Amy Lloyd Interview - One More Lie ~ JeanBookNerd

Photo Credit: Alistair Heap

Amy Lloyd studied English and Creative Writing at Cardiff Metropolitan University. In 2016 she won the Daily Mail Bestseller Competition for her debut novel The Innocent Wife which, when it was published, became a Sunday Times top ten bestseller. Amy lives in Cardiff with her partner, who is also a published novelist.

Can you tell us when you started ONE MORE LIE, how that came about?
I started One More Lie in 2017, just after I had handed in another draft of The Innocent Wife. I actually sent three book proposals to my agent and publisher and this was the one they wanted me to write next. As soon as I started writing it I knew it was the right book for me to be working on. The voice just came really naturally and the more I thought about the subject the more I knew I wanted to explore.

What do you hope for people to be thinking after they read your novel?
I just want people to think about it, I don’t mind what they take away. I knew that some people would feel one way about the character and what they did, and some would feel a completely different way. That’s what’s so interesting about writing a book. You send it out there and you lost all control over the way it’s interpreted. You have to let go and accept whatever people think of it.

What chapter was the most memorable to write and why?
I love all the chapters from her perspective as a child. I loved writing the one where she and Sean meet for the first time. Sean is such a great character and he needed a strong introduction. I think he makes a great first impression!

What is the best piece of advice you ever received from another author?
It’s great to keep in touch with other authors to remember your experience is not unique, you are not alone in these huge ups and downs of being a published writer. It’s not one specific author, or one specific piece of advice, but I am in some online discussion groups where authors are open and honest about the emotional rollercoaster this business can be. It’s amazing how much it helps just to know you’re not alone.

Who or what has influenced your writing, and in what way?
Reading widely has been the biggest influence on my writing. Specific authors like Bret Easton Ellis, Gillian Flynn, Megan Abbott, all had a big influence on me. Bret Easton Ellis has such a distinct voice and was the first writer I read who stood out stylistically. Gillian Flynn and Megan Abbott showed me that thrillers could be page turners and still be stylistically strong.

What was the most surprising thing you learned in creating Charlotte?
I researched the way some infamous children who killed had been interviewed by police and was shocked by the small details, such as being given pens and paper to draw and colour while waiting in their prison cells. That really stuck with me. On the one hand they’re being treated like adults, for a very serious crime, and on the other hand they are still very much children and completely out of place.

What part of Sean did you enjoy writing the most?
When he gets paranoid at one point in the book. I loved that.

What are some of your current and future projects that you can share with us?
I’m writing book 3, which is hard work but I think the plot is a lot more sophisticated than in previous books. I hope some people will be surprised by it!

If you could introduce one of your characters to any character from another book, who would it be and why?
I would like Dennis from The Innocent Wife to meet Patrick Bateman from American Psycho. I’d like to see them face off.

TEN RANDOM THINGS ABOUT ME

1. I was on Top of the Pops on Christmas day 1999 dancing to The Offspring on stage.
2. My favourite film is Jurassic Park.
3. I have a regrettable tattoo with a Charles Bukowski quote on my right arm.
4. I’m allergic to beans and peas (like, near death experience type allergy. Ridiculous).
5. I played roller derby (very poorly) for a short time.
6. I have two proper cats and one long stay guest cat who is scared of coming downstairs.
7. I’m learning Welsh/dw i’n dysgu Cymraeg!
8. My boyfriend proposed to me at a Frightened Rabbit concert. I said yes, then no, then yes again. Still on as of this list.
9. I am a huge fan of true crime.
10. I am obsessed with Jillian Michaels and actually started writing The Innocent Wife the day after I saw her live. It just convinced me to have a go at doing what I really love. And now, here I am. Love you Jillian!!

Do you remember your favorite teacher?
I was a terrible student! I ditched school a lot and was bullied a bit. There were a couple of teachers who understood and who had unlimited patience with me, even though I was a troubled and difficult teenager. I remember them and I am grateful because they stopped me from feeling completely worthless at that time in my life.

If you could live in any period in history, where would it be and why?
The 1990s. I loved my SNES and my Tamagotchi and Nickelodeon. Things got way too complicated after that. I think that was all I ever needed. I would happily go back there tomorrow.

What are 4 things you never leave home without?
My phone, a knife and fork set (honestly. I can’t eat of those wooden ones! Gah!), a tote bag, headphones. My day is ruined if I forget any of those things.

If animals could talk, which would be the rudest?
Seagulls. They are already very rude and if they could talk I imagine it would all be verbal abuse and threats.

Is there something you've dreamed of doing for a long time?
I would love to go to Japan.

What according to you is your most treasured possession?
I have a signed drawing by my favourite musician (Scott Hutchison, Frightened Rabbit). My boyfriend and I bought it the first time we saw them live. It’s very precious to us.

A thrilling new novel of psychological suspense from the award-winning, internationally bestselling author of The Innocent Wife

Charlotte wants to start fresh. She wants to forget her past, forget prison and, most of all, forget Sean. But old habits die hard. Despite the ankle monitor she must wear as part of her parole agreement and frequent visits to her therapist, she soon finds herself sliding back toward the type of behavior that sent her to prison in the first place. The further down that path she goes, however, the closer she gets to the crime that put her in prison all those years ago. And that's the one memory she can't face. Until, one day, Sean tracks her down.

Amy Lloyd won theDaily Mail First Novel competition for her debut, The Innocent Wife. Now she returns with a chilling portrait of a woman trying to be good, even when she isn't sure she wants to be.

You can purchase One More Lie at the following Retailers: