What a treat to have the brilliant Sue Wallman on the blog today answering MBC’s infamous questions! Sue is the Queen of Twists when it comes to writing thrillers and her latest YA novel, Every Word A Lie, has one of the best ones yet. Read on to find out more about the author and this wonderful book – then go and buy it. It’s out now!
- Tell us about yourself in 25 words or less?
I’m the author of seven young adult thrillers. I used to be a magazine journalist and now I juggle writing with being a school librarian.
- Your new YA thriller, EVERY WORD A LIE came out yesterday (congratulations!). Can you tell us a little bit about how it came to be ?
My editor Linas had recommended a podcast to me called Sweet Bobby which was an incredible, true story of catfishing (where someone pretends to be someone else online) and that got me thinking. My books are all about secrets, murder and lies, so catfishing fits right into that. In Every Word A Lie best friends Amy and Stan are in a friendship group that has a history of pranking. To get back at their friend Hollie, they pretend online to be a boy she has a crush on. But Hollie ends up dead, the catfish messages continue, and everything spins out of control.
Whether catfishing is done for malicious reasons or as a prank, there’s always a victim involved, and there can be unintended consequences. I wanted to explore that.
- What does a typical day look like for you?
I work in a secondary school library until 2.15pm, then I come home and write or edit. When I’m up against a tight deadline, I’ll work at weekends, into the night, whatever it takes. I also like to swim and as I’m ploughing through the water I’m often thinking about plot or characters.
- What’s on your TBR pile at the moment?
My Life on Fire – a middle grade book by my friend Cath Howe – can’t wait to read this.
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks – I love the way E Lockhart writes, and this is one of hers I haven’t read yet.
A Very Nice Rejection Letter by Chris Paling – non-fiction, for a change.
- What are your top tips for budding writers?
Some people get lucky, some shout louder than others, some can write more words or more quickly than you. Block all that out, and make your words matter to you, whether you are published or not. Writing and being published are two different things.
Buy notebooks which bring you joy. When you are stuck, write pages of streams of consciousness, or a diary entry in the voice of a character.
- Ok, here’s a challenge… can you sum up your book in five words? [runs and hides!]
Online prank goes very wrong.
- What makes you happy?
Eating breakfast in bed with a good book.
- What’s your worst habit?
Currently it’s doing Duolingo too loudly without earphones and annoying the rest of my household with the pings.
- Your favourite word(s) and why –
I recently went to hear Susie Dent give a talk and I picked up quafftide which means it’s time for a drink. It’s from the sixteenth century – I don’t know why it fell out of fashion because it feels like such a useful word.
- Is there anything that’s surprised you about the publishing process?
Perhaps that I don’t have as much say in the cover as I thought I might. Having said that, publishers know more about how to sell books than I do. I also didn’t realise that when you are writing in a genre that you’ve established yourself in, you can sell a book by writing just three paragraphs explaining what you intend to do. That is a strange feeling – and a lot to live up to!
- Can you give us a glimpse / hint at your current WIP? (I can bribe you with cake!)
My next book is currently three paragraphs of what I intend to write (see above).
- Did we forget anything?
Don’t think so!
Just for fun
Tea or coffee? Soya latte, please
Paper books or e-books? Paper (although I feel sad when the pages go yellow)
Cake or chocolate? Chocolate
Write or type? Type unless I’m stuck and then the physicality of writing by hand sometimes helps
Poetry or prose? Prose
Hot or cold? Cold (I love a hot water bottle, heated blanket, patchwork quilt)
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