Louise Beech's Writing Toolkit

I am delighted to be today's stop on the blog tour for Maria in the Moon by Louise Beech. Louise is taking part in my new blog feature, sharing her essential writing toolkit. Maria in the Moon is being published by Orenda Books on 30 September 2017.

I am delighted to welcome 

LOUISE BEECH

AUTHOR OF MARIA IN THE MOON

TO SHARE HER WRITING TOOLKIT

An early hour

Yes, I am insane. I work best earlier on rather than later in the day. Many writers I know do it late into the night. That’s not for me. Aside from the fact that I work evenings in a theatre, my brain is mush once you get me past about six pm. I get up at about seven am, even if I’ve worked late the night before, and am at my desk by eight am. This is when my ideas and thoughts are the freshest. I’m usually good until about three pm (with lunch and a walk or work-out in between).

Tidiness

I am totally OCD. I cannot work in chaos. My head is a complete mess most of the time, so I need my surroundings to be spotless and in order. I’m the first to admit that I need serious help. But when my environment is immaculate I feel I can go wild and let rip with the words. Makes no sense, but it’s true. Don’t tell anyone, but I can’t go to bed and leave messy cushions. There I’ve said it. Come and cart me away.

Music

Oh, I need that music. It inspires me. Certain songs get me in a certain mood. There are entire albums that remind me now of the time I wrote particular novels. I’ll listen to just about anything. At the moment I’m loving everything by The Weeknd. His gritty, dark lyrics match the mood of novel five at times.

Swearwords

I’m terrible for swearing. I’m not a very good typist (two fingers, one from each hand, haha) and so there’s quite a bit of cursing when my brain goes faster than my hands can! Sometimes, if I forget someone else is on the house, they come downstairs to ask who the heck I’m shouting at. So perhaps solitude should be another essential, though it’s not likely to ever happen...

My desk

I only write ‘properly’ at my desk. I scribble notes on physical bits of paper while out and about, which I then import into my work. Now that I travel a lot more with my writing, and all the events, I’m thinking of investing in a laptop. But until then, my computer and my desk is the place I am for writing.

Tissues

I often cry when writing. I do - I’m a big, fat wuss! If I’m writing an emotional scene, I feel every part of it. Just as if I write a funny scene, I tend to laugh out loud. These are even more reasons why no one should be near me when I write. It really isn’t pretty. I’m an OCD tidy, sweary, sobby mess.

Exercise

When sitting to write for long periods you can end up with your mind going in circles. So I usually take an hour out mid-write to either go fo a long hike or do a work-out at home. Boxercise is great! You find that the ideas flood in when you’re physical! Plus there is of course the danger of eating too much while sitting and I need to try and compensate for that. Of this I am also guilty. Especially with Twirls... and chochip cookies... and lattes... and... oh, I’d best stop now...

THANKS FOR TAKING PART, LOUISE!

About Louise Beech

Louise Beech is an exceptional literary talent, whose debut novel How To Be Brave was a Guardian Readers’ Choice for 2015. The sequel, The Mountain in My Shoe was shortlisted for Not the Booker Prize. Both books have been number one on Kindle, Audible and Kobo in USA/UK/AU. She regularly writes travel pieces for the Hull Daily Mail, where she was a columnist for ten years. Her short fiction has won the Glass Woman Prize, the Eric Hoffer Award for Prose, and the Aesthetica Creative Works competition, as well as shortlisting for the Bridport Prize twice and being published in a variety of UK magazines. Louise lives with her husband and children on the outskirts of Hull – the UK’s 2017 City of Culture – and loves her job as a Front of House Usher at Hull Truck Theatre, where her first play was performed in 2012. She is also part of the Mums’ Army on Lizzie and Carl’s BBC Radio Humberside Breakfast Show.

Find Louise on her website and on Twitter - @LouiseWriter

About Maria in the Moon

Published by Orenda Books (30 September 2017)

Publisher's description

Long ago my beloved Nanny Eve chose my name. Then one day she stopped calling me it. I try now to remember why, but I just can't.' Thirty-two-year-old Catherine Hope has a great memory. But she can't remember everything. She can't remember her ninth year. She can't remember when her insomnia started. And she can't remember why everyone stopped calling her Catherine-Maria. With a promiscuous past, and licking her wounds after a painful breakup, Catherine wonders why she resists anything approaching real love. But when she loses her home to the devastating deluge of 2007 and volunteers at Flood Crisis, a devastating memory emerges ... and changes everything. Dark, poignant and deeply moving, Maria in the Moon is an examination of the nature of memory and truth, and the defences we build to protect ourselves, when we can no longer hide...

