Derbyshire man’s success through terribly difficult times
They say that when someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure. For Derbyshire author, Andrew Beardmore, that experience became particularly acute amidst times that should have been reserved solely for celebration.
A professional writer by trade, Andrew has enjoyed a lot of success as an author over the last decade, primarily thanks to a long list of non-fiction books published by Halsgrove Publishing, a leading UK publisher of arts, culture and history titles. This includes the popular Unusual & Quirky series of local history books which kicked off with Derbyshire Unusual & Quirky back in 2014, whilst Barmy Derby was released in 2018 covering the history of Derby County FC.
However, in the summer of 2023, Andrew’s lifetime wish was granted when he got signed for his first fiction – a four-book series called The Nessemiah, for which the publisher (Ryelands Publishing) is using the strapline, “Poldark meets Gladiator...on another world”.
Having secured rave reviews from professional UK and US reviewers (with Andrew’s saga being likened to Game of Thrones), the publisher was on schedule to release Books One and Two in early 2024 – but then life took a horrible turn for the worse.
Throughout his writing career, Andrew’s two biggest supporters have been his Mum and sister, Valerie and Louise. Indeed, when Derbyshire Unusual & Quirky was first published, Louise threw a surprise Derbyshire-themed book launch party for him. Meanwhile, his proud Mum was busy sending off copies of the glossy A4 tome to relatives in New Zealand’s north and south islands! And it goes without saying that both were huge fans of Books One and Two of the forthcoming fiction, which they had read in advance and were excitedly awaiting release.
Tragically, Andrew’s Mum, Valerie, died suddenly from a stroke towards the end of 2023. Andrew was with her when she suffered the seizure, as he was several hours later when she passed away. Two days later, Louise, was diagnosed with aggressive, terminal cancer and died exactly one month after Valerie. They both passed away in the Royal Derby Hospital, a few wards apart.
Naturally, because of the double tragedy, the book launches were put on hold – although Andrew did arrange to have Books One and Two adapted to include dedications to his Mum and sister, respectively.
Andrew’s family then began 2024 with a new double-hammer blow, as his mother-in-law was diagnosed as end of life, and his step-Mum with a severe and debilitating medical condition. As you might expect, Andrew and his wife, Karen, were left reeling by these events and additional responsibilities, and the book launches got pushed further back.
Roll forward another twelve months or so, though, and things are very slowly turning around. As Andrew says, “It goes without saying that this has been a truly awful time for us and, every day, we still deeply miss those who are no longer with us. But life does go on, and goals can still be achieved.”
And indeed, achieved they have been from a literary perspective – as the first two books in Andrew’s fiction series were released at the end of February – these being The Strains of Malice (Book One of The Nessemiah) and Cold Sanctuary (Book Two).
Book Three (The Awakening) and Book Four (The Kiss of Nessemi) are scheduled to follow in late 2025 to complete the series.
For anyone interested in knowing more, you can visit Andrew’s website, andybeardmore.com, or check out Andrew’s book listings under Waterstones, WH Smith, Blackwell's, Amazon, Daily Telegraph Books, and many other leading booksellers.
The books can also be purchased in electronic format from the big three e-book vendors: Amazon Kindle, Apple Books and Google Play.
Finally, Andrew has some words of encouragement for others who might also be enduring difficult circumstances.
“Yes, we have suffered terribly difficult times, and it has been tough – especially for Louise’s immediate family. But I hope that my story will provide a timely lift for those in similar circumstances, and a message of inspiration for others. And that message is, that even through deep sorrow or when everything seems to be conspiring against you – you must never give up – because the sun will shine again, you will eventually achieve your goals; and your loved ones will be smiling down on you when you do.”