I recently read and reviewed Let it snow by Beth Moran and loved it! I had the opportunity for a quick interview with her.
Beth lives in Sherwood Forest country with her husband, a very friendly cocker spaniel Murphy and usually a teenager who they'll be fostering too. She has three adult children, the youngest of which left home earlier this year. Some very exciting news is that her first book will be rereleased soon with the new title Because You Loved Me (probably in January) and she is also nearly finished a new book which will be available in the spring! This one is about a woman who moves in with her twin brother and his two hopeless housemates, who then make a deal with her to reduce her rent if she helps them with their non-existent love-lives. Like all her books, it features family, friendship and a sprinkling of romance. It sounds like a great one to look out for!
When did you first call yourself a writer?
When I first started writing a book I initially was going to keep it quiet because it seemed like such an ‘out-there’ thing to do. However, I soon realised that if I was going to take it seriously, I needed to treat it like my job, so I started calling my writing ‘work’, and gave up my other part-time role teaching antenatal classes. I was still too embarrassed to call myself a writer until 3 years later, on the day I received my first publishing deal. I’d gone to buy my son a new phone, and they asked me what my job title was. I was inwardly bouncing up and down when I replied that I was a writer!
Which of the characters do you relate to the most and why?
I think that every character I write must contain something of me in there, but when I wrote my first book (released later this year with the new title, Because You Loved Me), I felt like the main character, Marion, was the me I could have been if my life had been different. She is overcoming childhood mutism, and I too struggled with Selective Mutism throughout my childhood and twenties, so I have always had a soft spot for her.
What inspired the idea for your book?
It’s cheesy but true – the initial idea for Let it Snow came from a dream! I had a vivid dream where a young woman had gone back home to see her family, and was desperately trying to find something suitable to wear for a job interview. A man was helping her, but she was annoyed because she knew her family all wanted her to get together with him. He was the son of family friends, but she’d always thought he was an irritating geek. As the dream went on, he turned out to be lovely, and the woman’s opinion softened completely. The emotions were so powerful when I woke up that I wrote it all down, thinking it might make the basis for a good story one day.
If your book were made into a movie, which actors would play your characters?
I genuinely find this question impossible to answer! I think out of all my books, Let it Snow would make a good film, but in my head the characters look how they look and I don’t know anyone else who could play them!!
If you didn’t write, what would you do for work?
I’m also a foster carer for teenagers, which can take up a lot of time and energy. If I didn’t write, I would love to foster teenage mums and their babies.
If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose?
If this can include anyone, then I’d spend it with C.S. Lewis. If it has to be someone living, I’d love to hang out with Kristan Higgins for a day. She’s fun, friendly and full of wisdom.
How do you celebrate when you finish your book?
It’s hard to know when a book is finished… when I finish a first draft and send it to my editor and agent I treat myself to a couple of days off to drink tea, read and then catch up on all the jobs I’ve left undone while racing to get finished, like clean my house and get a haircut. At that point, however, I know there will still be editing, copy edits and proofreading to be done, so for me the real celebration is publication day. I usually go out to my favourite restaurant and have a glass of prosecco.
What is your favorite childhood book?
That’s a tricky one, there are so many! I must have read the Enormous Crocodile by Roald Dhal hundreds of times and could quite happily read it a hundred more. For older fiction, I grew up a Tolkien geek and still love The Hobbit.
What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
I’ve found that at about 40,000 words in (out of 90,000), every book I’ve written becomes the Worst Book Ever, so I’ve had to learn to push on through my mid-book doldrums. Often this is a good time to go back to the start and read what I’ve written so far. I’m always surprised that somewhere in there a book is actually taking shape!
Do you have a message for your readers?
I had so much fun writing Bea’s story in Let it Snow – I do hope that you enjoy reading it just as much! It means the world that there are people out there willing to give my stories a try, so a HUGE thank you to every reader who has helped make my dream come true. One of the best things about being an author is when readers get in touch, so do feel free to let me know what you think!
