Fest: Author Joanna Toye to tell of Beatties inspiration

Joanna Toye, originally from Solihull, has had an extensive career as a scriptwriter for EastEnders and the longest-running drama, The Archers, on BBC Radio 4.

Now, Joanna has taken to writing novels and has returned to the literature festival to discuss her latest book in the 'Shop Girl' series – The Victory Girls – in a 'Meet the Author' event this Friday4.

The hour-long session will take place at Wolverhampton Art Gallery, ahead of the sixth and last novel in the series which is set to be released in March and is available to pre-order now on Amazon.

Joanna took inspiration for her novels from now closed Beatties department store on Wolverhampton's Dudley Street – which has been captured as 'Marlow's' in the series– after she visited a small exhibition of the store's archives.

Having spent a number of hours at the exhibition and browsing the guest book, Joanna realised how much the store meant to people in Wolverhampton, noting how it previously had a "mythical" quality to it.

Joanna was particularly struck by the role Beatties played during the Second World War – with aircraft stored on the second floor and an air raid shelter in the basement – which provided an "instant plot" for her story.

Set in the 1940s, the 'Shop Girls' series follows Lily Collins who starts working in a Midlands department store, Marlow's, where she forms a friendship with two other girls as they "help each other through a bonded crisis".

"The characters just came fully formed, I knew she'd be called Lily and she'd have brothers," Joanna said, noting how stores such as Beatties were "like palaces" with many people having a special memory or experience in the store.

In between the Covid-19 restrictions, Joanna did talks in Dudley and said that the mention of Beatties "always provokes memories" with it once being a "huge employer" in the city and a place where people would shop or browse for pleasure.

Joanna recalled a memory of her own mother browsing the sales during the Christmas period, noting how it was once the "place to shop", particularly in war time when department stores were so important to the community.

Reflecting on the Beatties building now, Joanna said "it's really sad to see it", but mentioned how lucky she was to have received a behind-the-scenes tour of the building by Beatties staff before it closed.

Joanna met some members of staff who had read her 'Shop Girls' series of books and said that it captured the atmosphere of the store during its heyday.

To find out more about the series, join Joanna Toye at the event on Friday, February 4, from 2-3pm.

For updates about her work, follow Joanna on Twitter @joannatoye and Facebook @joannatoyewriter.