The following is an interview with writer Lizzy Barber regarding the upcoming release of the novel, Be Mine, through Datura Books. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Barber about her creative process in bringing the protagonist’s story to life on the page, what readers may take away from the story’s themes, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the upcoming release of Be Mine! What inspired you to share this incredible exploration of motherhood (and so much more!) with readers?
Lizzy Barber: Thank you! As a mother to a six-year-old (and 8-month-old!), I have long wanted to put into words the extraordinarily life-altering experience of being a new mother – particularly for my generation, many of whom have had lives, careers, whole existences as a fully-formed adult before you are suddenly catapulted into this new way of being. It is obviously a joy and a privilege to be a mother (I sound like Beth now, keen to temper.), but it is also completely destabilising. I was keen to see how this loss of identity would be parallel with a totally different form of life-alteration – namely the wellness group ‘Elixir’ that Beth has escaped from several years before.
BD: What can you tell us about your creative process in bringing this story to life on the page?
LB: Be Mine was undoubtedly my hardest book to write. As an author, I tend to err towards ‘slow burn,’ but this is my twistiest and fastest pace book, which meant keeping hold of complicated strands and also weaving together a past and present. I am a big fan of the writing programme Scrivener, which is excellent for organizing chaos – I don’t plan my novels so the ability to move chapters around and chuck things into folders is key!
I really like to be immersed in my research when I’m writing, so I listen to a lot of podcasts, and watch a lot of documentaries and television shows around the subject. Elixir, my ‘wellness cult,’ was inspired by several different sources, including NIXVM (the podcast ‘Escaping NXIVM’ and documentaries ‘The Vow’ and ‘Seduced’ were incredibly helpful) and the Sarah Lawrence ‘cult leader’ Larry Ray (the podcast ‘The Devil in the Dorm’ and documentary ‘Stolen Youth’ were both chilling discoveries). I combined the traditionally cult-like aspects of these with an exploration of modern wellness brands, so went down several rabbits holes around the ‘75Hard’ programme, Peleton and SoulCycle. I am also indebted to ‘Cultish’ by Amanda Montell, which is a fascinating exploration of the language of fanaticism in modern brands!
I chose San Francisco as the location for Elixir because my husband (then boyfriend) was seconded to the Bay Area in 2012, and it always struck me as being such a singular moment in time. It really was the beginning of the ‘tech gold rush,’ as Beth refers to it in the book – the whole place was bringing with life, the Google campus reigned large and ‘disrupter’ brands like Uber were beginning to emerge – it felt like the perfect place to launch a wellness cult! A lot of the colour of Beth’s experiences was based on my own memories of visiting, as well as a healthy dose of Google maps use!
As a mother myself, I obviously drew on my own experience of the overwhelm of having a newborn – the constant second guessing, the ways the days are simultaneously mundane and relentless, the pressures of looking after a tiny new life, and of course the mental and physical exhaustion! Unlike Beth, I am an extrovert who mitigated this through lots of socialising, so had to really put myself in the shoes of someone who didn’t – or couldn’t – have this crutch.
On a deeply personal level, whilst writing this book I was dealing with difficult fertility issues in order to have my second child, who was born last June, and developed Beth’s IVF storyline very much in tandem with my own experiences. I know this can be an upsetting and triggering plot point for some readers, so I hope that I have dealt with it truthfully and sensitively.
BD: At Fanbase Press, our #StoriesMatter initiative endeavors to highlight the impact that stories can have on audiences of various mediums. How do you feel that Beth’s story – and your willingness to explore the societal pressures experienced by so many individuals in our country – may connect with and impact readers?
LB: I would hope, particularly for mothers old and new, Beth’s newborn experience will chime and give a sense of connectivity. There is so much pressure on women to show their ‘best face,’ particularly around motherhood, so in highlighting the confliction and the rawness of Beth’s experience I would want them to know that they are not alone when they don’t ‘cherish every moment’ and that so much of it is downright hard!
I also think Beth’s ‘past’ storyline in San Francisco also highlights the pressure on women in a different way – how the wellness culture preys upon women’s anxieties about themselves and feasts on this desire to ‘have it all,’ to look better, to be better. The thing that has always fascinated me about cults or any sort of ideological extremism is the idea of an enigmatic leader and how well-versed they are in exploiting our vulnerabilities, particularly with a ‘male leader / female follower’ power dynamic. I would hope that if readers recognise aspects of this in themselves or anyone they know, they will see in Beth’s story that there is a way out and through!
BD: What makes Datura Books the perfect home for this story?
LB: Datura’s tagline is ‘crime is in our bones,’ and I think this really says it all in terms of their energy for, and expertise in, the crime and thriller space. They really engage with the reading community, particularly through their ‘Bone Collectors’ reviewer programme (Want to know more? You can find a link here.), so they are constantly connecting with exactly the audience I would want to be reading this book. They created some gorgeous ARC (advanced reader copy) packs with books I had signed, beautifully wrapped with an Elixir ‘business card’ and temporary tattoo, and the enthusiastic response I had from the recipients of these was a testament both to their understanding of their community and their passion for Be Mine!
As an author, I have to say the publishing experience with them has been an absolute joy. They really centre the author in the process, so everything from decisions on cover designs and book taglines to marketing ideas and PR campaigns has felt very personal and informed. As a small publisher, they feel so young and innovative, and can certainly be more fleet of foot than a larger outfit. On a personal note, their offices are a fifteen-minute walk from my house, which makes touching base face to face very handy!
BD: Are there any other projects – past or current – that you would like to highlight for our readers?
LB: I would definitely encourage readers who have enjoyed Be Mine to check out my past novels. My debut, My Name is Anna, was the winner of the Daily Mail/Random House first novel prize, whilst my follow-up, Out of her Depth, was a Richard & Judy pick. Nanny Wanted was published in 2023 and is a personal favourite – a modern gothic thriller set on the Cornish coast.
BD: Lastly, what is the best way for our readers to find out more about Be Mine and your other work?
LB: I always love connecting with readers!
You can find me most often on Instagram (@bylizzybarber), but I am also on BlueSky, X (less often these days), and the occasional TikTok under the same handle. My website is www.lizzybarber.com.
