Lynne Patrick in Conversation with
Elisabeth Carpenter
Elisabeth (Libby) Carpenter lives in Preston, Lancashire with her family.
She loves the north of England and sets most of her stories in the area, including the novel which has just been published, and the one she is writing at the moment.
Elisabeth won the MsLexia Women’s Novel award in 2015,
a Northern Writers New Fiction Award in 2016,
and was longlisted twice for Yeovil Literary Prize in 2015 and 2016.
elisabethcarpenter.co.uk/
Lynne: Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, Libby. Trying to fit in the actual writing when there’s a new book to publicize is difficult, and this must be eating into your time. Let’s start with that new book, The Family on Smith Street. Can you tell us a little about it? No spoilers, please; some of our readers may not have read it yet!
Libby: Thank you so much for having me on Mystery People! The Family on Smith Street begins when mother Joanna is kidnapped just minutes from her home on her way home from a night out. She wakes in a room that appears to be exactly the same as her own bedroom, even down to the duvet cover. We also follow Joanna’s daughter Scarlett who’s devastated that her mum has gone missing. And there’s a third point of view, a character called Alex Buchanan. Who is he and why is he connected? Why has Joanna been kidnapped and will she ever escape?
Lynne: Some writers have been writing from childhood, others come to it later. Has writing always been there in your life, or did you start in adulthood?
Libby: I began a fiction correspondence writing course when my first son was born in the late 1990s (though I still haven’t finished that one!), but it was only after studying for my English Literature and Language degree with the Open University that I seriously began writing. I completed my first manuscript in 2013, which took almost two years. I wasn’t confident that I could even finish an actual book, so that was a massive turning point.
Lynne: You’re a Lancashire lass, and that’s where you set your books. Do you never get a yen to explore other places in fiction?
Libby: Yes, all the time. I’d love to set one in the US. I’ve never been there, and it would be a great excuse to travel.
Lynne: What sparks off a new novel for you? Are you always planning the next one, or do you need a rest before a new one starts moving forward?
Libby: I have tons of ideas written down in notebooks and on my phone. Inspiration sparks from reading – fiction and non-fiction – listening to the news, and watching television. Always, the ideas begin with the question What if…?
Lynne: What kind of writer are you – a planner, using detailed research to fix everything firmly in place in your mind before you start writing, or a ‘pantser’, who creates a set of characters and waits to see where they take you?
Libby: I like to think about the story and the characters for a couple of weeks or months before I start writing. Whilst I’m pondering I don’t usually write anything down, but just before I begin, I will plan the first six or so chapters so I always know what I’m going to write before I sit down. Otherwise I’ll just stare into space/waste time on the internet! I seldom plan the whole book – inevitably, the plot will change as I get to know the
characters.
Lynne: Your novels are very much about those characters, how they interact, how they feel, how they face the challenges you throw at them. Where do they come from? Are they based on people you know, carefully disguised, of course? Or are they entirely products of your imagination?
Libby: None of them have been based on people I know, but sometimes they’ve been a mixture – for example Maggie in 99 Red Balloons. She was a combination of someone I used to work with at the charity shop I managed, and my grandmother who suffered many losses in her life. It takes me a while to create a fully rounded character. I start with the basics: sex, age, marital status, job, and what their ‘problem’ is. It’s only through writing them that I get to know them – so I usually have to rewrite the first few chapters if they’ve behaved out of character.
Lynne: Six books, six standalones, each quite different from the last. Is there a reason you chose to write in that way, or is it just the way it happened? Have you ever considered writing a series? If so, have you given any thought to a protagonist?
Libby: I’ve considered the idea of a series but as I don’t write crime in the conventional sense, I couldn’t think of a way to achieve this. I don’t tend to read series, either, which might be a factor. The last series I read was
The Hunger Games and it was torture waiting for the following books – I’m far too impatient. I tend to binge-watch TV dramas, too!
Lynne: I’ve read and enjoyed all your books, including the new one, which I enjoyed immensely. I think my favourite so far is Only a Mother, which explores the quandaries any parent must go through when a child appears to go to the bad. I didn’t find the subject matter easy to deal with; was it difficult to write? How did you go about planning it?
Libby: It started with a few lines – a blurb of sorts. Then I built the story around that. I found it hard to write parts of Erica’s chapters as I’m a mother of boys myself. Erica is convinced of her son’s innocence, though, so I suppose that made it a little easier. I often use the first-person point of view, so I’m always in their minds. This can be pretty intense – especially with some of the more criminally-minded characters. Nasty ones can be fun, though, because you don’t get to behave that way in real life – not that I ever could be nasty, of course (polishes halo!).
Lynne: 99 Red Balloons was your first published novel, six years ago now. Were there others before that, which didn’t quite attract a publisher’s attention?
Libby: Yes, there were a few. My first was about a man who died and went to the afterlife, leaving behind his fiancée. It was fun to write and imagine a whole other world. Another was about a boy who lived in a block of flats with his agoraphobic mother. They seldom left their flat until a stranger from the past forces them out. I had never written a psychological thriller before 99 Red Balloons. I think certain genres trend at certain times, and I managed to catch on to that one.
Lynne: As well as the big, well-known publishing houses which only look at agented work, there are quite a few small publishers who seem friendlier and more approachable. Which do you recommend an aspiring author to go to, literary agent with better access to the big companies, or a smaller publisher who may not be as well resourced but is more accessible?
Libby: I’d advise an author to try to find a literary agent – there are so many resources online these days, many of them detailing agents’ likes and dislike. A good agent will champion your work and be on hand with advice as you grow your career. My current publisher is Bookouture and they have been amazing. They accept unagented writers, so it’s well worth submitting to them.
Lynne: Thanks – I’ll bear all that in mind! Holding that first copy of your debut novel in your hand must be a terrific feeling. Can you describe it, or is it something that defies words? And when it’s no longer a novelty because it’s happening for the fourth, fifth, sixth time – is it still just as thrilling? Do you reread them when they’re actual books, not words on a screen? Do they still feel like your words?
Libby: Holding my first ever paperback was a dream come true. It didn’t sink in, really – sometimes it still feels unreal. I definitely still get that thrill when I hold each book in my hands. I don’t read them as actual books, though. If I saw a mistake, I’d probably worry about it for days!
Lynne: And finally – what next? Is book seven already in your head, or even in progress?
Libby: It’s already written! I’m just working through the copy-edits at the moment. It’s about Jessie Donovan, a mother who sees a report on the news that her daughter is missing. But her daughter is sitting right next to her.
The Girl on the News is out on 29 January 2024.
Thank you so much, Mystery People.
Lynne: You’re welcome, Libby. Thank you for giving up your time.
99 Red Balloons (2017)
11 Missed Calls (2018)
Only a Mother (2018)
The Woman Downstairs (2019)
The Vacancy (2021)
The Family on Smith Street (2023).
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