I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the KEEP
WALKING, RHONA BEECH by Kate Tough Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter
the giveaway!
About
the Book:
Author: Kate Tough
Pub.
Date: April 4, 2019
Publisher: Abacus
Formats: Paperback, eBook, Audiobook
Pages: 320
Find
it: Goodreads,
Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD
'Incredibly insightful, funny and poignant' Helen Sedgwick
I get up. I go to work. I spend the whole day waiting for the words on my screen to make sense. In the commuter broth of the carriage home, tears run in hot lines to my jaw and for a minute or so, I let them.
Nothing has turned out quite how Rhona Beech thought: she's been swapping one so-so job for another on an annual basis . . . and now her nine-year relationship has ended abruptly. When her lukewarm efforts to adjust to the changes in her life are thrown entirely up in the air by some unwelcome news, Rhona has to think again.
Her sardonic, funny, poignant attempts to find an answer to the questions she's facing are helped by a cast of friends, strangers and trained professionals. Funny and tender, Keep Walking, Rhona Beech is a beautifully written and brilliantly observant satire on relationships, friendship and life
Previously published as Head for the Edge, Keep Walking by Cargo Publishing.
Interview:
Hey Kate!
First I want to say welcome to Two Chicks on Books I’m glad you could stop by
for a chat! KEEP WALKING, RHONA BEECH sounds AWESOME
and I can’t wait for everyone to read it!
For the readers: can you tell us a
little bit about KEEP WALKING, RHONA BEECH and the characters?
Rhona's
story opens just after a long relationship has ended. Initially she can’t
remember how to exist in the world as a single person, and she ends up in odd
places doing odd things. Sometimes comical, sometimes tragi-comic.
Gradually,
being single is a chance to review her whole set up and she attempts to
invigorate her non-existent career with naïve but growing determination. When
she thinks maybe she could date again, some bizarre internet connections (that
everyone will relate to) put her off, at first.
Friendships
are integral to the book. At its heart it’s a book about evolving into proper adulthood
and recalibrating the connections you bring with you (to yourself and others).
It’s the stage of life where people get pregnant, or want to be pregnant, and
meanwhile Rhona gets news about her own reproductive equipment which interrupts
her upward swing, just when she was getting back on her feet.
Her candid,
messy journey to remake her life will have readers laughing and crying. Not a
typical break-up book it's more profound. It’s a clear-sighted, comical, poetic
look at the idea that women can ‘have it all’.
What are you working on now?
A few poetry projects that include found text or images. And the early
notes for some fiction. In recent years I wrote and edited a collection of contemporary
stories (Kissing Lying Down), and last year I plotted out a novel and
wrote the first two chapters, but I didn’t have time to keep it going around
the day-job. Something else will brew at the right time.
Were any of the characters in the
book inspired by people from your real life?
No comment! Joking aside, to explain a little, it’s not possible to
separate a writer (or a plumber, or a parent, or an athlete) from the life they’ve
led from birth to the time of writing (or plumbing, or parenting, or competing).
So arguably our work is always the product of who we are but, more importantly,
the work must succeed on its own terms. A successful fictional world, i.e., a
narrative that’s a complete arc with pacing, heightened prose, effective
dialogue and valid characters, is an act of craft. And ‘real life’ doesn’t work
that way! Anything inspired by life is hammered and remodelled to facilitate
the rules of writing.
Who was your favorite character to write?
What about your least favorite?
I enjoyed them all, honestly, trying to understand who they were and how
to convey their individuality. However, aside from Rhona, I have a soft spot
for Tania (secretive, independent, unfeminine, unfazed by others’ opinions and
irresistible to men!). Also, the relationship between Rhona and her boss Donald
was fun to write. They go on a journey together – having different world views
but underneath the sarcastic backchat there’s a deep respect for each other.
What is your favorite passages/scenes
in KEEP WALKING RHONA BEACH?
It depends which day you ask… sometimes I like the scenes where she’s
wrestling with the difficulties of being alive and making grumpy, poetic
observations about other people’s Christmas trees. Other times I like the
scenes where she’s being inappropriate and funny in public because she’s out of
step with the people around her (at Tania’s party, or in nightclubs). And then
I like the scenes where she manages to open up and let herself connect to other
people again (her parents and friends, during her recovery).
What kind of research did you have to
do for the story?
