Elaine Spires is a novelist, playwright and actress. Extensive travelling and a background in education and tourism perfected Elaine's keen eye for the quirky characteristics of people, captivating the humorous observations she now affectionately shares with the readers of her novels. A proud Daughter of Dagenham, Elaine now lives in neighbouring Essex.

  • A Town in Essex by Elaine Spires

    A Town in Essex

    The year is 1935 and Dagenham is a thriving town. Milly Brightwell’s shop and factory are going from strength to strength... Find out More

  • A Village in the Country by Elaine Spires

    A Village in the Country

    Change is in the air. For the families in Dagenham Village, life will never be the same again... Find out More

  • The Banjo: Book Two by Elaine Spires

    The Banjo: Book Two

    The 1970s. Zany fashions brought the Decade That Taste Forgot. Change is in the air... Find out More

  • The Single Best Thing by Elaine Spires

    The Single Best Thing

    Bringing the Singles’ Series to its final conclusion... Find out More

  • Singles, Set & Match by Elaine Spires

    Singles, Set & Match

    The fifth and final book in the Singles’ Series takes us to Ibiza... Find out More

  • Singles at Sea by Elaine Spires

    Singles at Sea

    Against a backdrop of the majestic, magnificent mountains of the silent, resplendent Fjords, tour manager Eve's personal life starts to unravel... Find out More

  • The Banjo, Book One by Elaine Spires

    The Banjo: Book One

    It's 1952 and the Whites have been offered a house beyond their wildest dreams... Find out More

  • Holiday Reads by Elaine Spires

    Holiday Reads 2

    More quirky stories with holiday connections for reading on the plane, on the beach or by the pool... Find out More

  • Single all the Way by Elaine Spires

    Single all the Way

    Travel Together Tour Manager Eve Mitchell is planning a quiet Christmas at home to rest and relax before a special New Year... Find out More

  • Holiday Reads by Elaine Spires

    Holiday Reads

    Seven women, each with a different holiday problem. Meet, Olivia, Estelle, Shelley, Alison, Eloise and Karla.... Find out More

  • Singles & Spice by Elaine Spires

    Singles & Spice

    A singles' holiday to India's Golden Triangle - Taj Mahal, the pink city of Jaipur, tiger-spotting, the noisy, crowded streets of Delhi...

    Find out More

  • Sweet Lady by Elaine Spires

    Sweet Lady

    When celebrity artist Eleanor West and her daughter Victoria take a winter holiday in Antigua, their lives are changed forever...

    Find out More

  • What's Eating Me by Elaine Spires

    What's Eating Me

    ...the story of Eileen Holloway, an obese woman; single parent to two difficult teenage boys...

    Find out More


  • Singles' Holiday Me by Elaine Spires

    Singles' Holiday

    Antigua... the Caribbean at its most luscious, its most beautiful... silver sand, cobalt sky, warm...

    Find out More

Elaine is the creator of several stage plays, including the adaptation of her novel Singles’ Holiday, plus the HAMA TV series Paradise View and the co-writer of Only the Lonely, winner of the Groucho Club Best Short Film 2019.

Elaine has recently started a podcast — Going round the Banjo: the Dagenham Story Podcast available here. She has recently produced a pilot episode of A Village in the Country which she dreams a local TV production company will pick up and turn into a four-season series based on her Dagenham Story books.

Elaine is an entertaining and informative after-dinner and motivational speaker and eulogist. She is represented by Karen Struel-White.

To book her services please contact Karen Struel-White via email on ksw@kswproductions.com or phone 07850 278368.

Online Spanish, English & Drama Lessons

Elaine now offers YOU the opportunity to work with her in improving your own Spanish, English or Drama skills via Skype at a time to suit yourself. A tailor-made scheme of work will be offered to best meet your linguistic needs. Click here to find out more.

Novels By Elaine Spires

Click on a novel below for information or to purchase your copy.

What's Eating Me

What's Eating Me, was Elaine's first novel which tells the story of Eileen Holloway, a forty-four year-old mother of two, stroppy, demanding teenage boys. She works hard to give them a good home life while holding down a very stressful full job and keeping her overbearing mother happy. The way she does this is by overeating. And then one day Eileen gets the chance of a lifetime; she is chosen to appear on the reality TV show Barbara’s Beautiful Bodies – a show that promises to change her life for better and for ever...