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Beth's books can be found here on Amazon
It's been great getting to know you and I'm looking forward to your future books and re-release!
Beth lives in Sherwood Forest country with her husband, a very friendly cocker spaniel Murphy and usually a teenager who they'll be fostering too. She has three adult children, the youngest of which left home earlier this year. Some very exciting news is that her first book will be rereleased soon with the new title Because You Loved Me (probably in January) and she is also nearly finished a new book which will be available in the spring! This one is about a woman who moves in with her twin brother and his two hopeless housemates, who then make a deal with her to reduce her rent if she helps them with their non-existent love-lives. Like all her books, it features family, friendship and a sprinkling of romance. It sounds like a great one to look out for!
When I first started writing a book I initially was going to keep it quiet because it seemed like such an ‘out-there’ thing to do. However, I soon realised that if I was going to take it seriously, I needed to treat it like my job, so I started calling my writing ‘work’, and gave up my other part-time role teaching antenatal classes. I was still too embarrassed to call myself a writer until 3 years later, on the day I received my first publishing deal. I’d gone to buy my son a new phone, and they asked me what my job title was. I was inwardly bouncing up and down when I replied that I was a writer!
Which of the characters do you relate to the most and why?
I think that every character I write must contain something of me in there, but when I wrote my first book (released later this year with the new title, Because You Loved Me), I felt like the main character, Marion, was the me I could have been if my life had been different. She is overcoming childhood mutism, and I too struggled with Selective Mutism throughout my childhood and twenties, so I have always had a soft spot for her.
What inspired the idea for your book?
It’s cheesy but true – the initial idea for Let it Snow came from a dream! I had a vivid dream where a young woman had gone back home to see her family, and was desperately trying to find something suitable to wear for a job interview. A man was helping her, but she was annoyed because she knew her family all wanted her to get together with him. He was the son of family friends, but she’d always thought he was an irritating geek. As the dream went on, he turned out to be lovely, and the woman’s opinion softened completely. The emotions were so powerful when I woke up that I wrote it all down, thinking it might make the basis for a good story one day.
If your book were made into a movie, which actors would play your characters?
I genuinely find this question impossible to answer! I think out of all my books, Let it Snow would make a good film, but in my head the characters look how they look and I don’t know anyone else who could play them!!
If you didn’t write, what would you do for work?
I’m also a foster carer for teenagers, which can take up a lot of time and energy. If I didn’t write, I would love to foster teenage mums and their babies.
If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose?
If this can include anyone, then I’d spend it with C.S. Lewis. If it has to be someone living, I’d love to hang out with Kristan Higgins for a day. She’s fun, friendly and full of wisdom.
How do you celebrate when you finish your book?
It’s hard to know when a book is finished… when I finish a first draft and send it to my editor and agent I treat myself to a couple of days off to drink tea, read and then catch up on all the jobs I’ve left undone while racing to get finished, like clean my house and get a haircut. At that point, however, I know there will still be editing, copy edits and proofreading to be done, so for me the real celebration is publication day. I usually go out to my favourite restaurant and have a glass of prosecco.
What is your favorite childhood book?
That’s a tricky one, there are so many! I must have read the Enormous Crocodile by Roald Dhal hundreds of times and could quite happily read it a hundred more. For older fiction, I grew up a Tolkien geek and still love The Hobbit.
What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
I’ve found that at about 40,000 words in (out of 90,000), every book I’ve written becomes the Worst Book Ever, so I’ve had to learn to push on through my mid-book doldrums. Often this is a good time to go back to the start and read what I’ve written so far. I’m always surprised that somewhere in there a book is actually taking shape!
Do you have a message for your readers?
I had so much fun writing Bea’s story in Let it Snow – I do hope that you enjoy reading it just as much! It means the world that there are people out there willing to give my stories a try, so a HUGE thank you to every reader who has helped make my dream come true. One of the best things about being an author is when readers get in touch, so do feel free to let me know what you think!
Website
Beth's books can be found here on Amazon
It's been great getting to know you and I'm looking forward to your future books and re-release!
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