This week I'm very honored to have Hannah Beckerman on the blog. Her debut novel The Dead Wife's Handbook is published on Thursday and I finished this brilliant book today and will post the review on Thursday. For now you can read Hannah's answers on my question. Thank you hun, and a big thank you also to Katie Sheldrake xxx.
Bio
Hannah Beckerman is a TV and film producer living in London. The Dead Wife's Handbook is her first novel. Follow Hannah on Twitter: @hannahbeckerman and follow the hashtag #deathwifeshandbook for more information.
Interview
1. Did you always dream of being a
writer?
It
was definitely something I was interested in from an early age - along with
wanting to be a ballerina, an actress and a concert flautist! But now I am a
writer it feels strangely both like a dream come true and yet entirely natural
at the same time.
2. The Dead Wife’s Handbook is your
debut novel, how does that feel?
The
Dead Wife’s Handbook is my first published book, but I’ve plenty of
half-finished manuscripts that I’ve written over the past fifteen years. It’s
amazing to finally have a book - a real, tangible book I can actually hold! -
with my name on it. That’s definitely one of my big life ambitions ticked off
the list.
3. How did the story and the characters of this story develop?
The
story evolved from a conversation with a friend about her ex-husband and how
she felt uncomfortable about the possibility of him telling his new partner her
secrets. I started thinking about how that probably makes many of us feel
uncomfortable and that the most extreme version of that would be if you were
dead and powerless to intervene, but nonetheless privy to some of those
conversations. And the idea developed from there.
4. The design of the cover is
absolutely beautiful, who designed it?
A
fantastic designer called Kate Forrester. She’s done some amazing work - you
can see it all on her website: http://www.kateforrester.co.uk/
5. When you’re not writing what do you
enjoy most?
Reading
- of course! Pre-parenthood I loved travel and movies and hiking up mountains.
Now life’s about different kinds of pleasures: taking the little one to the
park and our local urban zoo - and reading a LOT of books with her, of course.
6. If you were
shipwrecked on a desert island what 3 books would you want with you?
- American Pastoral by Philip
Roth.
- The Great Gatsby by F Scott
Fitzgerald
- The Catcher in the Rye by JD
Salinger
All by men, I know! But Roth
is one of my favourite all-time writers and the other two I read in my early
teens and they were instrumental in me falling in love with literature so I’d
have to take them with me.
7. What was the hardest part of writing
your book?
Editing,
for sure. I’m a slightly crazy perfectionist so this book went through nineteen
drafts before it was even copy-edited (so probably about twenty-two in total).
And I’d still like to have had one more chance to read it through before it was
finalised!
8. Where do you write your stories?
I
have a study where I write which has a big old wooden desk and a huge window so
I have something to look at during those moments of procrastination.
9. How would you describe your style of
writing?
Oh,
that’s a hard one. I hope it feels emotionally honest but beyond that I suppose
I’d like it to be an engaging, moving, thought-provoking read.
10. What
does your family think about you being a writer?
My
mum is rather proud as you can imagine. And my husband is incredibly
supportive: he’s had to do a lot of weekends of solo childcare in order for me
to finish the book and so without it him just wouldn’t ever have been done.
11. What
do you enjoy most about writing?
I
love having another world running inside my head alongside the real world and
figuring out entire backstories of each of my characters so I understand
exactly why they behave in the way they do.
12. What
do you think makes a good story?
Authenticity
of some sort: it could be emotional authenticity or historical authenticity or
in sci-fi or fantasy, a world that feels authentic to the reader.
13. What
is your work schedule like when you're writing?
Before
I had a child it was sitting at my desk from very early (6am) until dinner time
(6pm or 7pm). Now it’s about grabbing time whenever I can: sometimes a couple
of hours very early morning before my daughter wakes up, a couple of hours at
lunchtime while she naps and I always write one day every weekend while my
husband looks after her. So now instead of being able to be at my desk for 12
hour stretches it’s about grabbing an hour here and there wherever I can.
14. How important are names to you in your books? Do you
choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning? Do you have
any name choosing resources you recommend?
I think names are really
important. Naming characters is a bit like naming your child: it has to feel
that it suits them and to me the rhythm of names is definitely very important.
I think it’s also about associations you have with names: you generally don’t
want to name a character you love after someone who was mean to you at school!
15. Coffee
or tea? Coffee
16. Paperback
or e-reader? Paperback
17. Mountains
or the sea? Mountains
18. Summer
or winter? Autumn!
19. Sweet
or salty? I
refuse to have to choose - I WILL have both!
How would you like to be remembered? - The Death Wife's Handbook is out February 13, check out this wonderful video:
The blurb:
'Today is my death anniversary. A year ago today I was still alive.'
Rachel, Max and their daughter Ellie had the perfect life - until the night Rachel's heart stopped beating.
Now Max and Ellie are doing their best to adapt to life without Rachel, and just as her family can't forget her, Rachel can't quite let go of them either. Caught in a place between worlds, Rachel watches helplessly as she begins to fade from their lives. And when Max is persuaded by family and friends to start dating again, Rachel starts to understand that dying was just the beginning of her problems.
As Rachel grieves for the life she's lost and the life she'll never lead, she learns that sometimes the thing that breaks your heart might be the very thing you hope for.
Hannah Beckerman gives an unforgettable exploration of love and loss in her first novel, The Dead Wife's Handbook.
Rachel, Max and their daughter Ellie had the perfect life - until the night Rachel's heart stopped beating.
Now Max and Ellie are doing their best to adapt to life without Rachel, and just as her family can't forget her, Rachel can't quite let go of them either. Caught in a place between worlds, Rachel watches helplessly as she begins to fade from their lives. And when Max is persuaded by family and friends to start dating again, Rachel starts to understand that dying was just the beginning of her problems.
As Rachel grieves for the life she's lost and the life she'll never lead, she learns that sometimes the thing that breaks your heart might be the very thing you hope for.
Hannah Beckerman gives an unforgettable exploration of love and loss in her first novel, The Dead Wife's Handbook.
Hannah's website: www.hannahbeckerman.com
Twitter: @hannahbeckerman
Thank you Hannah and Katie :)
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