I love hearing about the books that authors wrote during the pandemic. Sometimes the winters here in Ohio seem a bit locked down and I look for novels that have serious content along with an encouraging message. I thank you for that!
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Oh my gosh, what a great story! I love that! The Memory Library was your first Kate Storey book, though. So it seems like that one little incident prompted you to take your writing in a new direction. Is that fair to say? It seems like youād already published family drama books as Lisa Timoney. Why did you decide to use a different name for The Memory Library?
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Whatās your writing process like? Do you start with an outline or just kind of wing it as you go along? Did any of the Kate Storey books change radically as you were writing them?
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You have a number of books published each year. How many do you have in process at any point? How do you keep the various plotlines straight as you shift gears between books?
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I really appreciate that, Holly, thank you.
We have snow in the UK at the moment and the whole country is acting like theyāve never seen the stuff before. We could lean a lot from you!
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Yes, that was my first Kate Storey. Funny how things begin with something small, then snowball!
Because we wanted these books to have an uplifting feel and have the love of books at their core, we didnāt want readers to think they were buying a family drama with a central dilemma (like my Lisa Timoney novels), To make sure they were clearly distinct, we chose a different pen name.
Thatās why my thrillers are under the name Naomi Williams. The genres are so different we thought they warranted different names.
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I know the Naomi Williams books are darker, and are thrillers - still another direction. What inspired you to move in that direction? And are there any more writer personae that you think will be making an appearance in the future?
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Iām a planner through and through! The thought of flying by the seat of my pants terrifies me. That said, sometimes characters will set their own course, despite my best efforts. There sometimes seems to be a disconnect between the brain and the fingers, and things will appear on screen that I had no idea were going to happen. Iām serious. Itās bonkers!
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I will always do my best to work on one book at a time, especially when Iām drafting. I couldnāt work on one story in the morning and another in the afternoon. That would be too confusing.
I can write a draft or do a significant edit during the day and proof read a novel in the evening, though. Theyāre different skills and I suspect they use different parts of the brain, so are easier to compartmentalise.
Iām very lucky that my editors are aware of my various commitments and check their schedules with mine when weāre planning delivery dates. I had 2 books out in 10 days last summer. That was a lot!
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Iām impressed that you can coordinate that with three different publishers. Am I correct that youāve got four books coming out this year in the U.K.?
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I read a lot of psychological thrillers and love nothing more than trying to work out the twists, so had always wanted to write one. I just needed the right idea.
When I told my agent I wanted to write a thriller, I half expected her to steer me back to my lane, but she was actually fully on board, which was a real boost.
Iām about to start my 3rd thriller and have carved out a slightly quirky USP - all my Naomi Williams books so far deal with an unusual medical condition. The Woman in Ward 9 starts with a woman with amnesia.
The Eyewitness, which comes out this summer, follows a woman whose eyes clamp shut in spasms, and whoās convinced sheās being watched.
Watch this space for the next one. Iām loving the research for it, but I canāt say more yet.
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I missed the last bit of the question, sorry!
I have no plans for another persona ā¦ but never say never!
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What was getting your first book published like? I know it takes some authors decades to get a book published, but it seems like it was a faster process for you. Did you use an agent from the get-go?
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It might even be 5! I delivered my 4th book early and so my digital publisher (Boldwood) are thinking of bringing it forwards.
I didnāt get published until I was 52, so I want to make the most of every opportunity I come across. Thankfully, all my publishers are aware of my workload, and are very flexible with scheduling. Iāve never missed a deadline yet and I donāt plan to.
My husband and I have both been self employed since our 20s, so weāre used to working long hours. Our children are grown, so itās not uncommon for me to work 7 days a week, especially if Iām on a roll with a draft.
I wrote before I was published as a hobby, so it feels like a dream to actually get paid for it now! To me, itās the best job in the world, but I do g pretend itās not hard work to write, edit and promote as many books as I do each year.
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It definitely sounds like a fulltime job! Do you do any touring for your novels, or attend signings? I imagine that would add to the workload, too!
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It was THRILLING! After 2 years of querying agents and hearing nothing, I was actually approached by an editor after putting out a tweet pitch, back in the days when X was Twitter and a lovely place to meet bookish people.
I was already talking to my agent, and things moved pretty quickly after that. The editor took 2 books Iād already written and commissioned a 3rd. They all came out within 7 months, and I havenāt stopped since.
Oh my gosh, thatās amazing! I canāt imagine what a wonderful feeling that must have been. Was it the change in tone (from family drama to lighter fare) that sent you to another publisher for the Kate Storey books?
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I do signings in my local book shops, but I feel like book tours are for the huge sellers and celebrities. Itās very hard to get a budget for things like that. Iād love to, though. Meeting readers is one of the best parts of the best parts of the job!
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It was the same publisher, and the same editor. We loved working together, so the name change happened because of the change in tone
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This makes me want to ask my book club friends if any of them read the last page first. Iāll start with the āanxiousā ones!
Do you get ideas for your quirky characters from people you observe at the grocery store or a doctorās office, etc? If so, do you make a note of them for future use?