From Retirement to Authorship

Welcome to the website of author Gwen Wilson, aka blogger Garrulous Gwendoline The Reluctant Retiree…

With a few twists and turns along the way, life after forced retirement chose to reinvent me as an author.

Explore this website to learn more about me, my memoir I Belong to No One, and my debut historical novel, Louisa.

Or simply enjoy my blog posts, an eclectic mix of exhilarating travel adventures and random philosophical musings.

I belong to no one
  • Join Me for the Book Launch of LOUISA on May 29, 2026, in Wollongong, NSW

    Join Me for the Book Launch of LOUISA on May 29, 2026, in Wollongong, NSW

    Mark your calendars for the launch of Louisa on May 29, 2026, at The Links Seaside in Wollongong! It kicks off at 2pm, and attendance is free, so don’t forget to book your spot. Plus, author Suzanne Leal, known for her award-winning novels, will be in the mix!

  • Embracing Louisa, an Historical Novel: Reflections on Release

    I was numb. We had ridden in the mourning coach all the way from Shipley, up the Otley Road to Undercliffe Cemetery. I could hear the horses’ bridles clinking as they pulled in unison, plodding through the soot-blackened slush. Ahead, another team dragged the hearse. I kept my eyes down. I didn’t want to see…

  • Celebrating Creativity – Louisa has her say.

    What an exhilarating week I’ve had. In my “spare” time I’ve been replaying interviews recorded in 2015 – at the time promoting the release of my memoir I Belong to No One – in which I confidently assert my future plans to write a book based on the life of my great-grandmother, Louisa Whitley. It…