Earlier this month I reviewed the debut novel, Missing Pieces, written by the lovely Laura Pearson; a heartbreakingly haunting story about motherhood, loss, love, and hope.

Here, Laura chats to me about writing, and her experience as a cancer survivor.

Hi Laura, welcome, and thanks for chatting to me. Can you please tell everyone a bit about yourself?

Hello, and thanks for asking me to chat! I’m the author of three novels, I live in Leicestershire with my husband and our son and daughter, and I can mostly be found (when not writing or herding my kids) reading and eating chocolate. Being a writer is the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do.

Having previously worked as a copywriter and editor for QVC, Expedia, and The Ministry of Justice, to name a few, what skills did you develop that have helped you as novelist?

I think I learned to just write as well as I could rather than waiting for inspiration. When you have to write web copy and features in an office for a day job, you can’t have an off day or get blocked. You just must write. So that’s what I do now I’m at home writing novels. Some days the words come easy, some days they don’t. But I write them anyway. There are always (many, many) edits. Also, to write tight.

You’ve been very open and public about your experience of breast cancer, which has undoubtedly helped others. Have you ever considered writing a memoir about your journey?

Yes, I’ve thought about it a lot and I’m glad I blogged throughout the whole experience as I have a record of everything. It’s definitely something I’d like to do one day, but one thing that holds me back is that my sister had a devastating health crisis at the same time and it’s hard to write about one without the other, and hard to know how much of it is my story to tell, if that makes sense.

And finally, my favourite question, what advice would you offer anyone thinking of becoming a writer?

If you’re in it for the fame and fortune, I’d probably advise a rethink! But if you love telling stories, getting under people’s skin, and working out what motivates them, and are happy to spend a lot of time working on your own, go for it. There’s a lot of waiting involved, and a lot of rejection, so you need to have a pretty thick skin. But there’s absolutely nothing like holding your book in your hands for the first time. Also, finding a writing tribe who’ll cheer you on and pick you up is invaluable. Writers are the loveliest, most supportive crew you could imagine.

If you’d like to know more about Laura’s writing and her breast cancer journey, you’ll find her blog at https://www.laurapearsonauthor.com/bcab