The author of creative non-fiction talks to Lynne Hackles about being inspired by the landscape and the structure of the lunar cycles
Caro Giles lives in Northumberland. She is a musician, teacher and was BBC Countryfile magazine’s New Nature Writer of the Year 2021. With four daughters, when does she find time to write? ‘I have to create windows of time for writing as I almost never have childcare for all of my children,’ she says. ‘I usually get up very early and do an hour or two before the kids wake. I also work weekends when I have fewer appointments and advocating to do as part of my carer role, and the children can be less structured for a while.
‘Mornings are definitely my best time to write, before the day creeps into my head and I am submerged in reality. I also really like writing when it’s dark outside and I feel more alone with my thoughts. I am always chasing my tail but I am organised. Somehow, I’m raising four children and have written a book. I’ve been very disciplined and focused on getting the words onto the page.
‘I no longer teach but I home educate some of my children and still run a singing group. I’m unable to work easily outside the home due to my daughters’ needs, so writing works well for me.’
Why did Caro decide to write a memoir?
‘I’ve always been drawn to life writing and wanted to explore the struggle women experience when trying to retain their own identity beyond mothering and caring,’ she says. ‘I had a strong desire to make my voice heard amongst structures and a life that at times left me stifled and claustrophobic. Although there can be a sort of therapeutic aspect to writing honestly about difficult life experiences, I’m sure there are easier ways to respond to divorce! I think I was forced to be more creative, and craft the story meticulously, in order to protect everyone in it. Remember that memoir is only a slice of life. The hardest thing was knowing what not to put onto the page.
‘I knew I had a story to tell but needed a structure to hang it on. Originally, I was going to run alone on a long-distance path across Northumberland but lockdown and a poorly daughter put a stop to that. When we were trapped in the house I turned to the skies and became a little obsessed with the moon, hence the title, Twelve Moons. I loved the different names and the cultural references, dark versus light. It fitted perfectly with what I was trying to achieve.
‘The landscape around me also played a huge part. It was inspiring and also an integral part of the story. The sea and the wilderness, and of course the night sky, make my world big