Order your copy today!

Praise for What's Eating Me

"A truly enjoyable read. Entertaining, at times hilariously funny, it describes the difficulties in the life of a big woman who, despite all the obstacles she faces, never gives up. Reading "What's eating me" will make you connect with Eileen, the main character, and - if you are not struggling with weight - you will finally understand that the problem is much bigger than simply dieting and exercising self-control.... A book that makes you laugh and a book that makes you think. Can only recommend it."
- B P

"This is an amazing novel. It really understands the psyche of the binge eater and it's written with real tenderness. There are some laugh-out-loud moments and some sob-sob ones. I can't recommend it enough. Excellent."
- LM

"This book is a great read. It makes you laugh, it makes you cry. The story is so real and believable that many people will identify with it. Who hasn't opened the fridge time and time again hoping that a bar of chocolate will have magically appeared in there? I couldn't put this book down it is a brilliant first novel and is destined to be a success."
- SR

Singles' Holiday

Elaine Spires' second novel was Single's Holiday, set on her beloved Antigua... the Caribbean at its most luscious, its most beautiful... silver sand, cobalt sky, warm, turquoise sea... and a bunch of complete strangers who only have one thing in common: they’re single! Some are looking for romance and some for something more... but they've all chosen to spend their holiday with people they have never met before. And pretty soon some become great friends, some enemies and some lovers, but it is perhaps their tour leader Eve who has the biggest shock of all. Glorious days on the beach, boozy, balmy nights and a pending tropical storm combine in a story to make you laugh and cry with just the right number of twists to keep you turning the pages as you get to know all the members of the group as they, in turn, get to know each other.

Order your copy today!

Praise for Singles' Holiday

"Finished Singles Holiday last week, what a treat, I limited myself to a chapter each day and loved the journey the book took me on, reminded me so much of my holidays and the people I have met. Loved the bunch of singles you put together and how they interacted with each other. Keep up the good work you have a lovely easy reading style that makes your books a joy to read."
- PP (Durham)

"I loved it!"
- CW (Stockport)

"Elaine, just finished your new book. Really enjoyed it. Thank you so much for putting pen to paper, it's been compulsive reading!"
- MM (Durham)

"I loved it from the very first page – very true to life and a cracking good story. I really felt like I was one of the group!"
- PY (Devon)

"What's Eating Me was great – but Singles' Holiday is even better! Two very different stories but both brilliant reads and I never saw the twists coming in either book. Keep them coming, Elaine!"
- HS (Wiltshire)

"Bloody brilliant! I laughed out loud all the way through."
- LM (Glasgow)

"I loved that each chapter was a day of the holiday and so the story unfolded with all the back stories emerging as the week went on. A great book."
- KF (Essex)

Sweet Lady

Elaine Spires' third novel, Sweet Lady, has arrived! When celebrity artist Eleanor West and her daughter Victoria take a winter holiday in Antigua it's with the idea of recharging their batteries before Eleanor's upcoming exhibition. But when beach boy Tyrone walks into their lives, nothing will ever be the same again...

Order your copy today!

Praise for Sweet Lady

"A thoroughly enjoyable read, I couldn't put it down. The twist at the end took me by suprise, I did not see that coming. More please."
- LE

"I really enjoyed this book, lots of twists and turns from the outset.It challenges your attitudes towards relationships, things are not always what they seem! It made me laugh and it made me cry, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Looking forward to the next book from Elaine."
- WF

"All three books by Elaine Spires have been so different from each other yet each is equally enjoyable. Although Sweet Lady is shorter than the other two, I don't think she could have fitted in any more twists and turns - and I didn't see any of them coming! Elaine is a master of the unexpected. The characters and dialogue are totally believable. I loved this book and highly recommend it."
- LM

Singles & Spice

A singles' holiday to India's Golden Triangle - Taj Mahal, the pink city of Jaipur, tiger-spotting in Ranthambore, the noisy, crowded streets of Delhi - all go to make up a trip that is hot, humid and spicy. Eve Mitchell, Travel Together's tour manager extraordinaire has a couple of familiar faces in her little group of travellers and others that she hasn't met before; sexy man-eating pensioners, a compulsive over-eater, a constant whiner and a man with a personal problem.

