Ten Terrifying Questions with Beth O’Leary!

Beth O’Leary is a Sunday Times bestselling author whose novels have been translated into more than thirty languages. Her debut, The Flatshare, sold over a million copies and changed her life completely. Her second novel, The Switch, has been optioned for film by Amblin Partners, Steven Spielberg’s production company. The Road Trip, Beth’s third novel, went straight to No.4 in the Sunday Times Top Ten on hardback publication. Beth writes her books in the Hampshire countryside with a very badly behaved Golden Retriever for company. If she’s not at her desk, you’ll usually find her curled up somewhere with a book, a cup of tea and several woolly jumpers (whatever the weather).

Today, to celebrate the recent release of her new novel The No-Show, Beth O’Leary is on the blog to take on our Ten Terrifying Questions! Read on …

Beth O’Leary

1. To begin with, why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself – where were you born? Raised? Schooled?

I was born in London. My family moved out of the capital when I was little, so I was raised in Winchester, a cute, cobbled cathedral city in Hampshire. I’m one of six kids, and my parents fostered when I was a child, too, which meant our house was always a joyously noisy one.

2. What did you want to be when you were twelve, eighteen and thirty? And why?

I always wanted to be a writer, to be honest! Even when I was at primary school, I used to write stories on scraps of paper in pencil in my spare time.

But at 12, I think I would have settled for running a stables (I was having a brief pony obsession). At 18, I wouldn’t have been brave enough to say I secretly wanted to be a writer; I might have said I’d like to be an editor (and I was one, for a while!) I’m yet to hit 30, but I suspect when I get there, I won’t want to change a thing. I feel so very lucky to be an author.

3. What strongly held belief did you have at eighteen that you don’t have now?

I used to be a bit of a literary snob. I would have turned my nose up at the sort of fiction I now write, which makes me sad, because just think of all the time I wasted never reading romance novels!

4. What are three works of art – this could be a book, painting, piece of music, film, etc – that influenced your development as a writer?

Rachel’s Holiday – my first Marian Keyes novel. She is such an inspiration to me.

Pride and Prejudice – I think this is the book that made me fall in love with love stories.

And the Folk Pop playlist on Spotify. So many of the songs on my playlist for The Flatshare came from this – before I had my own playlist for this book, I’d listen to this one while writing on the train. I think the mix of upbeat pop and thoughtful, darker folk music bled into that book and matched the sort of fiction I wanted to write.

5. Considering the many artistic forms out there, what appeals to you about writing a novel?

Novels are what I love to read, and when I began writing, I think I was reaching for the same feeling I get as a reader: that joy of letting a story carry you away. Novels are also so spacious – poetry or short stories feel constrictive to me now. I’m used to having room for my characters to take me in unexpected directions, to explore whatever comes up as the story evolves.

6. Please tell us about your latest novel!

The No-Show is a rom-com with a touch of mystery. It begins with three women getting stood up on the very worst day to be stood up: Valentine’s Day. And it transpires that they’ve all been stood up by the same man …

7. What do you hope people take away with them after reading your work?

I hope they come away feeling warm and uplifted, with a smile on their face.

8. Who do you most admire in the writing world and why?

I think I’d say my very dear friend Gillian McAllister, who writes amazing thrillers. She can create mind-blowing plots and loveable, three-dimensional characters, which don’t always come hand in hand, I think. I admire her talent, but also her approach to the craft of writing – she’s always playing with ways to make her book that little bit better, always stretching herself.

9. Many artists set themselves very ambitious goals. What are yours?

I move my goalposts all the time. I am trying to work on this! At first my dream was to have an agent, but then the goal was to find a publisher, and then a readership, and then I wanted to hit the Sunday Times bestseller list … Now I try to remind myself that if one person reads and enjoys my book, then that’s wonderful and I’ve done my job – everything else is a bonus.

10. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Finish something! Anything – maybe even that thing you’re writing now but are thinking of discarding. So much of the work of writing is in the editing stage. Just put some words down, then you can get to work on making them good. Even if that story isn’t the one, you’ll have learned so much more about how to build a novel.

Thank you for playing!

Thank you for having me! ☺

—The No-Show by Beth O’Leary (Hachette Australia) is out now.

The No-Show

by Beth O'Leary

Three women. Three dates. One missing man...

8.52 a.m. Siobhan is looking forward to her breakfast date with Joseph. She was surprised when he suggested it - she normally sees him late at night in her hotel room. Breakfast on Valentine's Day surely means something ... so where is he?

2.43 p.m. Miranda's hoping that a Valentine's Day lunch with Carter will be the perfect way to celebrate her new job. It's a fresh start and a sign that her life is falling into place...

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