Q&A: ALICE FEENEY, AUTHOR OF SOMETIMES I LIE
Flatiron Books; March 13, 2018
Fans of Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train, and Behind Closed Doors - look no further. Your newest psychological thriller obsession is here: SOMETIMES I LIE by Alice Feeney releases tomorrow (March 13th), and I can’t recommend this book highly enough! SOMETIMES I LIE was the first psychological thriller in quite a while to really hook me - this is exactly the kind of dark, twisty confection that was missing from my reading list, and I’m confident you’ll feel the same way. In honor of SOMETIMES I LIE’s US publication week, I’m delighted to share a Mini Q&A with author Alice Feeney with CBTB readers today! In our chat, Alice touches on the advice that helped her write this knockout thriller, the project she’s working on next, and a whole lot more.
Before we dive into my Q&A with Alice - let’s take a quick look at exactly what I loved about this book! You can read my full “Buzzworthy 2018 Books” post about SOMETIMES I LIE here, but the main takeaway...
“SOMETIMES I LIE by Alice Feeney is the twisty, addictive psychological thriller that delivers exactly the kind of jaw-dropping, edge-of-your-seat read that its plot summary promises. Go ahead, expect to be surprised and completely entertained: Alice Feeney’s outstanding debut is more than up to the task.
I know all too well—it can seem hard to find a psychological thriller that can fill the huge shoes left behind by some of 2016 and 2017’s biggest releases, but I promise, SOMETIMES I LIE is the puzzle piece your reading list has been missing. Feeney keeps the reader constantly wrong-footed in a debut suspense novel that’s equal parts claustrophobic and captivating. With the shocks of Gone Girl, the interpersonal drama of Behind Closed Doors, and the unreliable characters of The Girl on the Train, SOMETIMES I LIE is a guaranteed hit for readers looking to be swept up in a story that thrills and entertains from the first page to the last. Sinister, shocking, and just plain fun to read, SOMETIMES I LIE is impeccably on-trend yet also inventive and original. Feeney’s debut is the answer for any reader looking to find the next buzzy, trendy psychological thriller in the new year. ”
About SOMETIMES I LIE:
My name is Amber Reynolds. There are three things you should know about me:
1. I’m in a coma.
2. My husband doesn’t love me anymore.
3. Sometimes I lie.
Amber wakes up in a hospital. She can’t move. She can’t speak. She can’t open her eyes. She can hear everyone around her, but they have no idea. Amber doesn’t remember what happened, but she has a suspicion her husband had something to do with it. Alternating between her paralyzed present, the week before her accident, and a series of childhood diaries from twenty years ago, this brilliant psychological thriller asks: Is something really a lie if you believe it's the truth?
Author Q&A: Alice Feeney
Crime by the Book: SOMETIMES I LIE is your debut novel - congratulations! Have you always aspired to being a writer?
Alice Feeney: I’ve always enjoyed telling stories, even as a child I used to sit in the back of my parents’ shop scribbling mini books onto folded up pieces of paper. I worked for the BBC for sixteen years and I loved my job, but my secret dream was always to be an author. It was such a secret that most people I worked with had no idea that I was busy writing Sometimes I Lie on the train to work and during my lunch breaks. I work in my garden shed now with my co-writer, a giant black Labrador who is scared of feathers.
CBTB: When did you first decide to try your hand at writing a book? Was SOMETIMES I LIE the first idea that came to you?
AF: I had a great job working for the BBC, but deep down I knew that all I really wanted to do was write books, like I’d imagined myself doing as a little girl. I started my first novel the year I turned thirty and it feels like I’ve been scribbling in my spare time ever since. I’ve tried and failed a few times. I have my fair share of rejection letters, but each time, I just picked myself up and tried again, it’s just what you have to do. I think you have to follow your dreams - no matter how scared you are of failing – your dreams always know the way.
CBTB: If you had to describe SOMETIMES I LIE in three adjectives, which would you choose?
AF: Dark, twisty and wicked.
CBTB: My personal favorite element of your book is how fun it is to read - it’s genuinely twisty and shocking and just totally addictive! How did you find the process of writing your debut? Was it as fun to write as it is for us to read?
AF: Sometimes I Lie was so much fun to write. The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is to write a book that you would want to read yourself, which is what I always try to do. It was like an obsession and I could not stop thinking about it. The whole experience was pretty fast and furious, I wrote the book in six months and then sent it to my dream agent. Everything that has happened since has been a wonderful whirlwind, and I still sometimes worry it might not be real! Seeing the book out in the world is the most magical feeling, and I hope people enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
CBTB: When you’re not writing crime fiction, are you also a crime fiction reader? If so, what are a few crime novels you’ve read recently that you’ve particularly enjoyed? (If not, what genres do you enjoy reading?)
AF: Oh, yes! I live in a tiny old Victorian house in the countryside, and it is full of books. When I’m not writing I am probably reading, although I read everything, not just crime. Some of my favourite thrillers last year include The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena, Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell, The Lying Game by Ruth Ware and The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn. Other books I loved in 2017 include Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout, This Must Be the Place by Maggie O’Farrell, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline and My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent. There were lots more, it was a really good year for great writing.
CBTB: What are you working on next?
AF: I’m thrilled that Sometimes I Lie is being made into a TV series by Legendary, they made amazing films like Inception and Interstellar which I loved. I’m a consultant on the show and I can’t wait to see Amber brought to life on screen. Books wise, I’m pleased to say I have written a brand new dark and twisty story called Sometimes I Kill, which will be out next year, and I’ve just started scribbling a third thriller, which I'm really excited about. I feel very lucky to be a full-time writer now, it’s the best job in the world and I’m incredibly grateful.
Many, many thanks to Alice for taking the time to answer my questions so thoughtfully! I’m so excited for CBTB readers to get their hands on SOMETIMES I LIE - I highly recommend this one, and am confident you’ll find it as gripping and downright fun to read as I did.
Book Details:
Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Flatiron Books (March 13, 2018)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1250144841
ISBN-13: 978-1250144843
Crime by the Book is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This in no way affects my opinion of the above book.
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