Joy Bounds

I am a retired person who had a long career in social work and social care management. I live on the Suffolk Coast and love to sing, to engage in political discussion, to cook (I have two cookbooks published by Luscious Books), and to develop my practice of mindfulness. I have one son who is an academic historian.

I've been interested in women's equality issues over many years, and have worked with other women to raise the profile and celebrate the achievements of remarkable women both past and present. I have written a local history book entitled A Song of their Own (The History Press 1914) which is about the actions of women in and around Ipswich who contributed to the campaign to get the vote. The research for this book contributed to the development of my new novel, Shining Threads.

I became interested in Ethel Smyth (1858-1944), the composer, when I came across her ‘March of the Women’. This song was the anthem of the suffragette movement, and I was interested to find out more about its composer. I discovered a story of determination and persistence in the face of many obstacles as she tried to get her music accepted in the classical world of the time. It tallied with my interest in ‘forgotten women’ – the lives and achievements of women which have been ignored, dismissed or lain undiscovered over time - and inspired this novel, Shining Threads.

I also self-published in 2012, with Matador, a novel entitled Far From Home, which explores the life of Joan of Arc from the perspective of her mother.

You can see more about my books at www.joybounds.co.uk