1--What is the title of your latest release?
SWEPT AWAY
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Two strangers end up lost at sea together after a one-night stand on a houseboat that is swept out to open ocean
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
The houseboat setting came about because I was playing around with some classic romance tropes, including the idea of being stranded together on a desert island/remote location, and at the same time, there was a real trend over here in the UK to move into a houseboat! A lot of (slightly clueless) millennials were buying houseboats as a way to own a property in a city when flats were so prohibitively expensive. It didn’t always go as idyllically as planned (houseboat life is not for everyone, I’ve learned, while researching this book!). I loved the idea of a houseboat setting for two stranded strangers because it was hilariously unglamorous but also felt unique and contemporary.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Absolutely – both Lexi and Zeke. Though I think Lexi would probably take a while to warm to me…
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Lexi is guarded, brave and selfless.
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned a lot of strange things while writing this book. One fact I loved learning – and that ended up being crucial to the story – is the fact that there are lots of abandoned oil rigs dotted across the North Sea…
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I intend to wait until I have a first draft, but it never works that way. I always seem to have big ideas that change everything as I go along, and I can’t just keep going because the book is so different I need to start again, or at least do a big rewrite from the opening. I do a lot of rewriting!
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Anything sweet, but I have a favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and if I’ve made those, they are irresistible to me.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
I write in a shed at the end of our garden. It looks out at the woods, and has a cosy fire, a tartan blanket for my knees (I am 80 years old at heart) and a beautiful bookcase behind my desk, built by my husband, with the “help” of our toddler!
10--Who is an author you admire?
I really admire Taylor Jenkins Reid – she always surprises me, and it’s hard to define exactly what she writes, but I also always know when an idea is very ‘her’. She’s also fantastic at pace and character.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
I think Rachel’s Holiday by Marian Keyes changed my life, because it showed me what so-called “chick-lit” actually is – smart, pacey, gripping fiction by women about women’s lives. I’m so glad it opened my eyes to the genre.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
I remember it so vividly. My debut, The Flatshare, sold in the UK in a pre-empt, which means everything moved very fast and I was totally swept off my feet when my agent called me one night to tell me. I remember having to sit on the floor because I just didn’t know what to do with myself. I kept saying oh my god over and over, until my agent gently told me she should probably go and accept the offer since it was only on the table for a brief window of time…
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
Romance! Hands down. You’ll struggle to get me to read a book which doesn’t have even a teeny bit of a love story in there.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
I have definitely given a lot of different answers to this question over the years. It’s just too hard to pick just one! But I love a good classic rom com – let’s say 10 Things I Hate About You.
15--What is your favorite season?
Autumn! Or maybe Spring. I like the transitional times of the year, when you can feel change in the air.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I’m not really a big party person – I’d rather spend the day with my kids and my husband, just eating great food and doing some of my favorite things. If I can drag the kids out for a walk with a view, that would make me really happy.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I loved Nobody Wants This – it was so wonderful to see a smart, sensitive, sexy romance that took its time across a whole series. I’m loving the trend for rom coms being series rather than films for this reason – so much more time to explore and go deep.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Ooh, maybe Indian? Is it cheating to choose such a broad category? I cook curries more often than anything else, probably – they’re so great when you’re vegetarian.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
When I’m not with my kids? Or writing? Honestly, these pockets of time are few and far between, but I run, do yoga, bake, cook something needlessly elaborate, rewatch some comforting telly (Gilmore Girls at the moment!) and read a book.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
Ooh. Well. You can expect… a hilarious mix-up, a unique setting, and heartbroken protagonists finding hope again.
Two strangers find themselves stranded at sea together in this epic new love story by bestselling author Beth O’Leary.
What if you were lost at sea…with your one-night stand?
Zeke and Lexi thought it would just be a night of fun. They had no intentions of seeing each other again. Zeke is only in town for the weekend to buy back his late father’s houseboat. Lexi has no time for dating when she needs to help take care of her best friend's daughter.
Going back home with a stranger seems like a perfect escape from their problems. But a miscommunication in the dark, foggy night means no one tied the houseboat to the dock. The next morning, Zeke and Lexi realize all they can see is miles and miles of water.
With just a few provisions on the idle boat, Zeke and Lexi must figure out how to get back home. But aside from their survival, they’re facing another challenge. Because when you’re stuck together for days on end, it gives you a lot of time to get to know someone—and to fall in love with them.
Women's Fiction Friendship | Romance Comedy [Berkley, On Sale: April 1, 2025, Trade Paperback / e-Book , ISBN: 9780593640142 / eISBN: 9780593640159]
Beth O’Leary worked in children's publishing before becoming a full time author. The Flatshare is her debut novel. The idea for The Flatshare came to Beth when her doctor boyfriend was doing long night shifts as part of his training and they could go weeks without seeing each other, but she could track his life by how many cups of coffee were left on the counter, by how much he’d eaten and whether the bookmark in his novel had changed locations. It made her wonder – what could you learn about someone if you lived together but never overlapped?
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