Ask the Author: Carola Lovering
Answered Questions (12)
Carola Lovering
Thank you so much! I set out to write about a lifelong friendship that becomes fraught in the characters' early thirties, when the two friends' lives begin to take very different paths (one is married with a baby, one is not). I think this is a dynamic many people (especially women) can relate to, and it's hard. And naturally I had to add an element of suspense, per all my novels! There's a bit more on my inspiration in this Vogue article I wrote that published a month before Bye, Baby's release: https://www.vogue.com/article/friends...
Carola Lovering
I don't have an exact date yet but I'm in the middle of writing my next one!
Carola Lovering
Thank you so much! I don't plan to make it a series; I felt the story was finished after one book. But luckily we can watch Tell Me Lies on Hulu which spins the story beyond the book :)
Carola Lovering
Hi, thank you so much! A book that inspired Can't Look Away, particularly Sabrina's POV/storyline, is An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. I love all of Greer and Sarah's thrillers; in this one they did a brilliant job creating suspense through use of the second person (similar to Caroline Kepnes' You). With Too Good to Be True, I really wanted a mind-blowing twist moment halfway, a la Gone Girl. I'm sure you've read Gone Girl but if not, that's a book that always inspires me. I read The Paper Palace about a year and a half ago and it greatly inspired my new novel, Bye, Baby, which will be out in early 2024.
Carola Lovering
Thank you! It's a good question. I see there being at least a little nuance to his character even though he is some form of a sociopath - I don't think it's black and white. But I think what you said about the mental exhaustion of his conscience dredging up an unwanted and complex memory is true as well.
Carola Lovering
Yes! My next book, Can't Look Away, will be out 6/14/22. I am also working on something new that I can't discuss yet!
Carola Lovering
After enjoying writing the more "thriller-y/suspenseful" plot lines in Tell Me Lies, I decided to try and write a true thriller for my second book. I thought of the twist (the big one) first, and the rest of the novel formed around that.
Carola Lovering
Thank you! My new book has a similar vibe in that there are rotating perspectives (this time three characters instead of two), and in that it features complex romantic relationships and fierce female friendships. However, Too Good to Be True is more of a true psychological suspense than Tell Me Lies. As for books that are similar to TML, I highly recommend Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll and The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P by Adelle Waldman - I was greatly inspired by those two novels when writing my debut.
Carola Lovering
Hi! Tell Me Lies was originally inspired by a conversation I had with one of my best friends, about a year after we graduated from college. We were discussing the prevalence of toxic relationships in our generation, and recalling some of our (and our friends') darkest memories from college. After that I was very motivated to write a story that would convey this addictive, all-consuming, and ultimately destructive dynamic in a real and relatable way.
Carola Lovering
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Carola Lovering
I started working on some form of what would become the novel in 2013, and sold a finished version of it in the fall of 2016. Then I spent about a year revising it with my editor. So including all of that, it took just under five years. But my writing process wasn't always consistent, especially in the beginning. I was working a full time job in PR at that point, so was only able to write when I had free time in the evenings and on weekends.
Carola Lovering
I alternated POVs as I was writing! That was really the only way I could accurately move the story forward. Plus, it was fun for me to keep switching voices - I looked forward to getting into Stephen's head after being in Lucy's for a while (and vice versa), and discovering their responses to each other. It kept me intrigued and on my toes throughout the writing process.
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