Laura Pearson's Writing Toolkit

WRITING TOOLKIT gives you an idea of an author's writing process through the tools they use. The tools can be anything (real or virtual) that they think is essential for their writing - serious, fun or even a fetish (that they're willing to own up to)! 

I am delighted to welcome 

LAURA PEARSON

AUTHOR OF MISSING PIECES

TO SHARE HER WRITING TOOLKIT

FOR HER BLOG TOUR

Missing Pieces was published on 21 June 2018 by Agora Books. 

Armchair and footstool

I have an enormous armchair and footstool in my living room and I usually write sitting there. Sometimes I start out at the dining table in the morning, but I almost always end up back in my armchair at some point. I’m not sure why. I suppose I’m just comfortable there.

Laptop

I write on my laptop, using Word. I’ve had a few laptops over the years; my current one is a HP. I’m not fussy. It just has to be reasonably fast and straightforward. My husband takes care of anything technical – if I get a new phone or laptop, he always sets it up for me, and he deals with any issues I have. I know that if I only have my work in progress open, I’ll get a lot more done, but despite that, I often open up Twitter and Facebook and my emails and Netgalley and Amazon, and then I flounder.

Books

I like to have books around me wherever I am. We have bookcases in almost every room of the house. I don’t often refer to a specific book when I’m writing, but it’s important to me that they’re close by. I’m always reading at least two books (usually one is an audiobook), no matter what stage of writing or editing I’m at.

Snacks

I’m a terrible snacker. I’m obsessed with chocolate. I’ve always had a sweet tooth but it was out of control in both my pregnancies and has never really gone back to normal. If I get stuck on something I’m writing, or the words aren’t flowing well, the first thing I do is usually head to the kitchen cupboards. I don’t think I would ever tire of eating cappuccino chocolate bars from Thorntons or Marks and Spencer. Or Cadbury’s Dairy Milk, for that matter.

Writing buddies

I have some really good writing friends. I met two of them, Lia Louis and Rebecca Williams, on Twitter, and we’re all mums to young children and writers, and we have a What’s App group where we talk daily about our successes and failures, our frustrations and our excitements. It helps so much. I’m forever sending them bits of drafts or asking for their advice about stuff. Lia has a novel coming out next year and Rebecca is working on a novel that’s really fresh and original, and I feel really lucky to have them in my pocket (as it were). Another one, Rachael Smart, sort of fell into my life about a year ago and I’ll always be grateful that she did. She’s clever and funny and kind, and reading her words is a bit like stepping out into thick, untouched snow.

Silence

I’ve never tried writing with music on, but I know that if the TV’s on, I get really distracted. Sometimes I try to do a bit of writing while my daughter is napping and my son is watching cartoons, but it never works. When I’m at home alone, I write in complete silence, and that seems to work for me. 

Writing mentor
I’ve had a writing mentor, Gillian McAllister, since last summer. She was supposed to give me two hours of mentoring, and here we are, a year later. Because I signed my deal with Agora quite soon after we met, the mentoring hasn’t so much been about her critiquing my writing (although there’s been some of that) but more about her answering my never-ending questions about the publishing process. She’s very patient, really insightful and a wonderful writer. 

THANKS FOR TAKING PART, LAURA!

About Laura Pearson

Laura Pearson has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Chichester. She lives in Leicestershire with her husband and their two children. Missing Pieces is her first novel.

Find Laura on her website, on her Facebook page and on Twitter - @LauraPAuthor

About Missing Pieces

Published by Agora Books (21 June 2018)

Publisher's description

What if the one thing that kept you together was breaking you apart?

All Linda wants to do is sleep. She won’t look at her husband. She can’t stand her daughter. And she doesn’t want to have this baby. Having this baby means moving on, and she just wants to go back to before. Before their family was torn apart, before the blame was placed.

Alienated by their own guilt and struggling to cope, the Sadler family unravels. They grow up, grow apart, never talking about their terrible secret.

That is until Linda’s daughter finds out she’s pregnant. Before she brings another Sadler into the world, Bea needs to know what happened twenty-five years ago. What did they keep from her? What happened that couldn’t be fixed?

Read my review here.

Follow the Blog Tour

Missing Pieces by Laura Pearson

Missing Pieces
By Laura Pearson
Published by Agora Books (published 21 June 2018)
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher

Publisher's description

What if the one thing that kept you together was breaking you apart?

All Linda wants to do is sleep. She won’t look at her husband. She can’t stand her daughter. And she doesn’t want to have this baby. Having this baby means moving on, and she just wants to go back to before. Before their family was torn apart, before the blame was placed.

Alienated by their own guilt and struggling to cope, the Sadler family unravels. They grow up, grow apart, never talking about their terrible secret.

That is until Linda’s daughter finds out she’s pregnant. Before she brings another Sadler into the world, Bea needs to know what happened twenty-five years ago. What did they keep from her?

What happened that couldn’t be fixed?

My verdict
Missing Pieces is a heart-wrenching book that takes its characters, and its readers, on a rollercoaster journey through grief, as a family comes to terms with the loss of a child. Laura Pearson writes with passion, creating believable characters going through a full spectrum of emotions.

Linda and her family are trying to pick up the pieces after a tragic incident, but Linda in particular isn't coping well at all - struggling through her pregnancy and living with a husband who is slowly drifting away from her. Each of the family members, including seven-year-old Esme, feels responsible for the past.

I like the way the book is structured - a book of two halves, featuring two timelines (1980s and present day). Chapters count the time in days from the tragedy, then swiftly move forward by 25 years. Even the present day chapters show the day count, proving that time doesn't always heal, especially when there are questions to be asked.

I often read books and wonder what happened to the characters afterwards. Missing Pieces provides some answers, showing the impact of so many years tinged with sadness. As the book progresses, there's some mystery and intrigue too, as details of the tragedy gradually surface, when youngest daughter Bea wants to know the truth about what happened all those years ago.

Missing Pieces is a story of families, especially fathers and daughters. It's sad, but also hopeful, with a focus on family ties. The loss of a child is every parent's nightmare, and Laura Pearson has tackled the topic with sensitivity and compassion.