Beth Thomas
Carry You is about picking yourself back up when you feel like you've lost everything. Well, it's actually more about being picked up and prodded back into action by a good friend! It was inspired by my own experience of walking The Moonwalk, which is such an incredible event, so moving and inspirational, that I just had to write about it. Even the training itself was interesting. Walking great distances alone for hours while listening to music gave me the sensation of being outside the activity of life going on and simply observing it. An extraordinarily detached feeling. Even being propositioned by a shirtless drunk didn't scare me!
This is your debut novel, so was novel writing anything like you imagined?
I've always written stories, since I was about six, so writing a novel was something that I have wanted to do for a long time. Its hard work; but also a lot of fun. If anyone out there is thinking of doing it, I would offer one piece of advice: don't give up. And by that I mean just keep writing. If you think what you've done isn't all that good, keep going anyway. If you run out of ideas, keep going anyway. If you're tired or your character is annoying you or you can't get her to do what you want, keep going anyway! Obviously you need to know how to construct a sentence, and you need a good idea - or two! - But so much of novel-writing is about determination. It's a time consuming process, and it requires dedication. But the rewards are so worth it.
Please tell us about the character of Daisy.
Daisy is very down on her luck at the start of the book. She's about as low as it's possible to get for a number of reasons, but fortunately she still has a very good friend who helps her up. I wanted to show how depression and the sort of loss that Daisy has suffered can cause someone to falter for a while, for their life to stall. But also that it doesn't have to be permanent, that there are positive actions one can take to help oneself climb back up again. Physical activity is one of them. And taking help that's offered from friends. Daisy is overwhelmed by loss at the beginning, but thanks to her friends, she remembers that there are good things still to come.
You drew your inspiration for the book from your own experience, so can you tell us a little bit about this?
My mum died eleven years ago, although not from breast cancer. But it's a profoundly moving experience in anyone's life and something that just about all of us will go through - although hopefully not as young as I was. I suppose when you no longer have your parents, you have to be a 'grown up' in the most real and permanent way. You can't ever revert to childhood again, or go running home when life gets you down. It's a hard thing to deal with. I've also noticed how many people there are out there who have discovered that a death in the family can bring out the absolute worst in all the surviving members!
Please tell us about ‘life raft’ friends
The very luckiest people among us have one of these. They're the sort of person you can cling to when you're in danger of going under. The sort of person who rings you up every day and talks you through what you're going to do that day, even if it's just put a load of washing on and make a meal. The sort of person without whom you don't think you'd have got through. For many people, it's their mum, but mine is my oldest friend from school. She has been there for me all my adult life to lash myself to in all of my storms. Carry You is a tribute to her.
What is a walking buddy?
Walking alone for hours at a time can be enjoyable. It's interesting to observe life as you walk through it, and it's very therapeutic. But there's nothing quite like walking with someone else. When you're chatting away, you barely notice the miles slipping past and of course it is also much safer. But as well as that, it's motivational. So many times, I suspect I would have chosen to stay at home had it not been for the fact that I was walking with my friend and I would be letting her down as well as myself. She's admitted the same thing to me. If it's freezing cold or raining, it's so much easier to think, stuff it, I'll leave it for today. When you know your buddy is waiting for you, it's a different story!
Can you tell us a bit about ‘The Moonwalk’ from the book?
It's a walking marathon, around London, beginning at midnight. And it's the single most amazing thing I've done (aside from producing replica human beings). Or rather, the three single most amazing things, as I walked it in 2010, 2011 and 2012. I've tried to capture the experience and the atmosphere in the book, so to get a flavour of it, read Carry You. In a way, walking The Moonwalk felt like my own version of a pilgrimage - it was physically challenging; it's something that I think everyone should do, at least once; it's moving and inspirational; and it changed my life.
What is next for you?
I'm currently working on my next book, which is due for release in 2015. After that, hopefully there'll be a third and then a fourth. Like I said, it's a time-consuming business, but I'm still planning some kind of challenge next year. I'll never jump out of a plane or off a bridge or into a ravine, but I might think about another walking challenge. Some friends are doing a 60 kilometre walk this year - maybe I'll give that a go!