Today it's my pleasure to welcome author Jo Jakeman back to the blog to talk about her latest book What His Wife Knew.
It’s lovely to be back. Thanks for having me. I suppose I started writing ‘seriously’ when my children began school, but I struggled to get an agent. In 2016 I did a writing course with Curtis Brown Creative. It was the first time I’d attempted to write a thriller and it just clicked. I got an agent that year and a book deal a few months later. Sticks and Stones was released back in 2018 and it seems like such a long time ago now. Safe House followed in 2019 and, most recently, What His Wife Knew was released.
If you had to give an elevator pitch for your latest book What His Wife Knew, what would it be?
What His Wife Knew is about Beth, whose husband apparently died by suicide. Despite the suicide note, she refuses to believe he would leave her this way. While trying to discover who wanted her husband dead, Beth unearths many secrets and, in doing so, risks destroying the life she’s built.
SORRY
The police believe that Oscar took his own life and this last apology was his way of saying goodbye to his wife. But Beth knows there is more to the story. As disturbing secrets about his life emerge, and the lies of those closest to her begin to unravel, she realises she never really knew her husband at all.
She wants to know what he was sorry for, and she's going to find out... but someone doesn't want her to discover the truth.
And they'll do anything to stop her.
All of your books have featured revenge in one form or another, what is it about exploring this topic that inspires you?
I like to write (and read) about normal people in extreme situations. I often ask myself what makes seemingly law-abiding citizens take matters into their own hands. What makes people snap? The truth is that no one likes to see people get away with hurting others or deceiving them. We love to see the bad guys get their comeuppance, but there are two sides to every story. The bad guy rarely believes they are in the wrong and I find that complexity fascinating.
Both Beth and Oscar have secrets, was that planned from the outset or did it creep up on you whilst writing?
I knew Oscar’s secrets from the beginning but, with Beth, I only knew that she had something she was keeping hidden, and that she needed to keep buried at all costs. I didn’t work out what her secret was until I was halfway through writing the novel.
Which comes first for you, characters or the plot?
The story idea comes first. A ‘what if?’. But it’s only ever the vaguest plot idea until I’ve got my characters in my head. They drive the story.
Are you a plotter or a pantster?
I am definitely a pantser! I tried plotting my second book, Safe House, but I didn’t find it an enjoyable process. I kept wanting to skip ahead and not do the groundwork. I have key scenes in my head and a vague idea of where they need to sit within the story, but that’s as close as I get to plotting. I admire writers who plot their stories – and they probably write far quicker than I do, with fewer drafts – but it’s just not the way I work.
What attracted you to writing psychological thrillers as opposed to any other genre?
I read more psychological thrillers than any other genre, and I couldn’t write the kind of book that I wouldn’t enjoy reading. Also, I began writing historical fiction and there’s such a lot of research needed. I don’t really have the patience for the kind of research that makes historical books sound authentic. This is probably why I don’t plan my books either. I like to get stuck in and move through the story quickly. My lack of patience is legendary!
If you could give some advice to your younger self about writing, what would it be?
Hey, Jo, you know those traumas that you think you’ll never recover from? Yeah, don’t worry, they’re going to make great stories one day. In fact, why don’t you write it all down now. It’s a lot cheaper than therapy.
If any of your books were to be made into a film, who would be your dream cast for the leading roles?
When I start a project, I ‘cast’ the book and print out pictures of actors or models and pin them on the notice board above my desk. It helps keep them fixed in my mind. By the fourth or fifth draft, they’ve taken on a life of their own and hardly resemble the pictures on the board. But, at the beginning of What His Wife Knew, I saw Maggie Gyllenhaal as Beth, Sienna Miller as her best friend, Molly, and for the charming, yet shady, husband I envisaged Matthew McConaughey. Which is daft, because I set this book in the Peak District and I can’t see McConaughey mastering a Derbyshire accent. Can you imagine?? Though I did see a video clip of Angelina Jolie saying, ‘Ay up, me duck’, so anything is possible.
And finally, what can we expect from you next?
We moved to my husband’s home city of Cornwall two years ago and every secluded cove or abandoned mine gives me thriller vibes, so I’m currently working on a murder mystery set here. Recent years have been difficult in so many ways and my creativity suffered, but I feel like I’m back on track now and am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to disappear into my imaginary world for hours at a time.
Website: https://www.jojakeman.com
Twitter: @JoJakemanWrites
Facebook: Jo Jakeman Writes
No comments:
Post a Comment