We chat with author Beth Morrey about her latest release Clover Hendry’s Day Off, which is a hilarious and empowering perimenopausal Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, about Clover Hendry, 46, and the day she decides to stop keeping the plates spinning, say F@#! it all, and finally get hers.
Hi, Beth! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello! I’m a 46-year-old mother of two boy humans and two girl dogs. I worked as a TV producer for twenty years, but gave it up to write books, which was always my dream. I like eating diverse cheeses, getting in very cold water, donning fancy dress at any opportunity, and the colour green. My karaoke choice is Santa Baby, and my muse is Queenie from Blackadder.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
When I was around five years old, my primary school teacher made us all write a story about Icarus. Most kids wrote a page, whereas I went on and on with my Greek epic – I really could have done with a decent editor. But I felt very strongly, writing that story, that I was exactly where I wanted to be. A few years later, my dad read Richard Adams’ Watership Down to me. I loved the gorgeous detail of it, and wanted to write something as inventive and world-building.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Phoebe and the Hot Water Bottles, by Linda Dawson – it’s a very dark story about a father who leaves his daughter home alone at night and there’s a fire. I loved it.
- The one that made you want to become an author: Watership Down, as above, but also The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ , by Sue Townsend.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: This is different from your favourite book, isn’t it? It’s Twilight, Breaking Dawn, by Stephenie Meyer. I just really, really want to be a vampire. To be immortal and immeasurably hot. And vegetarian. I don’t need to be married to Edward though – he’s a drip.
Your latest novel, Clover Hendry’s Day Off, is out January 30th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Female Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
What can readers expect?
I hope they can expect a funny, riotous read, with some heft and heart. Clover is a force of nature, and her story is a romp, but there’s something more serious underneath it all.
Where did the inspiration for Clover Hendry’s Day Off come from?
I was kind of writing a fantasy – when I worked in television, I felt overwhelmed by the relentless pace of it all, and longed for a moment where I could just stop everything and please myself. So imagined a day where a character did just that – and then I created Clover, and she took over.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I really enjoyed creating Clover’s mother Rose, because she’s such a monster. She’s the kind of woman who emphasises a word in every sentence, and would run a finger along your mantelpiece to check for dust. I relished writing the explosive restaurant scene between her and Clover, because it’s a really fun set piece, and a lot of the action has been building towards it. It felt easy to write, because I knew Clover, Rose and Clover’s sister Marigold so well by that point. They wrote the scene themselves, really.
What’s next for you?
I’m writing Book 4! I write slow-fast-slow. I take ages to think of what I want to write about and plan it, then I write a first draft in a massive rush, and then I edit very carefully and painstakingly. My new book features a missing person, a labrador called Mabel, and a mad old woman called Morag.
Lastly, are there any 2024 book releases that you’re looking forward to?
Come and Get It, by Kiley Reid – I loved her debut, Such a Fun Age. And All the Colors of the Dark, by Chris Whitaker – again, I loved his last book, We Begin at the End.
