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Lucky 13 Interview With Laura Besley

1 – Can you start by telling us a little about your current book?


I’m kind of between books. Last year my first collection of flash fiction, The Almost Mothers, was published just as we went into lockdown and I feel extremely lucky that it’s made it into the hands of so many people. My next collection, 100neHundred (a collection of 100x100-word stories), is in the final stages of being proofread and typeset and will be published in May 2021.


2 – Are you a plotter or a panster?


Pantser! I usually write short fiction (anything from 50-1000 words), so arguably you don’t need to plan (as much) for that, but I’ve also written a novel that I didn’t plan out either. I think there are pros and cons to each method – you just need to find the one that suits you best.


3 – Savoury or sweet?


Definitely sweet: chocolate, cake, biscuits. In an attempt to balance out my diet, I do occasionally eat the odd cracker with cheese or bag of crisps.


4 – Three books to a desert Island. Go!


That is such a hard question! After giving this a lot of thought, this is what I’ve come up with:


1) At Home by Bill Bryson. Bill Bryson writes such wonderful non-fiction books, but I have a bad memory for facts (not just Bill Bryson facts; all facts). This would be a great book to have on a desert island, because by the time I got to the end, I would’ve forgotten most of what I read and be able to start again, almost like it was my first time reading it.


2) An anthology of short stories, as thick and heavy as possible (I’m assuming I won’t need many clothes to go to this desert island – no dinner parties – so can use my luggage allowance for books) with a variety of styles, genres, settings, etc., and a good balance of classic and modern short stories.


3) A collection of poetry, although I don’t know which one (hoping I’d get some time to do research before heading off). As well as enjoying the poetry, I could keep my brain active by trying to learn the poems by heart.


5 – Star Wars or Star Trek?


Can I say neither?! OK, if I had to choose, it would be Star Wars, but only if I had to.


6 – If you could have any superpower, what would it be?


To be able to control time. I’d love to be able to speed up dragging time and slow down time that’s flying past. Or to go back to relive a treasured memory. I’m just not sure whether I’d be brave enough to go to the future. Who knows what I might find…


7 – Music or Silence when writing?


That depends on what kind of writing I’m doing and where I am. If I’m in a café (remember those days?) and there’s background music on, that’s always fine, preferable in fact, as it adds to the atmosphere (I love writing in cafés). At home, if I’m writing a first draft, I can listen to music, but only music I’m very familiar with, so I tend to listen to the same playlist. If I’m at the final stages of a piece, where I’m picking over every single word and reading sentences out loud, then I need silence.


8 – If you could live anywhere in the world, and take everything that you love with you, where would you choose?


I’ve given this quite a bit of thought and the answer is: I don’t know, but it would be somewhere close to the sea, so close I would be able to hear the crashing of the waves and the call of the seagulls when the windows are open. I’d like there to be a little High Street with cafés and restaurants, art galleries and boutique shops, and an independent bookshop. The closest I can imagine to this place is Whitstable, in Kent, but that beach is stony, not sandy, but then maybe you can’t have everything?


9 - Your favourite karaoke song?


When I lived in Germany, there was a pub that did karaoke every Friday night which my friends and I went to regularly. Unlike in Asia where you have the relative anonymity of a booth, this was on a stage with speakers throughout the pub so everyone could hear. I much preferred listening to singing, but one night I was egged on to sing a duet of Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol. Apparently it was legendary, but I’m not sure to this day if that’s good or bad.


10 – One piece of advice to an aspiring writer?


Read a lot and write a lot. Any skill takes practice, so you need to write and write and write. And by reading a lot, you absorb all those hours of practice other writers have already put in and you can learn from them.


11 – You win £1 million, but you must give half to charity. Which charity do you chose, and what do you do with the rest of the money?


I would choose the NSPCC as my designated charity. My mum volunteered with them for a few years and I know they do excellent work where they can.

As for the other half of the money, firstly I’d pay off my mortgage and my sister’s too, I’d visit all my friends and loved ones who are scattered around the world, buy all the books by twitter pals and indie publishers, and finally do an MA in Creative Writing. I’m pretty sure after all that, my money would be gone.


12 – Horror films, yes or no? If so, any favourites?


No! Can’t do anything remotely creepy or scary.


13 - What are you currently working on?


As well as writing various micro and flash fiction pieces, I’m currently working on a novella-in-flash. The full length is around 25,000 words, but each ‘chapter’ is a standalone flash fiction piece of no more than 1000 words. I’ve been writing this story on and off for several years, so I know the characters really well, but I’m finding writing the last 5% really difficult (so am obviously filling my writing time by answering interview questions!). I’m hoping it will be ready at some point this year.

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