Lisa loves words, reading and everything there is to love about books.
She has dreamed of being a writer since she was a little girl – either that or a librarian – and after years of talking about it, was finally brave enough to put pen to paper (and let people actually read it). Lisa lives in a small village in Kent, surrounded by her towering TBR pile, a rather large brood of children, dogs, chickens and ponies and her long-suffering husband. She is also rather partial to eating cheese and drinking wine.
Welcome to Compulsive Readers Lisa and thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer my questions:
Firstly HUGE congratulations on the phenomenal success of your first two books. As you know I am a massive fan of your writing and Between You and Me is the ONLY book I’ve read that gave me a book hangover after. Can you please tell the readers here about your first two books and the inspiration behind them?
The “twist” was the first part that came to me for Between You and Me, and the idea and the characters just kind of grew from there. Tell Me No Lies came about after I witnessed someone close to me experiencing a fairly toxic relationship – I started to wonder what would happen if the “toxic” person in the relationship was allowed to get away with more and more…how far would they go and who would get hurt?
I know you are busy finished Book 3 – what can you tell me about it and when will it be published?
It’s out in the Autumn around September time, but I don’t have a definite publication date yet. It’s about a guy who is pretty much living the perfect life…he has a good job, beautiful daughter and the perfect wife…until she doesn’t come home and he starts to uncover some pretty scary stuff….
You are a passionate reader yourself and are always recommending books to read… what were some of your favourite books last year and what should we be looking out for this year?
I don’t think I’ve shouted loudly enough about Tall Oaks by Chris Whitaker yet! (Haha. Lies. Everyone is sick of me raving about it). Last year I also loved Black Night Falling by Rod Reynolds and Girls on Fire by Robin Wasserman. Ones to watch for this year are The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel, The Choice by Sam King, and The Marsh King’s Daughter by Karen Dionne.
We’ve known each other for a couple of years now and have met several times and it always amazes me that someone so funny and ditzy can write such brilliant psychological thrillers – what’s your secret?
Hahaha! An over active imagination I think! I’m always the mum who sees a kid running with a pencil and immediately sees him falling and poking his own eye out.
I have been busy researching you for this interview and 1 story keeps coming up and I would like you to tell us all about “The Dead Cat” please?
When I found out which of my lovely friends grassed me up over the dead cat, I’m going to kill them! Haha! God, it’s awful. Do I really have to say? •cringes* OK…so, it was dark, and rainy, and about 6am….I heard a weird noise in the garden so I went out to investigate (as you do). I found a cat that had clearly been badly injured….now, we had new neighbours, who had a cat, and they’d moved in about 3 weeks before. I had seen them to say hello to, but hadn’t properly introduced myself. So, I knocked on their door at 6am, soaked to the skin and crying, telling them that their cat was dying in my garden. It wasn’t their cat. And I still have to live next door to them.
You are very supportive of all the book festivals including Harrogate and Crimefest, can you tell me the history behind the Indian Wine story?
Basically, I bought a bottle of wine based on the label (it was pretty) and the wine turned out to be Indian. And vile. And possibly made Mick Herron lose an entire night of his life. BUT…when the bar was shut at Crimefest the indian wine saved the day, no matter what Rod Reynolds and Susi Holliday might say. (It really was the worst wine that was ever fermented).
If you were to describe yourself only using adjectives beginning with L, I, S and A what would they be?
Loquacious, Imaginative, Saucy, Absent-minded!
Do you have a secret talent and what is it?
I dont have a secret talent ( I don’t think) but I can make a mean curry! (Perfect to wash down indian wine)
If you could be Prime Minister for the day, what would you do and why?
Ooh, I think I’d just try to make everyone be a little bit nicer to each other! There seems to be so much division later over immigrants, Brexit etc, I’d love for everyone to just be on the same page, just for a day.
and finally and more importantly, if Hollywood wanted to make a film of your life story who would you like to play YOU?
Melissa McCarthy! She is just brilliant.
