About Author

Beth Haslam

Beth Haslam
BIOGRAPHY

I grew up on a farm estate in Wales. Deep in the countryside, my childhood was spent either on horseback, helping the gamekeepers raise pheasants, or out sailing.

My career was spent working as a Human Resources specialist. As semi-retirement beckoned, my husband, Jack, and I decided to buy a second home in France. This has become a life-changing event where computers and mobile phones have swapped places with understanding French customs and wrestling with the local dialect.

I'm now occupied as never before. Raising and saving animals, writing, and embracing everything that our corner of rural France has to offer.

D'you know? I love it!

Beth Haslam's Books

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Book
Fat Dogs and French Estates, Part 5
$4.99 kindleeBook,
Fat Dogs and French Estates, Part 5by Beth HaslamPublish: Jan 16, 2021Series: Fat DogsBiographies & Memoirs
Fat Dogs and Welsh Estates
$5.99 kindleeBook,
Fat Dogs and Welsh Estatesby Beth HaslamPublish: Jan 12, 2023
Fat Dogs and French Estates Box Set: Parts I, II and III
(1) $9.99 kindleeBook,
Fat Dogs and French Estates Box Set: Parts I, II and IIIby Beth HaslamPublish: Nov 04, 2020Series: Fat DogsBiographies & Memoirs
Fat Dogs and French Estates, Part 2
(1) $3.99 kindleeBook,
Fat Dogs and French Estates, Part 2by Beth HaslamPublish: Nov 24, 2018Series: Fat DogsBiographies & Memoirs

Beth Haslam's Series in Order

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Beth Haslam's Awards and Achievements

    Beth Haslam has earned excellence awards over time. Here is the glimpse of the accolades clinched by the author.

  • Memoir Author of the Year
    2019 award

Beth Haslam Interview On 30, Apr 2021

"Growing up on a farm estate in Wales, Beth Haslam was hooked on reading from an early age. Now the best-selling author of her Fat Dogs and French Estates memoir series, Beth, a passionate nature lover, lives in France with her husband, Jack, and their ever-increasing menagerie of rescue animals."
What do you miss the most about growing up on a farm estate in Wales?

It’s a tricky question since we have much to be thankful for here in rural France. I think it would have to be the sea. My family were keen sailors, so I spent countless childhood days on and in the water. There’s no doubt about it, every time we visit the coast, I love breathing in that fresh salty air, watching the waves roll in and strolling on beaches with the dogs.

As a teenager, what were you obsessed with?

Animals. Almost every day was spent either riding or working with horses. I also spent hours and hours with our dogs, cats, rabbits, along with the rest of the family’s menagerie.

Do you remember the first book you picked up to read? What was it about?

From an early age, I was hooked on Enid Blyton’s books. At that time I didn’t have my own dog, so Timmy (the dog) became a special favourite. I also loved Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty, which I read dozens of times.

What are your favorite lines from any novel?

Different quotes resonate depending on my mood. Some I love because they make me giggle, others are simple yet profound, and there are those where their exquisite imagery moves me.

Here is a handful.

The Corfu Trilogy, Gerald Durrell:
“I believe that all children should be surrounded by books and animals.” (I was!)

A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
“There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour.”

When We Were Very Young, A.A. Milne
“A bear, however hard he tries, grows tubby without exercise.”

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling
“It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be.”

Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare
“But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.”

What motivated you to set up your own Human Resource consultancy business?

My full-time business career was cut short by a serious car crash. Quite how I managed to break so many bones all in one go, I shall never know, but I did. It took many attempts over an initial period of three years to put them back together again, during which period I eventually resigned from my job. Since I wasn’t ready to retire, I started my own consulting business.

How would you describe your experience of working as a Human Resources specialist?

My career was varied and rewarding. I was responsible for employee training and ensuring that disciplinary procedures were correctly followed. There was also a welfare element to it. The work was often demanding and, at times, extremely humbling.

What do you enjoy the most about writing memoirs?

I love the privilege of reliving and sharing the adventures my family and I have experienced.

What challenges did you face while writing the hilarious first installment in the Fat Dogs series?

Hitherto, I had written books in a more technical genre. Writing a memoir was poles apart. I wrestled with confidence-sapping thoughts that readers wouldn’t be remotely interested in our tales. My books are intended to be humorous, which hatched another worry. Would my vignettes be amusing to others? I honestly had no idea.

Which one do you prefer: writing a series or standalone novel? Why?

Definitely a series. My writing style is inclusive. In my first memoir, I tried to create pictures in the reader’s mind enabling them to feel as though they were with me, experiencing the same sights, sounds, smells. Joy and tragedies, too. I was thrilled to find that my approach had worked. Even better, folks asked for more. They gave me the confidence to continue with the series.

As each new book is published, readers often say the latest episode is like catching up with old friends. I find that unbelievably heartening.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

Be brave, follow your heart and persevere. Don’t get hung up on detail such as grammar. That can be fixed. Focus on producing the story. Develop broad shoulders but never lose your grounding. Listen and learn from constructive comments, and never give up hope. After all, JK Rowling’s Harry Potter manuscript was rejected twelve times.

What exactly is your work environment like?

When I am writing, I prefer to be away from distractions. I usually work in our study at home. When I’m part-way through a manuscript, weather permitting, I’ll grab a pad and pen, cuppa and cushion and set up a table somewhere in the garden. I’ll be surrounded by our dogs, cats and the sounds of nature. It’s bliss.

Have you ever met someone who loves animals more than people?

Yes, plenty, although I’ve never worked out whether it was a throwaway line or an earnest protestation.

Where did you meet your husband, Jack for the first time?

I’d love to tell you that a chance encounter brought us together in a romantic setting. But that would be untrue. I met Jack in a grubby factory canteen. Sadly, there was nothing about it that possessed a shred of allure. Huh, and yet here we are, still together after 30-plus years!

Which is the next book that you are writing? When is it due for release?

I am currently working on a prequel in which I’ll share stories about my upbringing in Wales. Myths, druids and dragons, it’s all in there. All being well, it will be published in 2022.

Lastly, what are your thoughts and opinions on AllAuthor and its services?

For me, AllAuthor has been refreshingly professional and supportive. The information provided is clear, the website is easy to navigate, and the services offered to authors are extensive and varied. I think it’s an excellent resource.

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      • Beth Haslam Beth Haslam 3 years ago
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      • I have books published in other genres and had never considered writing memoirs until we set off on our trip to buy a country estate in France. Near-death situations, encounters with eccentric aristocrats and houses on top of cliffs, the adventures we had changed all that. Our experiences were so unbelievable I felt I had to share them. And I'm happy to report that our lives continue to be perfectly imperfect - we wouldn't have it any other way!
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