Hi friends! I am super excited to be bringing you my author interview with Lisa King! It’s been a hot minute since I’ve done an author interview and I’m so happy to be doing this one with Lisa King. Let’s jump in!
This post was sponsored by Lisa King.
Lisa King – Author Bio
Lisa King is a fiction author and researcher whose work has been published in numerous academic journals. She holds degrees in psychology and neuroscience from Western University. In her spare time, Lisa enjoys family outings, ample coffee, and unapologetic napping. She lives in London, Ontario with her husband, daughter, and wonky-eyed cat.
About Blue Haven
Welcome to Blue Haven, the world’s most lucrative condo corporation—so exclusive that only five lucky residents live in this lush, tropical paradise, housed in a top-secret location.
Among them is twenty-five-year-old Aloe Malone, an introvert and former waitress who traded bussing tables for lengthy sleep-ins, ocean dips, Michelin-star restaurants, spectacular sunsets, and unlikely new friends—all thanks to a spurious lottery win.
Life’s good.
Damn good.
That is until Aloe discovers a journal.
Seemingly left by a past resident named Eloise whose entries are both sad and evoking, Aloe quickly suspects there’s more to Blue Haven than meets the eye.
Her suspicions are confirmed when visions arise, gruesome hallucinations she can’t understand, followed by a strange yet familiar man lurking in places he shouldn’t. Something’s wrong. Or maybe it’s all in her head. Regardless, she vows to uncover the truth.
Except someone wants to keep her quiet, and it’s the last person she ever suspected.
Interview with Lisa King
About the author
How long have you been writing or when did you start writing?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always loved stories. My first-grade teacher will tell you I’ve been a writer from the start, but my university English marks will disagree. Writing is an ever-evolving odyssey of skill, practice, and mad determination. I started working on my first novel when I was twenty-two, and if you’re wondering how that went: terribly (granted, plot twist to come). Despite this, I kept on writing, because there’s something in my soul that drives me to put words onto paper (and I don’t argue with that soul-deep stuff).
What is your writing process like? Are you a plotter or a pantser?
I’m 70% plotter, 29% pantser, and 1% that annoying person who chronicles their behaviour in percentages. I’ve tried writing every which way at this point, but find I have a hard time writing a book without a decent sense of direction, which usually takes the form of a pitch-able synopsis. That said, being overly planny-pants can take the fun out of writing, so I always leave room for spontaneity. It’s sort of like: before you start building a house, you need a blueprint, but you don’t need to have picked out, you know, the doorknobs.
What, to you, are the most important elements of good writing?
I used to think the most important element of good writing was the writing itself: the poetic, mysterious nature of bringing words together in remarkable ways. That’s obviously important, but insofar as it comes to writing books, the most important elements for me have to do with solid storytelling: an engaging plot, interesting characters, big emotions and high stakes. Drawing people in and making them care. If you can’t tell a good story, you can’t write a good book.
What comes first to you, the plot or the characters?
Generally, the plot. Nearly all the books I’ve written (published and unpublished) began with a high-concept plot idea that later sprouted characters. Plots tend to grab me (think waking up in the middle of the night like, Oooo, telepathic cats would be fun!). I keep a very substantive and often strange list of arbitrary book ideas and one-liners on my phone.
Do you have any advice for writers working on their first books?
Yes. Do. Not. Give. Up. Seriously, I can’t emphasize this enough. Blue Haven (as you’ll learn momentarily) is a true testament to perseverance. Writing is a journey: a long, often discouraging, isolating, and rejection-ridden journey. That part sucks, but you’re not alone; it’s like this for 99% of writers. Maybe it will take months, likely years, but if you’re like me—if writing is something you love, built into the fabric of your existence, for better or worse—you have to keep going.
About Blue Haven
What inspired you to write Blue Haven?
The basic premise for Blue Haven came to me when I was twenty-two. Remember that terrible first book? Yep, that was Blue Haven. At the time, I was inspired by the idea of happiness philosophically. Like, what is it? Is happiness a realistic and sustainable goal for people to aspire toward? I rambled on for about twenty-eight thousand words before hitting a major roadblock (too much pantser, not enough planner). I left the draft as-is for over ten years, during which I wrote several other books, published one, got married, had a child, and experienced a remarkable number of other events that come with living a decade. Still, the premise for Blue Haven never left me, and I thought of it often. During round two, when I finally returned to writing and revising, I was heavily inspired by Netflix’s Black Mirror series; specifically, the aspects of human nature that make our greatest innovations our biggest downfalls.
What part of Blue Haven was the most fun to write?
Blue Haven is supposed to be paradise, so it has all the bells and whistles of a tropical utopia, which I needed to convincingly describe from the confines of pandemic isolation during a bleak and chilly Canadian winter. To achieve this, I swooned over and revisited old travel photos from places I’d visited: Thailand, Mexico, and the Philippines. I dissected the pieces of my favourite sunsets; closed my eyes and tried to imagine the warmth beaming off my cheeks. This was both fun and therapeutic exercise during a profound time of uncertainty and disconnect.
Which of the characters do you relate the most to and why?
I relate most to Aloe, the main character, especially her analytical side. She’s often distracted by constant thoughts, always trying to narrate and better understand the world in which she lives. As a writer, this sort of chronic analysis is quite helpful. As a human being, not so much. I think many of us (Aloe/myself) have at some point viewed happiness as a carrot dangling out of reach, an endgame or destination that requires chasing after. I really empathize with that aspect of the book in general: looking for a place like Blue Haven, hoping it will change your life.
Has your book changed since the first draft?
When I revisited Blue Haven, I re-wrote most of it, but after my second first draft (that’s a thing, right?) not much has changed (a few scene tweaks, lines here and there, general editing, etc.).
How much research did you need to do for this book?
Not much, although I dusted off my master’s degree in neuroscience for a few chapters, and read some recent journal articles. Overall, I wanted to keep the science-y aspects of the book approachable, and not detract too much from the storyline. One of the greatest joys of writing fiction is being fictitious. I find this inherently tricky as a researcher by day. It’s like all of a sudden, I’m struggling in the trenches of neurophysics desperately trying to make A plus B theoretically equal C, before I’m like – Oh yeah, I can just make this up.
How did you come up with the title?
I can’t remember exactly, but suspect it was one of those middle-of-the-night, telepathic-cat strikes (a lot of my ideas are, to the great disfavour of a solid eight-hour sleep).
How would you describe Blue Haven’s ideal reader?
I think Blue Haven’s ideal reader is a kind and articulate soul with a propensity for writing glowing reviews across multiple platforms. In all seriousness though, I think Blue Haven will appeal to readers who like science-fiction thrillers/mysteries that are more speculative in nature, and involve psychological components. There are definitely some twists and turns ahead!
Chat with me!
A huge thank you to Lisa King for this interview!
Let me know if you’ve read Blue Haven or if you like sci-fi thrillers!
Pin This!
One thought on “Interview with Lisa King – Author of Blue Haven”
Comments are closed.