That Sadie Thing Tour: Beth

Today I have a special treat in store, fellow British author Annalisa Crawford is visiting my blog for the first time as part of her blog tour for her short story compilation That Sadie Thing. 

Thanks for including me on your tour, take it away Annalisa ...

It's great to be visiting your blog today Clare - my first time here!
 
I'm going to talk about Beth today. I love Beth. When I submit a story to a magazine or competition, there are some that I kind of expect not to do very well, and there are others - like Beth - where I'm completely gutted, and send it straight off again because I know it has to be published.

I woke up with the first sentence in my head, so I wrote it down. Then I wrote the second sentence, then the third. Sometimes this writing lark is just too darn easy. (If you read my post a couple of days ago about The Walking Dead, I said the same thing there - it doesn't always happen like that, I struggle too!)

This story was actually written at a time when a lot of my characters were running away from things, or feeling trapped by their situation; at a time when, possibly, I was too. Beth is the epitome of trapped. She meets a boy and marries him far too young. She knows she wants more from her life, but she doesn't know what and she certainly doesn't know how to reach it. Then she has children and all thoughts of running away are put on hold while she tries to be the perfect mother.

I consider Beth to be one of my happiest stories. People who have read it argue with me about that statement, but I stand by it. I considered the ending very carefully - there were several way it could have gone, but in the event, I was drawn to the symmetry of the opening paragraph. Sometimes I do have reasons beyond because I want to. See, I can be deep...



Buy That Sadie Thing here (this link should take you direct to your local Amazon)

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About Annalisa
I live in Cornwall, with a good supply of beaches and moorland right on my doorstep. I live with my husband, two boys, a dog and a cat. Despite my location. I neither surf nor sail, and have never had any inclination to try. I much prefer walking along the beach and listening to the waves crashing over rocks. For this reason, I really love the beach in the winter!
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