Here's a snippet of my review
Maria in the Moon is yet another stunner from Louise Beech... The writing is simply stunning, so vivid and descriptive that it takes you right into the heart of the story and into the lives of her diverse, larger-than-life and highly realistic characters. I couldn't help but be transported into Hull at a time of crisis.

To read the rest of my review of Maria in the Moon, click here.

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Maria in the Moon by Louise Beech

Maria in the Moon
By Louise Beech
Published by Orenda Books (15 August 2017)

Publisher's description

Long ago my beloved Nanny Eve chose my name. Then one day she stopped calling me it. I try now to remember why, but I just can't.' Thirty-two-year-old Catherine Hope has a great memory. But she can't remember everything. She can't remember her ninth year. She can't remember when her insomnia started. And she can't remember why everyone stopped calling her Catherine-Maria. With a promiscuous past, and licking her wounds after a painful breakup, Catherine wonders why she resists anything approaching real love. But when she loses her home to the devastating deluge of 2007 and volunteers at Flood Crisis, a devastating memory emerges ... and changes everything. Dark, poignant and deeply moving, Maria in the Moon is an examination of the nature of memory and truth, and the defences we build to protect ourselves, when we can no longer hide...

My verdict
Maria in the Moon is yet another stunner from Louise Beech.

Set in Hull, just after the floods of 2007, the book focuses on Catherine Hope, who can't remember her ninth year. All she knows is that this was when her father died. She's volunteering at Flood Crisis, helping people resolve their own problems even though she can't deal with her own. She's filled with so many questions. When and why did her family stop using her full name (Catherine-Maria)?  When did her insomnia and other health problems begin? Why does she shy away from real love? Then her childhood memories start coming back.

Maria in the Moon features more humour than Louise Beech's other books, yet the underlying story is even darker and more evocative. The writing is simply stunning, so vivid and descriptive that it takes you right into the heart of the story and into the lives of her diverse, larger-than-life and highly realistic characters. I couldn't help but be transported into Hull at a time of crisis.

I wanted to read this book slowly, to savour every moment, yet found myself racing ahead, just to see what had happened to Catherine in the past and what was going to happen to her next. The book is filled with surprises - some good, some bad and some that turned me into a total wreck.

All of Louise Beech's books are different in subject and plot, yet they evoke the same emotions - or rather, all the emotions. I defy anyone to read her books with at least a tear in their eye, although it's more likely to be a trickle or maybe even a flood. Keep the tissues handy!

I received an Advance Reader Copy.

The Mountain in my Shoe by Louise Beech

I'm delighted to be today's stop on the Blog Tour for The Mountain in my Shoe by Louise Beech, which was published by Orenda Books in paperback on 30 September 2016. The e-book is out NOW. This is a stunning emotional psychological thriller and provides a fascinating insight into the care system too! Here's my review...

The Mountain in my Shoe
By Louise Beech
Published by Orenda Books (published 30 September 2016)
ISBN: 978-1910633397

Publisher's description
On the night Bernadette finally has the courage to tell her domineering husband that she's leaving, he doesn't come home. Neither does Conor, the little boy she's befriended for the past five years. Also missing is his lifebook, the only thing that holds the answers. With the help of Conor's foster mum, Bernadette must face her own past, her husband's secrets and a future she never dared imagine in order to find them all.

My verdict
You know when you love a book so much that you don't want it to end - yet you are compelled to keep on reading? And you know when you find a book that you'll read again and again? Well, The Mountain in my Shoe is definitely one of those books for me.

I loved Louise Beech's first book, How to be Brave - it was my favourite read of 2015. So a small part of me was worried that I wouldn't like her second book quite as much. But my fears were totally unfounded. The Mountain in my Shoe captured my heart from the outset, with its beautiful writing (yet again) and another intriguing, emotional plot.

The Mountain in my Shoe is very different from How to Be Brave, proving Louise Beech's versatility as a writer. This is a gripping psychological thriller, with a missing child, missing book and missing husband at its centre. Yet this powerful novel is also about so much more than this. A sense of belonging. Knowing where you come from and where you're going to. Needing a sense of security. Being surrounded by people who care and love you, no matter what.

There are two main intertwined threads, told from the point of view of Bernadette, an abused wife who is ready to leave her husband yet has nowhere to go, and by Conor, a young boy living his whole life in the care system. Conor's mother is unable to look after him, his father unknown, and he has been passed from one carer to another since birth. His fascination with boxing legend Mohammed Ali provides the backdrop to the story - and helps to give the book its name.

