Della Galton’s Writing Journey
Della Galton’s Writing Journey
Welcome to Della Galton’s Writing Journey, another in the occasional series of guest posts by authors who reveal their journey to getting published. I have read several of Della’s wonderful short stories in women’s magazines so it’s great to hear more about her writing experience.
Over to Della:
I think my love of writing comes from a very early love of reading. My grandma taught me to read before I went to school, and later I used to accompany her to Samaritans, where she was a volunteer. I remember there being a bookcase there with a huge variety of paperbacks, and while Gran was distracted on the phone, I would be reading all sorts of totally unsuitable things for an eight year old, from Jilly Cooper to Sven Hassell. I loved them all.
The first thing I ever had in print was a poem in Pony Magazine when I was eight. I suspect they bought it more for my age than for its literary merit. All I remember is that it rhymed and the first few lines went something like this:
The stallion rolled his eyes and lifted his massive head.
His coat was dark, his lips were mean,
and his hooves were steel tipped lead.
I can’t remember the rest, but I do wish I’d kept a copy of that magazine.
I think I’ve improved a bit since then. I cut my teeth properly by writing for the women’s magazine market which I adored.
My first story came out in 1987. If I say it quick it doesn’t sound so long ago J and I managed to become a full time writer in 2000 purely by writing short stories for mags such as Woman’s Weekly, Take a Break, People’s Friend and My Weekly. I used to write three stories a week and I’ve sold over 2000 pieces to magazines now, so that was a brilliant training ground.
Sadly, the fiction slots are much diminished now, so today I mostly write full length romcoms. Currently I’m contracted to write two a year for Boldwood Books, and I returned to my first love, animals. I have two animal related series going at the moment. My Puddleduck Farm series focuses on a New Forest vet, and her turbulent love life. I adore Phoebe, and I wanted to be a vet when I was younger, but wasn’t academic enough. Writing about one is the next best thing.
The other series I’m currently writing, the Duck Pond Cottage series is about a feisty young woman, Jade Foster, who runs a Wiltshire animal sanctuary, called Duck Pond Rescue. I love Jade. There are definitely autobiographical notes in Jade. Me when I was a lot younger, and of course there are plenty of animals, too.
My next novel, One In A Million, is due out on 6 February 2026 and is a complete departure from animals. Like all my novels it has a fair bit of humour, it’s lovely to be uplifted when reading, but this one explores some rather darker themes than my romcoms, and Sarah-Jane, SJ to her friends, is my all-time favourite character. I adore her. I adore writing, and it’s brilliant that so many readers seem to like my books too. Thank you so much for letting me share my writing journey on your blog.
About Della
Della Galton is a bestselling novelist, short story writer and journalist with over 30 years’ experience. Publishing credits include: 35 novels and novellas, and over 2000 short stories.
She is also a qualified Adult Education tutor and has been teaching for 25 years, which she loves.
Her passions are writing and dogs. Her novels are published by Boldwood. For more information about Della, you can find her on Facebook, Instagram or X.
Social Media
https://www.facebook.com/DailyDella/
https://www.instagram.com/dellagalton/
Four of Della’s current novels
A New Family at Puddleduck Farm
A New Arrival at Duck Pond Cottage
Summer Secrets at Duck Pond Cottage
One In A Million
More Publication Journeys
I hope you enjoyed Della Galton’s Writing Journey. Here are links to other authors who share their Publication Journey stories on this blog: