My characters are an amalgamation of me, people I’ve known, people I’ve observed and my imagination. I always make sure I know what each character desires – something they want more than anything else in the world – and also what they fear most. I also look to their childhoods to discover how their past has shaped them into the people they are now. As well as obvious things like the way they look and the things they wear I also spend a lot of time thinking about my characters’ mannerisms, the way they hold themselves, the way they walk and the way they speak. Sometimes I know everything about a character before I start to write the novel, sometimes it’s not until I’ve written the first draft and fully got to know them.

4. Why did you decide that Emma should work in an animal sanctuary?

Emma always wanted to be a vet and, after her experience at Ekanta Yatra, I felt it made sense to give her a new start that was centred on animals rather than people. Even though she’s still quite isolated socially (she still doesn’t trust people enough to let them get close) I wanted to make her content so that, when the letters and messages start arriving, she’s got a lot to lose. I also liked the similarity between Emma and the animals she cares for. Like Jack, she’s been hurt and mistreated and needs patience and gentleness to teach her to trust and love again.

5. Did you know the ending when you started writing the book?

Actually it changed several times. Originally Daisy was going to fall off the cliff by accident and Al was going to die of an asthma attack (or die in the car after Leanne had attacked her) but I felt it would be too bleak to completely destroy Emma’s friendship group. I needed there to be one friendship that survived, one person that Emma could trust, despite everything. I don’t imagine that Emma and Al will remain close for the rest of their lives. I think they’ve both been through so much that spending time together will bring back bad memories but they’ll both move on to happier times and, in part, they have their trust in each other to thank for that.

6. THE LIE has so many unexpected twists and turns. Do you sometimes even surprise yourself when you are writing?

Absolutely! When I was writing the first draft I had a pretty good idea what was going to happen but new twists occurred to me as I was writing it. That sometimes meant I had to veer off in a completely different direction from the one I was planning but that’s one of the magical things about writing, the way your mind can surprise you. It keeps you entertained as a writer and, hopefully, it means some unpredictable twists for the reader too.

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