Tell us about your latest thriller, The Stranger Inside<\/p>\n
The Stranger Inside is about a woman whose life completely unravels when she\u2019s framed for her husband\u2019s murder. She\u2019s imprisoned, separated from her child and left to piece together what really happened from behind bars. But when she realises her daughter may be in danger too, she makes the desperate choice to escape. This story is my most fast-paced. <\/p>\n
You\u2019ve just signed a big UK and US deal for your next novel, Beautiful Liars. What\u2019s the storyline?<\/p>\n
Beautiful Liars is set in Dalkey, a place that looks idyllic from the outside, privileged, and picture-perfect. But beneath that surface, things quietly break apart when 17-year-old Saskia Foley vanishes during what was meant to be a harmless game of dares in the woods. It follows three mothers, each tied to the incident, each protecting her own child. And there are wolves.<\/p>\n
Your debut novel, Breaking, was shortlisted for the 2023 CWA John Creasey Dagger Award. What\u2019s it about?<\/p>\n
Breaking follows Mirren Fitzpatrick, whose child goes missing while on holiday in the Florida Keys. As the search intensifies and the media spotlight grows, the story becomes less about the child and more about what the mother is hiding, and what the world expects her to be. <\/p>\n
You benefited from the advice of writer friends Andrea Mara and Glenn Meade. Tell us more<\/p>\n
Andrea and I became friends when our sons were in the same class at school. We got talking, and when I told her I\u2019d always wanted to write fiction, she encouraged me to go ahead and just start. Glenn told me if it doesn\u2019t move you, it won\u2019t move the reader. That line has guided a lot of what I write. <\/p>\n
[\u00a0Amanda Cassidy: \u2018My writing comes straight from the heart\u2019Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n Your second novel, The Returned, draws on a real-life event: a fire that destroyed your home<\/p>\n We came home to find our house on fire. I had a newborn and two toddlers at the time so we were lucky no one was hurt, but I still have flashbacks to the melted toys and smashed glass everywhere. Channelling that reality into The Returned felt cathartic.<\/p>\n Has your journalism background influenced your fiction?<\/p>\n As a journalist, you witness the extremes of human behaviour. Every day you are covering stories of grief, joy, resilience and cruelty. You see people in their rawest moments, and I often wanted to change the endings of the stories I covered. Fiction gave me that freedom. <\/p>\n What are your career highlights so far?<\/p>\n Seeing Breaking on a bookshop shelf for the first time will always be special. Being shortlisted for the Dagger Award in London. More recently, getting the call about Beautiful Liars being picked up in both the UK and US was incredible. It was evening time so I had to get dressed and walk down to the local Texaco to buy a bottle of bubbles and 7Up for the kids! <\/p>\n How important is setting in your novels?<\/p>\n My time as a travel journalist gave me access to some amazing places that left a deep impression on me. I love writing books that feel rooted in a specific atmosphere.<\/p>\n What projects are you working on now?<\/p>\n Right now I\u2019m launching The Stranger Inside, which I think makes for a great, pacy summer read. Then I\u2019ll start writing the next book. <\/p>\n Have you ever made a literary pilgrimage?<\/p>\n My dad brought me to Corleone in Sicily, the original Godfather house. <\/p>\n