Exclusive Q&A on The Lie from Author C.L. Taylor

I've been wanting to feature The Lie on my blog since before it was officially released! But I was pregnant and gave birth so I've had baby-brain for the past few years, and that means hardly any reading. Maybe it's a good thing I waited though because I've had time to watch this book climb bestseller lists all the way onto the Sunday Times! Cally is an amazing writer and she's the reason I write novels myself. I remember when Cally wrote her first novel and it was published in 2009. I've received loads of writing advice from her over the years and I'm so grateful for her help. I also remember when she went to Nepal on her own. What a brave lass! She brought back some gifts that I still treasure today. Who knew then her travels would lead to the dark and twisted inspiration for The Lie? Well it's a damn good thing she braved travelling on her own to Nepal when she did, all those years ago. And now I finally get to feature an exclusive interview with author C.L. Taylor about The Lie, right here on my blog. Enjoy... 

1. Hi Cally! You've probably answered a ton of questions about The Lie by now, so can you tell us something a bit different? Is there a question (or questions) about your book that you wished you'd been asked by now? Without giving away any spoilers, obviously.

There's a character in The Lie called Isaac who is both charismatic and dangerous. No one has asked who I based him on and the answer is...he's a cross between Aidan Turner (very attractive actor who has starred in Poldark and Being Human) and Russell Brand (lady charmer and wannabe philosopher).

2. Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

The theme of The Lie is that your past doesn't have to define your present. Mistakes you made, or awful things that happened, may have shaped the person you are now but they do not have to define you. You can move past them. You can become a better, stronger person as a result of those experiences. 

3. What made you decide to set the book in the past and present?

I wanted to explore how devastating Jane's  past was and how she had tried to move on with her life. I am fascinated by people who decide to reinvent themselves. What are they hiding or running away from, and why? I needed there to be an element of danger in the present thread and for the reader to have no idea who was behind the threatening notes that Jane receives. The past thread gives away clues as to who could be behind the messages. It also reveals the terrifying situation Jane escaped from five years earlier. 

4. If readers wanted a sequel to The Lie would you write one?

Oh. Tough question. I've never written a sequel to one of my books and I'm not sure I could because I try to tie up all the loose ends at the end of a novel. So probably not, but never say never!

5. It's uncanny, but The Lie was released at the same time a devastating earthquake hit Nepal. Did this make you want to change anything about the book at the time?

By the time the earthquake happened there was no way I could have changed the book as it had already been published but my heart really went out to the people of Nepal. As you know I visited their beautiful country for three weeks in 2006 and I found them to be so wonderfully welcoming and friendly and what happened was devastating. If I could have included a link to the disaster fund in the back of the book I would have done so in a heartbeat. 

6. Did your psychology degree play into character development in The Lie? And if so how?

I have always been fascinated by psychology - how people think, why they behave the way they do and the nature of abnormal psychological conditions. For the Lie I did a lot of research into brainwashing, mind control, sociopathy and toxic friendships. I found a lot of information and my degree helped me sort the wheat from the chaff and interpret what I read.

7. Lastly, can you give us any teasers you're excited about with your next upcoming new novel The Missing?

My third psychological thriller, THE MISSING, is out in the UK on 21st April 2016. It's about Claire, a mother whose teenaged son goes missing. She is certain that Billy is alive and that none of her friends or family had anything to do with his disappearance. But when the TV appeal goes wrong and she finds herself in a strange room with no idea how she got there Claire questions everything she once believed. 

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I'd like to thank Cally for her participation in this Q&A and if you've read and enjoyed The Lie you can thank the author too! Vote for The Lie in the The Sainsbury's Entertainment eBook of the Year Award