And there's a big surprise awaiting someone -and Eve - early one morning. By the end of the tour, which sees our group travelling by coach, rickshaw, train and elephant, she will know rather more about some of their innermost secrets than she'd like. But Eve deals with all the twists and turns the trip throws at her as we come to understand what makes people travel the world with a bunch of complete strangers and appreciate the success that is a singles' holiday...

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Praise for Singles & Spice

"The second 'Singles' book sees us off to India a place very close to my heart. Elaine has got the descriptions of all the places visited just right. I was transported immediately. This is a book you will want to swallow in one gulp, once you start to read you become immersed with the characters new and old, it's funny, romantic, sad and for me nostalgic."

"Fantastic Read!"

Holiday Reads

Holiday Reads

Short stories for your sun-lounger - or wherever! Seven women, each with a different holiday problem. Meet, Olivia, who wishes she wasn't on a tennis holiday; Estelle, alone on a cruise; Fiona who's flying too close for comfort; Shelley, who shouldn't have got involved with a foreigner; Alison who finds our her husband's off on a cruise - but not with her!; Eloise who's having a rotten time in Ibiza and Karla who's desperate for her family holiday in Corfu to go well

Download your copy of Holiday Reads today!

Holiday Reads 2

More quirky stories with holiday connections for reading on the plane, on the beach or by the pool, your back garden on a sunny afternoon or curled up on the sofa if it's raining.

Download your copy of Holiday Reads 2 today!

Single all the Way

Travel Together Tour Manager Eve Mitchell is planning a quiet Christmas at home to rest and relax before a special New Year. But she soon, very unexpectedly, finds herself in the depths of the Essex countryside looking after a singles' group which contains some old, familiar faces and some pleasant - and not so pleasant - new ones. With its country walks, quizzes, disco and black-tie ball, the Christmas and Twixmas Break passes quickly, but just as they think it's all over the plot takes a twist and we learn some dark secrets...

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Praise for Single all the Way

"Really enjoyed it. I was sorry to get to the end. You laugh out loud and you need a tissue."
- AL

"A great start to my Christmas reading."
- JB

"The writing is witty with some lively, interesting characters. I had a good giggle reading it and at one point roared out loud."
- WW

"Please don't let this be the last Singles' story!"
- LE

The Banjo: Book One

It's 1952 and Britain is slowly climbing out of the austerity of the immediate post-war years when Dolly White gets the letter she and her husband Jack have been yearning for: they are going to live in a brand new, five-roomed house on the Heath Park Estate, Dagenham. A home in Cromwell Close is beyond the wildest dreams of the Whites and the other seven families whose fortunes, dramas, losses, dreams and lives we share while they all rub along together in neighbourly harmony in The Banjo...

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Praise for The Banjo: Book One

"A beautiful book which shows a realistic, entertaining view of working-class life in post-war Britain."

Singles at Sea

On a sunny afternoon at the end of July The Viking Queen sets sail in all her splendour from the London Cruise Centre at Tilbury, down the River Thames towards the sea at the start of a cruise to Amsterdam and the Norwegian Fjords with some Travel Together singles on-board. As the group is only twelve strong and she already knows three of them, tour manager extraordinaire Eve Mitchell naively asks herself 'What could possibly go wrong?' Before long she finds out. Eccentric twins; a grieving young widow; a pensioner with a very risqué part-time job; a myopic millionaire looking for love; a recovering alcoholic and someone who's not quite what they seem, form the motley crew of shipmates who make Eve rue her words. Professional and polished as always, as she weaves her tour manager magic against a backdrop of the majestic, magnificent mountains of the silent, resplendent Fjords, Eve's personal life starts to unravel. This fourth book in the Singles' Series will have you hooked from start to finish.

Order your copy today!

Praise for Singles at Sea

"Elaine Spires combines the story-telling skills of Maeve Binchy with the raunch of Sylvia Day"

Singles, Set & Match

The fifth and final book in the Singles’ Series takes us to the Ibiza, the sparkling jewel of the Mediterranean then back to the vibrant, sultry Caribbean island of Antigua, where it all began.

After making a hard decision two years earlier Eve Mitchell has moved on with the hand that life has dealt her and she finds herself on the White Island working a tennis holiday. While it isn’t a job she would have chosen, in her typical pragmatic way Eve gets on with it, working hard to ensure that her diverse group of singles, with their hopes, expectations character flaws and baggage, have the best time possible. And as she binds together tennis sessions, social gatherings, meals and trips Eve hears some tragic personal news that brings her to another crossroads in her life. Will she and her soulmate Melv finally make a life together and have their happily ever after?