Although not a 'character', Conor's 'Lifebook' plays a key role in the story too. The Mountain in my Shoe contains notes, letters and extracts of reports from the moment Conor was born, with contributions from social workers, carers and other key figures in his life. It provides a fascinating insight into his early experiences, the care system and all of the people who have shaped the baby into the boy he has become.

Louise Beech has a talent for getting right inside the heads and hearts of all of her characters, so you believe in them, root for them and feel for them. Conor is naive and vulnerable in some ways, but wise and strong beyond his years in others. Bernadette's relationship with her controlling husband Richard, in particular, is dealt with sensitively, with his abusive tendencies and crucial events woven carefully into the plot. Every character, however minor, has an important place in this novel - the supporting cast leaves as much of an impression as the main characters themselves.

This is a fascinating page turner that wrenches at your insides. It's dark, compelling and highly thought provoking and left me with tears rolling down my cheeks. The story and characters will linger on long after you've finished reading the final page.

Another book that I'll be recommending to the world - repeatedly and relentlessly. I can't wait to see what Louise Beech comes up with next.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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My Top 12 Reads of 2015

My Top 12 Reads of 2015

I set up this book blog on December 30th 2014 and it's been a whirlwind of a year. I've met so many amazing people - bloggers, authors, publicists, publishers (many of whom have become 'real' friends, not just 'virtual' ones) - all with a love of reading. I have a huge 'To Be Read' pile that never seems to go down, as more and more brilliant books come on the scene. And I've had over 55.5K page views of my blog since I set it up.

Watching other bloggers choose their Top 10 Reads of 2015, I thought I should probably do the same. Until I looked at all the books I've read so far this year (which will be well over 200 by Dec 31st) and realised it's such a difficult decision. So here's my top 12 instead.

Here they are (in no particular order)…

How To Be Brave by Louise Beech
"How To Be Brave is a book about hope, courage, acceptance and love... It's beautifully written, heartwarming and passionate."

Read my full review

What Milo Saw by Virginia Macgregor
"What Milo Saw is a sweet touching book with an emotional message. It's all about hope, sadness, forgiveness, letting go of the people you love and finding out where you belong."















Read my full review

Asking For It by Louise O'Neill
"I read this in one sitting. It's thought provoking, sensitive and emotional… This is a book that pulls at your heartstrings and leaves you with tear-sodden tissues and a thumping heart."




Read my full review

The Dandelion Years by Erica James
"What an amazing heart-wrenching story and beautifully written book. Over the last few days, I have cried at, laughed through and shared the memories of Saskia and her family."

Read my full review

Lost Girls by Angie Marsons

"Angela Marsons' books get better and better. I love her style of writing, her believable flawed characters and her plot development. Lost Girls is very cleverly constructed and tackles a highly emotional issue."

Read my full review

Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton

"Little Black Lies is filled with secrets, lies, betrayal, suspense and intrigue. I read it in just a few hours, yet the story lingered in my mind for some time afterwards. It's chilling, nail-biting and breath-holding writing at its best."

Read my full review

Snowblind by Ragnar Jónasson
"Snowblind is a literary whodunnit. Based in a remote Icelandic town, set against beautiful snow-covered peaks, this is an atmospheric chilling novel."



Read my full review

Normal by Graeme Cameron
"This is a brilliantly written fast-paced novel and I read it in one evening. I don't give spoilers in my reviews, so can't say too much, but some of the book had me in fits of laughter (which felt so wrong, as serial killers are certainly no laughing matter)."



Read my full review

Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller
"Our Endless Numbered Days is a beautifully-written tale, filled with mesmerising descriptions and haunting prose… This is a novel that will stay in my memory for a long time."



Read my full review

Tenacity by James Law
"The submarine provides an intriguing setting, not just because of its size but also its claustrophobic environment, making the story chilling and highly atmospheric. Tenacity is a real roller coaster read and I held my breath for the last 10%."

Read my full review


I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh
"Wow, what a rollercoaster read… No spoilers, but what a twist… The best OMG moment I have ever read!"



Read my full review


A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale
"I read A Place Called Winter in one sitting. This is a moving tale of hardship, violence, determination, betrayal, pride and triumph. It's not always an easy read, but it's certainly a fascinating one."















Read my full review

These are all books published in 2015, rather than books I have read in advance for next year. There are so many other books I would love to mention, but I'm having to limit it to these. Just visit my A-Z index to see more of my reviews and check out my Author in the Spotlight features for some great Q&As.

