Interview With Author Lucy Lyons
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I worked in London as an editorial illustrator before concentrating on writing novels, which I now do full-time. I live in leafy Surrey with my illustrator husband, two grown-up boys and a bearded dragon called Pancake. When I’m not at my desk writing, I love to escape into the garden and other worlds.
My debut novel is a 1990s mystery with a sci-fi twist. I also write fantasy, and currently have two novels out on submission to publishers.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My debut novel is called The Finding Machine. I get a great deal of inspiration from film and TV. The idea for my book started percolating while I was watching ‘Superman’ (for the umpteenth time). I started thinking what superhero power I’d have, if I could have anything. The ability to fly? Healing people? I couldn’t come up with anything that felt right for a novel. Co-incidentally, the next night, I watched the excellent Mackenzie Crook in ‘Dectectorists’ and that’s when it hit me. Finding things. And not necessarily treasure.
I remember when my cat Wizard went missing back in 1996. I was distraught. Despite putting up posters and searching the neighbourhood, he never came back. I wish I knew what happened to him. I took this a stage further – what I felt at the time was bad enough, but what I’d lost my child or a family member? That’s when the germ of an idea grew into a novel. But I didn’t want my main character Alex to be superpowered. I wanted her to be a regular girl. In fact, I wanted her to be a bit of a loser. The machine is the incentive she needs to get out there and make something of herself.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I set the Focus tool on my PC to 40 minutes, and write solidly without distraction for that amount of time. If I do two of these sessions, I will have written well over 1,000 words. My target each day is 1,000 words minimum. The most I have written is 2,400 in one day. It’s very intense!
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read anything and everything, so my influences come from every genre imaginable.
What are you working on now?
The Finding Machine is set in 1998, and the sequel which has a working title of The Millennium Affair, is set in 1999. It was a very exciting time, technologically, with Amazon, eBay and Google just around the corner. I love 90s nostalgia and remember 1999 well. Everyone was looking towards the new millennium – but the Millennium Bug was a spanner in the works and troubled computing experts world-wide. In my novel, when 31st December turns to 1st January, many computers will fail, including the finding machine. My main character – Alex Martin – is on a quest to future-proof the machine before time runs out!
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
htttps://lucylyonswrites.com
https://www.instagram.com/lucylyonswrites
I also keep my readers up-to-date with the latest news via my newsletter. Anyone who signs up gets a free book!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be true to yourself and your vision.
Accept critiques from fellow-minded writers.
Make time to write, without distraction.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t write what you know, write what really interests you.
What are you reading now?
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
The Switch by Beth O’Leary
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m focused on my work in progress, and will hopefully be releasing it this year.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Neither Here nor There by Bill Bryson
The Firm by John Grisham
Pet Semetary by Stephen King
A Song of Ice and Fire by G R R Martin
Author Websites and Profiles
Lucy Lyons Author Profile on Smashwords
Lucy Lyons’s Social Media Links