Beth O’Leary: Get That First Draft Written
In this interview, author Beth O’Leary discusses the challenges of writing a book set primarily in one location with her new romantic comedy, Swept Away.
Beth O’Leary is an internationally bestselling author whose novels have been translated into more than thirty languages. Her debut, The Flatshare, sold over a million copies and is now a major TV series. Her subsequent novels The Switch and The Road Trip were instant Sunday Times bestsellers. Beth writes her books in the English countryside with a very badly behaved golden retriever for company. If she’s not at her desk, you’ll usually find her curled up somewhere with a book, a cup of tea, and several woolly jumpers (whatever the weather). Follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
In this interview, Beth discusses the challenges of writing a book set primarily in one location with her new romantic comedy, Swept Away, how motherhood worked its way into the story, and more.
Name: Beth O’Leary
Literary agent: Tanera Simons, Greenstone Literary Agency
Book title: Swept Away
Publisher: Berkley
Release date: April 2, 2025
Genre/category: Romantic comedy
Previous titles: The Flatshare, The Switch, The Road Trip, The No-Show, The Wake-Up Call
Elevator pitch: Two strangers end up lost at sea together after a one-night stand on a houseboat that is swept out to open ocean
What prompted you to write this book?
I love the forced proximity trope—that idea of throwing two characters together in a confined space that they can’t leave. I think part of the draw of this trope, particularly at the moment, is the fact that dating apps have given us endless choice when dating, and the forced proximity trope does the exact opposite. People have to stick around and get to know each other.
I was playing around with some of the traditional takes in this concept, thinking about two people being stranded on a desert island, for instance. At the same time, a friend of mine’s boyfriend was buying a houseboat in London—it was a real millennial craze for a while, a bit of a clever way to dodge the huge cost of homeowning and also get a sense of escaping the real world. And I think the two things just fused together in my mind, as is so often the case with new ideas, and I thought, What if two people were stranded not on a desert island in the middle of the sea, but in a houseboat?!
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
It took me three years to take this book from start to finish, though I should say that I did also write The Wake-Up Call in the middle of that time (my fifth novel)!
Swept Away was such a challenging book to write, which is perhaps not surprising given that it has just two characters in one location for much of the novel. The idea changed a thousand times—the only thing that remained the same was that hook of two people being lost at sea in a houseboat. The characters changed endlessly, the way they got lost changed, their backstories and histories changed. But it got there eventually, and I feel so proud of the book now. I think it might be my best yet.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
That’s such an interesting question. One challenge has been finding a cover that really captures the scale of the novel—it’s an adventure story as well as a romance. I suggested the sunset (there’s just something epic about sunsets!) and the amazing Berkley design team found the incredible Marianna Tomaselli who created that swoony illustration. I love the way the whole cover manages to capture the blend of love story and drama.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
Definitely. One thing that really surprised me was the way motherhood worked its way into the story. I wasn’t planning to write about becoming a mum, though that is what I was going through while writing the novel. But somehow it ended up becoming such a key part of the book, because Lexi, my main character, helps to raise her best friend’s daughter, so she’s missing her while she’s away at sea. I think I ended up writing about lots of my own feelings there—missing my baby while I was working, plus just the overwhelming love I felt as a new mum.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I hope it will keep them up at night in the best way—I want them to be gripped and moved and uplifted! My favourite thing to hear from readers is that my books have helped them or cheered them up in difficult times, or just kept them company when they needed a little escape from the world.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Get to the end! It sounds easy, but it’s so hard. It takes real confidence in yourself to write a full 80-100,000 words, which I know many of us struggle with. But so much of the work of crafting a novel happens once you’ve finished a first draft. My first drafts are terrible—the book doesn’t begin to really take shape until the second draft. So what I’m saying is, even if you feel it’s terrible, get that first draft written, because I bet you’ll be able to turn it into something you’re proud of eventually!
Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