I have some great reads lined up for 2016, including Shtum by Jem Lester and Girls on Fire by Robin Wasserman. Plus an amazing book by Lisa Hall, which will be published by Carina (Harper Collins) in March 2016 and has a twist to rival I Let You Go!

'What is writing to me?': A feature by author Louise Beech

World Diabetes Day takes place every year on 14 November. 

I would like to welcome Louise Beech to my blog today. Louise's book How to be Brave was published by Orenda Books on 17 September 2015. Her book is a powerful story based on her experience with her own daughter's diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes and the true story of her grandfather, Colin.

What is writing to me?

By Louise Beech

I read an interview once where the writer was asked, What is writing to you?  Naturally, I wondered the same.  What is writing to me?  Because really it’s such a personal thing, and means different things to different people.  For some folks, writing might be a hobby, a light pleasure.  For some, it might just be a job.  For others, escape, adventure, even therapy.  I think for me, it is definitely the latter.

And those three things came into play in a big way while I was writing the first draft of How to be Brave, my debut novel; because I approached such a hugely personal topic, one that I had never explored until then in great depth.  My daughter Katy’s Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis when she was seven.  And with World Diabetes Day on 14th November, it is very much on my mind again.

It was a horrible time.  That five-word sentence does little to explain how horrible.  But hopefully the novel manages to.  In it, I created fictional mum and daughter - Rose and Natalie - who are going through such a diagnosis.  Type 1 is a much-misunderstood condition, one often confused with Type 2, which sometimes (but not always) can be caused by a poor diet.  Type 1 Diabetes is never caused by the person eating too much sugar - it’s an autoimmune disease, where the immune system attacks the pancreas and the cells that make insulin.  Injections are needed every day, forever.

But while I wanted to inspire and even educate, I didn’t want to bore readers with medical jargon or an overload of information, so I let Rose and Natalie tell their own story, in a book nook where they cope with multiple injections by bringing to life a long-gone ancestor.  Grandad Colin’s true sea survival runs parallel to their daily struggle, the two stories often very similar.  First and foremos,t I wanted the book to be an adventure, a magical tale of bravery and love.

While writing the first draft, I had a rigid routine with regards to the time I gave to it - five hours a day, every day except Sunday. But when it came to the structure of my words, I was less orderly.  I let them come as they must.  Fall into the white screen in a tumble of tears.  Yes, I cried a great deal, reliving pain I’d ignored for a long time.  Once it was out, I went back and harshly edited, sculpting and chipping away until I was happy with my work.

Writing is as much about editing as anything else.  I think the first draft is like the undercoat we use when decorating.  It’s needed in order for the later colours to shine best.

When thinking more about that interviewer’s question - what is writing to you? - it also occurred to me that I’m reaching out in my writing.  Saying all the things I’m not very good at saying; because I don’t explain very well or I’m too tongue-tied and nervous or get muddled with how I want to say it.  I was choked up when I wrote How to be Brave, filled with emotion.  But I was never tongue-tied, never got lost.  I realised it was an expression of love for my daughter, and that I should share it. 

So I did. 

Because I suppose it’s how I’m reaching out.  By writing.  It’s a way to be heard.  That’s what writing is.  It’s quiet, simple, and easy to me - and it’s so much louder than any shouts or screams or arguments or cries.  People listen when you write.  And you understand yourself better too.  Isn’t that the best reason ever to sit down at an empty screen?

So on World Diabetes Day, I’m hoping that How to be Brave might touch, inspire, educate or help another child going through a Type 1 diagnosis - or a parent having to witness it.  I hope I have written for you all, and written well.

About Louise Beech (pictured below with her daughter Katie)

Louise Beech has always been haunted by the sea, and regularly writes travel pieces for the Hull Daily Mail, where she was a columnist for ten years. Her short fiction has won the Glass Woman Prize, the Eric Hoffer Award for Prose, and the Aesthetica Creative Works competition, as well as shortlisting for the Bridport Prize twice and being published in a variety of UK magazines. Louise lives with her husband and children on the outskirts of Hull – the UK’s 2017 City of Culture – and loves her job as a Front of House Usher at Hull Truck Theatre, where her first play was performed in 2012. She is also part of the Mums’ Army on Lizzie and Carl’s BBC Radio Humberside Breakfast Show.

Follow Louise Beech on Twitter - @LouiseWriter 

If you would like to learn more about diabetes, please visit the Diabetes UK website.