Tell me about your latest book and why we should read it?
My latest book, coincidentally is out TODAY (Nov 22nd), is called MOTHER and you should read it because, yes, it is a psychological thriller and, yes, it is very dark, but it has depth and heart and will leave you feeling troubled, I hope, for days afterwards.
If someone was to write your life story what would the title be?
The book of my life would be: She Fell into a Stream and Went Where it Took Her (A Series of Unfortunate Events was already taken).
What’s the strangest fan question or request you’ve received?
Strangest fan question was: is Valentina autobiographical? Hm, I’m not sure, I’ll just check with Mik… I mean my husband…
If you could co-write with anyone in the world (alive or dead) who would it be?
If I could co-write with someone it would either be on a screenplay with Kristin Wiig or on a novel with Louise Beech – I don’t think in either case we’d get much written but it would be a hoot I’m sure.
Tell me something nobody else knows (yet!).
Something that is not public knowledge, apart from the terrific flatulence of course, is: Valentina is my debut but it is in fact the fourth book I have written. I had been writing for ten years when I began sending it out and I had decided that if I didn’t break through with it, then I would give up writing forever. It was too hard!
Finally please recommend 3 books that you have recently read and tell me why you’ve chosen these.
Sometimes a River Song by Avril Joy. It is original, beautifully written and it is about the power of the written word, a subject dear to all TBCers.
Dark Water by Sara Bailey, because, yes, it is a psychological thriller but it is also a lyrical and evocative coming of age story set in Orkney.
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. A harder read but an incredibly important piece of work.
Who is SE Lynes: After graduating from Leeds University, S E Lynes lived in London before moving to Aberdeen to be with her husband. In Aberdeen, she worked as a producer at BBC Radio Scotland before moving with her husband and two young children to Rome. There, she began to write while her children attended nursery. After the birth of her third child and upon her return to the UK, she gained an MA in Creative Writing from Kingston University. She now combines writing with lecturing at Richmond Adult Community College and bringing up her three children. She lives in Teddington. Her first novel, Valentina, published by Blackbird Digital Books, came out in July 2016. Her follow up novel, Mother, will be published by Bookouture in November 2017.