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Praise for Singles, Set & Match

"You will get hooked!"

"I loved this book,Elaine can really paint pictures with words and I felt like I had been transported to Ibiza."

"An escapist and enjoyable read that makes for perfect summer reading, Elaine Spires’ fifth and final book in the Singles’ Series, Singles Set and Match, is a fantastic tale that is as uplifting and invigorating as an exotic holiday."

The Single Best Thing

Almost four years have passed since Eve answered the door to find Melv had followed her from Antigua refusing to throw away their chance of lasting love and happiness. Much has happened in that time. No longer a tour manager for Travel Together, Eve is enjoying success and celebrity as a self-published author. But was she able to be open and honest with Melv about her own secret? And could she forgive him for hurting her so deeply? Is loving someone simply enough?

Provoking smiles and tears this glimpse into Eve’s future brings the Singles’ Series to its final conclusion.

Order your copy today!

Praise for The Single Best Thing

"Elaine never disappoints another brilliant book."

"Fabulous fitting conclusion to a wonderful series."

The Banjo: Book Two

The 1970s. Zany fashions brought the Decade That Taste Forgot. Change is in the air. Decimal currency; the Common Market; widespread strikes; the Winter of Discontent; IRA bombings; the sale of Council houses and quickie divorces make their mark on the whole country including the community of the Banjo. The eight households who live in Cromwell Close experience births, deaths, marriages, shocks and surprises but as the 70s become the 80s and beyond Dagenham undergoes great transformation. The once close-knit Community is changing.

Order your copy today!

Praise for The Banjo: Book Two

"Another triumph. I consumed it."

"Heartwarming and heartbreaking. It’s a moving reflection of what living in the area has been like for the past 50 years."

"Absolutely wonderful."

"Brilliant writing."

A Village in the Country

Change is in the air.

It’s November 1918 and the whole nation comes together to give thanks for the end of a bloody world war that has left few families unscathed. More than seven hundred thousand men have perished; those fortunate enough to return are mere shadows of the men who left. Women who have kept the country going by working in munitions factories and picking fruit and vegetables on farms and in market gardens are expected to give up their jobs to the men returning home. In the peaceful Essex village of Dagenham Milly Brightwell is among the women who are not happy at having to take a step back in peacetime as she dreams and makes plans of becoming her own boss.

But just as life returns to post-war normal, the London County Council announces its plans to build more than twenty-five thousand Homes for Heroes on the farmland and countryside surrounding Dagenham. Within the space of ten years the population will rocket to a hundred thousand people and the quiet country village will morph into the largest housing estate in Europe. For the families in Dagenham Village looking forward to better times in the 1920s, life will never be the same again.

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Praise for A Village in the Country

"A thoroughly engaging read"

"Another good book of Elaine Spires."

A Town in Essex

The year is 1935 and Dagenham is a thriving town. Milly Brightwell’s shop and factory are going from strength to strength and her home-life with her husband Viking and niece Ethel is idyllic until a secret from the past irreparably splits the family in two. Newcomers, Hetty Sears and her son Bill, the Pitfields and the O’Reillys have settled into the town, making friends, working hard and enjoying the social life the town has to offer. Then suddenly, Dagenham and its people find themselves under the shadow of World War II and life will once again change for the tight-knit working community. As bombs rain down on them and their young men are sent off to war those left fighting on the home front refuse to be cowed by Hitler or the Luftwaffe.

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Praise for A Town in Essex

"What can I say, yet another great read!!"

"The fourth book about Dagenham and as with the previous three I could not put it down."

Journal Entry:

October 2024

13 Sunday

Social Media is a funny old place. I’m slowly learning not to voice opinions on X (formerly known as Twitter) as there are some very nasty people out there. Troll

Read more from Elaine's journal

Hot Holidays

Each week someone very interesting will be telling us all their holiday and travel tips and secrets!

Latest Guest: Kitty French

Today it’s my turn on the Blog Tour for Kitty French’s new book MELODY BITTERSWEET AND THE GIRLS’ GHOSTBUSTING AGENCY, which came out on 14th July. It’s an absolutely hilariou...

Read more Hot Holidays


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