Research included what types of distance learning are offered, to train
in Management Consulting. And a visit to the experienced nurses of the
Gynecological Cancer Team at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Unit. To this day
I’m extremely appreciative of their time, knowledge, skill and how well they do
their jobs.
What inspired you to write this book?
Some daft notion that because I was doing a Masters in Creative Writing,
I should move outside my usual genres and learn new things (i.e. that I should write
long fiction instead of poetry and short fiction).
The character was triggered by an anecdote that someone told me after the
summer break on the Masters. A friend mentioned that his female friend had been
to the theatre to see a one man show, and she was the only person who’d bought
a ticket. So she was there alone, one actor and one audience member! And it
struck me as the kind of situation you’d end up in when you’re newly single and
trying to navigate the world again.
Lightning Round
Questions
What are you reading
right now? Or what do you have on your TBR that you’re dying to read?
The classic textbook by Barron’s
called ‘501 Spanish Verbs’. It’s an addictive treasure trove and I’m so happy
anytime I have half an hour to dive in.
Instagram, Twitter or
Facebook?
Ha, none 😉 Well,
okay, I use Facebook under a pseudonym so that I can keep up with local groups,
find out what’s happening and get involved in volunteering. I don’t use social
media for work; like many people there just isn’t enough personal bandwidth in
addition to two jobs and wider life.
Favorite Superhero?
The semi-abstract painted ones that
hang in my hallway, created by some artists at Project Ability (an amazing organization
in Scotland). I smile and feel their quirky powers every time I look at them.
Favorite TV show?
Yikes that’s a hard one.
Intelligent comedies in whatever form. I avoid anything where the storyline is
the brutal murder or assault of women. Dramas should have more imagination and
more responsibility.
Sweet or Salty?
Sea salty.
Any Phobias?
It scares the daylights out of me
to remember the Youtube video of guys free-climbing on the Eiffel Tower in
Paris. The distance below them is horrifying. Just, how?
Song you can’t get
enough of right now?
Ha, it depends which day you ask. Last
weekend, a tune was playing in a bar causing lots of dancing in the chairs (no
dancing in the bar during coronavirus era): Funkstar De Luxe remix of Sun is
Shining by Bob Marley. Then a couple of days ago on the radio I heard the song,
Writer, by Emmy the Great and it’s been playing on a loop since.
Winter 2020 Movie
you’re most looking forward to?
Cinemas aren’t open here due to Covid-19; I just hope the
industry and the employment survives. We’re in uncharted times.
Thanks so much Kate for answering my questions! I can’t wait
for everyone to read KEEP WALKING, RHONA BEECH!
About Kate:
Kate
Tough worked for the Scottish Parliament for six years before returning to her
home city, gaining a Masters in Creative Writing from the University of
Glasgow. She writes poetry and fiction rooted in realism, humour and sometimes
difficult truths.
She creates astute observational detail in fiction, and explores painful moments, that readers could recognise as themselves or their friends.
Her novel, Keep Walking, Rhona Beech, is the revised 2nd edition of Head for the Edge, Keep Walking. Her short fiction and poetry appear in journals such as, The Brooklyn Review, The Texas Review and The Found Poetry Review. Kate’s poetry pamphlet, tilt-shift, was Runner Up in the Callum Macdonald Memorial Award, 2017.
Kate's been a literacy volunteer and creative writing tutor in many community settings. www.katetough.com
Giveaway Details:
1 winner
will receive an eBook of KEEP WALKING, RHONA BEECH & a $15 Amazon GC,
International.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Tour
Schedule:
Week
One:
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11/9/2020 |
Interview |
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11/9/2020 |
Instagram Stop |
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11/10/2020 |
Interview |
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11/10/2020 |
Instagram Stop |
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11/11/2020 |
Guest Post |
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11/11/2020 |
Instagram Stop |
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11/12/2020 |
Excerpt |
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11/12/2020 |
Excerpt |
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11/13/2020 |
Review |
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11/13/2020 |
Instagram Stop |
Week
Two:
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11/16/2020 |
Review/Instagram Stop |
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11/16/2020 |
Review/Instagram Stop |
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11/17/2020 |
Review |
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11/17/2020 |
Instagram Stop |
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11/18/2020 |
Review |
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11/18/2020 |
Instagram Stop |
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11/19/2020 |
Review |
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11/19/2020 |
Instagram Stop |
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11/20/2020 |
Excerpt |
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11/20/2020 |
Instagram Stop |
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