Barrow’s famous author

Author Laura Pearson, a Barrow resident, gives us an insight into the life of a published author (and busy mum) as she celebrates the success of her latest novel “The Last List of Mabel Beaumont”.

You recently published your fourth book 'The Last List of Mabel Beaumont’. What was your inspiration for this book and what has the reception been like?

The initial idea for this one was about a group of women of different ages who connect somehow and support one another. Julie, Mabel’s carer, was going to be the main character, and she was going to leave notes around their town which would be found by the others. But after a couple of drafts, it became clear that Mabel was the centre of the story, so I started again. And I’m so glad I did. The reception has been wonderful, with so many readers connecting to this slightly prickly character and cheering her on.

What role has social media played in the development of your writing career?

A huge role, I’d say. I started blogging for parenting community ‘The Motherload’ a few years ago and out of that I founded ‘The Motherload Book Club’, which has recently rebranded as ‘The Bookload’. Through that, and Twitter, I’ve met a huge number of authors and publishing people, and unearthed a great deal of support. I changed agents last year and found that many of the agents I approached knew who I was because of social media, which was helpful.

How does the role of writer fit into a very busy family life?

The million-dollar question. I’m lucky enough to be able to work around the kids, so if they’re off sick or on holiday from school, not as much gets done. I have deadlines but a book is a big project so I can usually organise it so I can hit them and fulfill my mothering duties, too!

How do you organise your day for maximum writing benefit? Morning lark or night owl?

I used to be a real night owl, writing until the early hours of the morning. But then I had children. Now I write during school hours, because it’s basically that or nothing. I also do about an hour of freelance work per day, so it’s a tight squeeze because I try to write 2000 words each day (if I’m in drafting mode rather than editing mode).

How many books do you have on the go at one time? How do you get your ideas and inspirations?

I’m only ever writing one book, but I might have to break off to do edits on another. Or I might finish a draft of one and then put it to one side for a bit before editing it, and then I’ll work on something else. It’s hard to switch, though – I like to focus on one book at a time if I can. I get ideas from absolutely everywhere – I’m a terrible eavesdropper. I’m always trying to work out what the relationship is between people I see out and
about. But anything can spark an idea – an article or tweet, something someone says to me, another book.

You have written ‘Missing Pieces’, ‘I Wanted You to Know’, ‘Nobody’s Wife’ and ‘The Last List of Mabel Beaumont’. Which of these gave you the greatest pleasure and which were the hardest pieces to write?

I think ‘The Last List of Mabel Beaumont’ was the most pleasurable to write because it’s not as sad as some of the others. Also, I just really loved the characters and it was a pleasure to hang out with them every day. ‘I Wanted You To Know’ was hard to write, because it was about a young mum with breast cancer and I’d just finished my own cancer treatment when I wrote it (plus I had a baby and a toddler). So that was hard both emotionally and practically.

Can you tell us about a couple of books or authors who have impacted your life and writing career both as a child and as an adult?

When I was a child, Roald Dahl was a massive favourite. I remember very clearly getting to the end of ‘The BFG’ and realising that the character was the narrator and feeling this overwhelming excitement about all the tricks you can play if you write a book. As a teen, I fell in love with ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee, which was one of my GCSE texts and is probably still the book I've read the most times. As an adult, I’ve been very lucky in that I know a lot of the authors I now read. Louise Beech is someone who floors me with her talent and is also a kind and supportive friend. A favourite author (who I don’t know personally!) is John Irving. I don’t think anyone can tell a story quite like him.

Out Now

What advice would you give to an aspiring writer at Hall Orchard or Humphrey Perkins schools?

Read, read, read. It’s how you learn to write. Read widely, too. You can learn as much from a book you don’t enjoy, or that is out of your comfort zone, as one you love. Try out different types of writing. Write a poem, or a story, or an article. See what feels comfortable and what you love. It can be hard work to get published, so you have to really love the work.

If you didn’t write, what would your job be?

I used to work as a copywriter and editor when I lived in London, but that also involved writing. So if I couldn’t write at all, I would love to be a counsellor of some kind.

Are there any other books in the pipeline? Will you continue any of the themes from previous books?

So many! My publisher, Boldwood, is republishing my first three novels over the coming months, and I have a new one with them coming out next May, too. It’s about a woman waking up from a coma after being pushed down the stairs by her husband, and how she pieces her life back together. I can’t tell you the title because it’s not confirmed yet. And my editor is reading through three other books I’ve written to see what she thinks of them. In terms of themes, I have a particular preoccupation with the way small decisions can have a huge impact on a life, and I think I’ll always be writing about that in various ways.

Thank you, Laura. Laura’s books are available to borrow from Barrow Community Library.

Catherine Holmes