Today its my stop on the Lying In Wait blog tour and I'd like to welcome Liz Nugent to the blog and thank her for kindly answering a few of my questions. Lying In Wait is available now and can be purchased from Amazon here.
Can you tell us a little
bit about yourself and what inspired you to become a writer?
I was always a voracious reader from a very early age, and lost
myself in different worlds and different personalities. I think I wanted to
create my own world and my own characters. Slightly sinister stories appealed
to me most and in fairly quick succession, I worked on a stage production of
John Banville’s The Book of Evidence (I used to be a stage manager) and read
Engleby by Sebastian Faulks. The central characters fascinated me, so I thought
I’d write one.
Lying in Wait is your
second novel, how does it differ from your first Unravelling Oliver?
Whereas Oliver was a man determined to be childless, in Lying in Wait, the protagonist Lydia is
obsessed with being a mother. Unravelling
Oliver spanned over fifty years whereas the action in Lying in Wait happens in three parts 1980, 1985 and very briefly,
present day. Oliver kills people
indirectly but Lydia is ‘hands-on’!
What was your inspiration
for writing Lying in Wait?
A man once told me that he strongly suspected his
father had murdered a prostitute in the 1960s. He had no evidence or no way of
proving it. He never had the courage to challenge his father and went to his
grave wondering. He told me this story about 25 years ago and he is long dead
now. I always wondered what it would be like to grow up in a house where you
suspect your father is a murderer.
Which was your favourite
character in the book and why?
Even though Karen is brave, honest and strong, I really loved
Laurence. He really tried his best to do the right thing, to make up for the
mistakes of his parents. For most of the novel, he is blind to his mother’s
manipulations. His struggle with his weight is entirely psychological. In
writing his life, I realised I needed to give him at least one amazing day
where he could see life’s possibilities, so I sent him to Rome!
Was it difficult to write
about such unnerving characters?
It’s quite liberating to write really monstrous characters because
they can say outrageous things that wouldn’t cross our minds normally. The
plotting of the book is the hard bit. I find characterisation relatively easy.
Describe Lying in Wait in
three word?
Mothering is smothering.
How did you want readers
to feel after reading Lying in Wait?
I’d like them to be shocked and exhilarated and immediately
recommend it to all of their friends. J
What can we expect to see
from you next?
A new novel in late 2017, I hope!
Who are some of your
favourite authors?
Way too many to mention and I know so many great writers that I’m
afraid I’d leave someone out and offend them. I read across all genres. My
favourite dead writers would be John Williams, Emily Bronte, John Steinbeck,
Thomas Hardy, Daphne du Maurier, Truman Capote etc.
Which three books have you
enjoyed most so far this year?
Tastes Like Fear by Sarah Hilary
The Maker of Swans by Paraic O’Donnell
The Diary of Mary Travers by Eibhear Walsh
How do you intend to
celebrate publication day?
Penguin Ireland are generously hosting a launch for me on
publication day so I expect to see lots of friends and drink some wine.
What advice would you give
to anyone wishing to pursue a writing career?
Get off the Internet and read more books. The more you read, the
more you learn about the craft of writing.
Quick fire questions:
Do you prefer:
Tea of Coffee? Tea. When I was a baby, my mother used to
give me milky coffee in my beaker. When I was about fifteen, I stopped drinking
it and now probably have two coffees per year. I don’t think I could write
without tea!
Sweet or Savoury? Sweet. I don’t know how many times I have
offered to be Cadbury’s brand ambassador. I think they have blocked me on
Twitter.
Cosy fires or summer sun? Tough one. Winters are so long here and a
cosy fire is so comforting, but our summers are usually miserable too, so I
have to go for summer sun, just not Irish
summer sun.
High heel or flats? I have a condition called dystonia which
makes walking in high heels impossible so I have never worn them in my life. I
am permanently jealous of other people’s shoes, but the upside is that I don’t
spend ridiculous amounts of money on shoes. I live in Sketchers.
To drive or be driven? Drive. I need to be in charge. My car, my
rules. I’m not actually a very good driver and once wrote off three cars inside
one year (nobody injured thank God) but it hasn’t cured me. I still want to be
the driver and if not, I want to be in the front seat. That will of course
change when I get a limo and driver. Ha ha!
Thank you, Joanne, for the excellent questions, and for taking part in
this blog tour. Liz x
