Literary in the City

Thrillers, thrillers, thrillers! Netflix’s new show The Perfect Couple might have put you in the mood for an ominous, bone-chilling thriller, and I’m here to tell you that Samantha Downing will satisfy every craving you’re currently having. Recently, I read her novel For Your Own Good, which is about a series of strange murders at an elite private school. This book had me biting my nails, only pausing to flip the next page. It was good.

So, I reached out to Samantha Downing to chat with the face behind this story. She’s the author of several other novels, most notably My Lovely Wife. Her work has led her to be nominated for the Edgar, ITW, and Macavity awards in the US and the CWA award in the UK. She’s even won the Prix des Lectrices award in France. Without further ado, here’s the interview:

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1. Many of your novels, such as My Lovely Wife, feature surprise endings or a sudden turn of events. Do you plan these twists before writing the book? What is your plot-planning process like?

I don’t plan my books or make an outline. I am what we call a “pantser” which means I write by the seat of my pants. That leads to a lot of revising, but for me writing without plotting can be a lot of fun. The story, and the twists, come organically. It doesn’t always work out, I have scrapped a lot of books and half-books! But this is the way I prefer to write.

2. You’ve also released a novella, entitled Sleeping Dogs Lie. How was the writing process for your novella different than for your novels?

This was a lot of fun to write. It’s about twenty thousand words, or one-quarter of a book, and I had a specific idea in mind about a dog walker. It took me about a month. A full book can take six months!

3. When did you first want to be a writer?

I was always a big reader growing up and eventually wanted to try writing my own stories. I really got into as a hobby after college. I wrote for many years before I was published! For me, it was a hobby and not a career for a long time.

4. Does what you read impact what you write? If so, how?

Reading inspires me to be a better writer. Whenever I read a great book, I always think “I wish I could write like this!” and it makes me work harder.

5. In For Your Own Good (one of my favorite books), you use a host of characters and a plethora of perspectives to craft the story. Who was your favorite character to write about and why?

That book was so much fun to write. I had a great time writing Teddy. He had very strong opinions and beliefs, particularly about his students and what they needed to learn. Nothing about him was wishy-washy, and that’s always interesting. To try and write a character that has a completely different outlook on life, and on people, than you do. Fallon was another great character to write. She had one goal: Revenge. All of her efforts were focused on getting back at Teddy for ruining her life.

6. If you had to use one word to describe your writing style, what word would you choose?

I hope my books are thrilling!

7. Is there anything coming up in the future that your readers should stay tuned for?

Yes, there will be some news about the next book in the near future. Thank you for asking!

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I hope you enjoyed, folks, because I know I did. A massive, massive thank you to Samantha for so graciously agreeing to this interview. Please go check out her work, especially at her website! 

As always, let me know what you think in the comments below ❤ 

Eagerly awaiting Halloween,

H.