1.
Did you always dream of being a writer?
No, around the age of ten I wanted to be a movie star, and then a rock star!
Unfortunately I can’t act or sing, so that was short-lived.
2.
How did your writing career develop?
I began by writing short
stories for the women’s magazine market but got my break by entering Poolbeg’s
‘Write a Bestseller’ competition. I didn’t win but I was shortlisted – and they
offered me a three book contract.
3.
You have written a lot of books, can you tell us about
your most recent one?
Trust
Me I Lie is a murder mystery with a little bit of humour and romance. Milla Graham
arrives in the picture-perfect village of Buckley to investigate the murder of
her mother. But there’s already one Milla Graham buried in the churchyard and
another about to be found dead in the ruined family mansion. So she must be
lying, right?
4.
What was your inspiration for the book?
Several ideas came together to
inspire this story. While on one of my walks I came across a ruined Georgian
manor house, almost at one with the forest surrounding it. This became the
inspiration for the burnt-out Graham family mansion. I’d also recently
re-watched a movie called The Brothers
Grimm, which has lots of blink-and-you’ll-miss-them fairy tale references,
and I thought it would be fun to write a story in the same way. The heroine’s
mother was an artist, illustrating classic fairy stories, so this is not quite
as random as it sounds!
5.
Can you tell us more about the main character(s)?
Milla is a journalist
specialising in reviewing gigs and festivals. She won’t commit to a
relationship and she can’t settle in one place. Although she has an apartment
she lives out of her car, and has no memory of how she received the strange,
burn-like scars on the palms of her hands.
DI Ben
Taylor
grew up in a family of criminals but was determined to leave all that behind
and become the perfect police officer. Dependable and reliable, even his
colleagues think he’s a stick-in-the-mud. But he’s about to meet Milla – and
his safe, comfortable life will be completely turned upside down.
6.
How would you describe your style of writing?
I didn’t realise I had a
writing style until I tried to ghost-write for somebody else! No matter how
hard I tried, my own irreverent humour kept coming through. I’d love to be able
to write a dark, noir-ish thriller but I can’t. My characters would probably
crack a joke at an inappropriate moment. So I’ll stick to writing romcoms and
murder-mysteries.
7.
Where and when do you write your stories?
In theory, I’m a full-time
novelist. In practice, I often spend my time writing other things. I’m a
creative writing tutor, so sometimes I’m marking assignments or writing
critiques. In the past, I’ve ghost-written fiction for others but now I prefer
to write my own.
I’m lucky enough have my own
study but I also enjoy writing outside when the weather is fine. I do have to
have music playing though!
8.
What do you do and enjoy when you’re not writing?
I live in a very beautiful
part of North Wales, so when I’m not working I like to get out and explore –
especially the medieval castles, they have fascinating histories.
9.
If you could switch places with a character from a
book, who would it be and why?
Someone from a Jilly Cooper
novel, because they always seem to lead such glamorous lives.
10.
What books have
most influenced your life most?
There are several authors who
have influenced me. The first was Enid Blyton and her Adventure series. Also Jilly Cooper’s humour, Harlan Coben’s
twists, Anne Stuart’s dark heroes, Kathy Reich’s strong heroine, and Stephen
King for everything else.
11.
What are you
working on at the moment?
I have two books planned. One
is a sequel to Trust Me I Lie, the
other is a romantic comedy.
12.
What do you enjoy most about writing?
I love creating characters,
giving them problems to solve – and then making their lives hell!
13.
Pick three authors you want to have dinner with and
tell us why.
First I’d pick Stephen King,
because he’s my absolute hero – although I’d be so nervous I wouldn’t know what
to say to him. So I’d better pick Oscar Wilde too, who would have no trouble
keeping us all entertained, and hopefully no one would notice his tendency to
recycle his jokes. And finally Charlotte Bronte, because she wrote one of my
favourite books, Jane Eyre.
14.
Imagine any of your books would be turned into a
movie, who would you cast for the main characters?
I’d love to see Trust Me I Lie turned into a movie. For
Milla I’d pick Sasha Agha, and for Ben I’d choose Tom Mison, who plays the part
of Ichabod Crane in one of my favourite TV shows, Sleepy Hollow.
15.
You also have a blog, what kind of posts do you
publish?
I find it hard to talk about
my personal life on social media as some writers do, so I set up my blog as a
way of sharing information about myself and my books. My blog posts are usually
about the inspiration behind my stories, and my visits to various old houses
and castles around Wales.
16.
Coffee or tea?
Coffee! We were once without
power for three days and the thing I missed most was coffee! My husband very
kindly drove to the local store and bought me back takeaways!
17.
Paperback or e-reader?
I never leave the house without
my Kindle. I get through 2 or 3 books a week, mostly romance or crime.
18.
Mountains or the sea?
I love the views from the mountains
(OK, hills) around my home but they are such hard work to climb, so I’ll say the
sea!
19.
Summer or winter?
I love snow at Christmas, so
long as I’m not actually out in it. Apart from that, winter doesn’t have a lot
to recommend it. I’ll choose summer.
20.
Sweet or salty?
In addition to coffee my other
addiction is chocolate, both of which are very bad for me!
Louise Marley
Louise Marley writes murder mysteries and romcoms. She lives in
Wales, surrounded by fields of sheep, and has a beautiful view of Snowdon from
her window.
Her first published novel was Smoke
Gets in Your Eyes, which was a finalist in Poolbeg’s ‘Write a Bestseller’
competition. She has also written articles for the Irish press and short
stories for UK women’s magazines such as Take
a Break and My Weekly.
Her latest novel is Trust Me I
Lie.
Links:
Website: http://www.louisemarley.co.uk/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LouiseMarley @LouiseMarley
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/LouiseMarley
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