LISTEN: No Greater Love even made me cry, says author Margaret Dickinson about her new tear-jerker
And her latest, No Greater Love, proves exactly why. This gripping, heart-rending tale that tugs at the heartstrings and transports readers to another time, is full of love, loss and emotional triumph.
It’s Margaret Dickinson at her best – emotionally rich, historically vivid, and deeply human. You'll be gripped from the very first page.
And yes, it’s time to get out the box of tissues, says the so-called ‘Queen of Saga’ Margaret, in an exclusive podcast chat with Graham Walker - listen to the full interview here or press the play button below.
“I always say I have to make myself cry at some point in the story. I have to get the tears myself to know that I've cracked it. In this one I think there's a couple of places.
"The stories just come to me. I'm very lucky in that. I thought everybody had stories coming into their head. I think that's a gift I've been given. I humbly acknowledge that. "
BUY: No Greater Love, published by Pan MacMillan, is out now in hardback and will be available in paperback and as an audiobook from April 24. Get your copy - CLICK HERE.
LISTEN: In our exclusive interview - click here - Margaret talks to about the story behind her latest novel, her choice of title, the themes of love, loss, and personal resilience, and her preference for writing historical sagas. She shares her inspiration from her personal experiences and her affinity for writing about her native counties. Margaret also touches on her future plans, what keeps her inspired after 32 books and gives advice to aspiring writers.
For more than three decades, she has cemented her place as a literary powerhouse , captivating readers with sweeping dramas, set in areas she knows best and against a backdrop of the most turbulent times.
No Greater Love, her 32nd novel, is based in rural Derbyshire in 1904, in the years leading up to WWI. It is a powerful, warm-hearted family drama with all the hallmarks of classic Dickinson.
After suffering a devastating family tragedy and the heartbreak of a broken engagement, Lady Elizabeth Ingham – now going by Lizzie – turns her back on her privileged past and trains to become a nanny.
She finds herself at Alstone-in-the-Dale Manor, caring for a deeply troubled little boy. But as she helps him to heal, Lizzie too finds solace and a second chance at love, just as the world teeters on the edge of war.
It’s a tale of love and loss, of quiet strength and emotional endurance – a reminder of the personal battles fought far from the trenches.
Margaret’s own story is as inspiring as the characters she creates. Born in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, she moved to the coast at the age of seven – the beginning of a lifelong love for the sea and the landscapes of Lincolnshire that would later inspire much of her writing.
Her passion for storytelling began early, and she achieved her dream of becoming a published author at just 25. Since then, she’s penned a rich catalogue of bestselling sagas, including Plough the Furrow, Sow the Seed and Reap the Harvest, which make up her beloved Lincolnshire Fleethaven Trilogy. Other notable works include Fairfield Hall, Jenny’s War, and The Clippie Girls.
A regular fixture on the Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller list, Dickinson is admired not only for her evocative writing and unforgettable characters but also for her remarkable consistency – publishing a new novel every year without fail.
Margaret, who turns 83 on April 30, continues her remarkable run of bestselling novels. No Greater Love is a story you’ll be hard-pressed to put down.
Her new book is set in Derbyshire because she writes about places she knows best and, as the so-called Queen Of Saga, her work is set against the backdrop of world wars to add further conflict to the lives of her characters.
But she explained why she doesn't base her stories during modern conflicts.
"My interest and my themes are in the first half of the 20th century. I don't know enough about what's going on today. I keep up with the news, obviously, but not to write about it, not to have that depth of knowledge of everything that's happening. So I stick to what I've grown up with.
"Sagas are traditionally set in the first half of the 20th century, so you're always running into a war. My books have conflict between the characters. But if you've got the additional conflict of a war going on, it ups the ante.
"I spent over 60 years in Lincolnshire, but we moved to be near a family as we got older so I live in Leicestershire now, but we love Derbyshire. My husband came from Derbyshire, and I also wanted to move out of Lincolnshire a little bit.I feel an affinity with people in Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Nottingham."
She says the most rewarding thrill of being an author is seeing her books for sale in stores and meeting readers. And good news for fans - she has no plans to retire. She is already working on her next novel, due out in March, 2026.
Margaret, so dedicated to her work, will spend her birthday month travelling around the country on signing appearances to promote No Greater Love.
"It's a thrill to walk into a shop and see your books on the shelf, to go out signing and meeting readers and getting feedback.
" I just love what I do. The whole thing of the writing, editing and when a book comes out, getting out and meet the readers. Writing itself is quite a lonely occupation, so it's nice to get out and meet the people who enjoy your work.
"I'm not planning to stop. It'll give me up at some point, probably. But, as long as I can think of the stories, as long as I can type, I'll keep going. I've just had two cataract operations. I can see beautifully now."
She said of her next novel: "I can't tell you the title, I had one, but there is going to be another book published at the same time next year with the one I had thought of. So now it's difficult to think of a title. What I can tell you is it will be based in a Leicestershire town and two girls involved with the suffragette movement, leading up to the First World War. She would love to see her work on TV or the big screen.
"I'd love to see it happen. But if you think about all the saga writers, there's very few that have got on TV. It took Catherine Cookson a long, long time, and some of the well known names still haven't managed it, so I don't lose any sleep over it, but it would be fantastic if it was to happen.”
Her advice for aspiring writers, to get started in the industry, is to read lots of books in the genre you want to be part of.
She said: " Decide what genre you want to write in, whether it's saga or modern, present day, romance or whether it's crime fiction. Read a lot of the books that you admire and analyse them. Why have they got into print? Why have they been published? And then also read the 'how to' book. How to write. And take advice from that.
“Probably one of the most helpful things you can do is to find a really good, established agent. They will advise and guide you."