Roberta Gallbreath is middle-aged and menopausal.
She dislikes her children, detests her ex-husband and despises her colleagues.
When her mother dies, Roberta is left with a pile of letters and a mystery surrounding her son. The letters reveal Roberta’s heritage is not what it seems and she is soon on a mission to become a better person.
Told with humour and emotion, The M Word is the tale of one woman’s journey to find out where she came from. As she looks to the past for answers, more questions are raised. Will Roberta discover who she really is?
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Q&A
When and where do you prefer to write?
I used to write anywhere I could: on the side of the swimming pool while my eldest four children were trying to drown each other, in coffee shops, on park benches. It took me twenty years to get it but I finally have my own writing room and I love it.
Do you need peace and quiet when you are wrting?
I prefer silence now, but I spent years writing in noisy environments. I’m hearing impaired so I just take my hearing aids out. I’m not one of those writers who likes music while they’re working. I find it distracting. The silence is usually peppered with the neighbours screaming obscenities at each other and the old man next door mowing his four blades of grass.
If you had the chance to co-write a book. Whom would it be with?
I started co-writing a sit-com with my fiancé but I’ve been distracted with other projects. I’m really not sure who else I’d want to co write with. There are many writers I admire. It would probably be someone female and northern. Or a big name so it sells loads and makes me some money for a change. If you’re reading this Ian Rankin, I’m very cheap!
Say someone asks if they can use your name in a book. Would you rather be the ‘good one’ or the ‘bad one’?
Definitely the baddie. They’re always more interesting. Preferably someone who has lots of fun with no consequences.
Who would you like/have liked to interview?
I have interviewed a few fabulous authors. There were plans for me to chair a great panel at Newcastle Noir but sadly it was cancelled due to covid. It was fabulous Northern writers: Rob Scragg, Howard Linskey, Caroline England and another. It would have been a hoot. I’d love to interview Lynda Laplante. She’s such a raconteur. I would also have liked to question the late Mo Hayder. I was so sad to hear of her passing. She was incredible. We exchanged emails and she was very encouraging.
Where can I find you when you are reading?
In the bath so please stay outside. You’ll never be the same again.
Where can I find you wen you are not writing/reading?
That depends. It could be anywhere from babysitting grandkids and spending time with my parents, to touring New York and having tapas in Barcelona.
What goes through your mind when you hold your new book in your hands for the first time?
It’s one of the best feelings in the world. I’m always sad my Mam isn’t here to see it. She wouldn’t have liked the content of the books but she’d have been very proud I’m sure. It’s great having something tangible you created from nothing. It only existed in my head and there it is in my hands. It’s incredible.
How do you come up with a title for your book?
It usually just happens. It quite often changes along the way. Most of mine have had different working titles. I was told to change Shit Happens. They said it wouldn’t sell with a title like that but it hasn’t done too bad.
How do you pick a cover for your book?
Sometimes the publisher picks the cover and sometimes it’s me. Blanket of Blood’s cover is original art work by an extremely talented artist called Graham Stead. I absolutely love it. Shit Happens and The M Word we’re created by someone I employed. I told them my ideas and they designed something they thought I’d like.
Thank you
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About the author
Eileen Wharton is an Oscar winning actress, Olympic gymnast, and Influencer. She also tells lies for a living. Her first novel was published in 2011 to worldwide critical acclaim. And she’s won awards for exaggeration. It did top the Amazon humour chart so she’s officially a best-selling author. She currently has five ‘lively’ offspring ranging from thirty-three to fourteen years of age, and has no plans to procreate further, much to the relief of the local schools and police force. She lives on a council estate in County Durham. She has never eaten kangaroo testicles, is allergic to cats and has a phobia of tinned tuna. She’s retired from arguing with people on the internet.
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Author Links
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WhartonEileen
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/eileen.whartonwriter
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/eileenscribblings/
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Book Link
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B for Bookreview 