Get ready to learn more about the book Sweet Sweet Revenge in this discussion with sapphic author Lyn Denison.
Join us for an exclusive peek behind the scenes as we quiz Lyn Denison about Sweet Sweet Revenge, writing, reading, and more.
This book is part of the Toaster Oven category in the 2024 IHS Reading Challenge.
Why did you write Sweet Sweet Revenge?
I, personally, may have felt moments where I would have liked to stoop to some measure of revenge, but I haven’t, and I’ve irritated myself for not being brave enough. So, writing about revenge is the next best thing.
Who is your favorite character in the book?
I liked Clancy because she thought she didn’t care but discovered she did. I think a little piece of an author slips into her character/characters but I’m not admitting to any similarities between my characters and Lyn Denison. No! Really!
What inspired the idea for Sweet Sweet Revenge?
Ooooh! Revenge!
What was the biggest challenge writing this book?
Balancing Clancy’s ideas about Abby and the real Abby.
What part of the book was the most fun to write?
Having the small characters help my main characters ‘find’ each other.
How much research did you need to do for your book?
Sweet Sweet Revenge is part of a series and although it’s a standalone book most research involved the setting and some of the characters that make up parts of the other books.
What is your favorite line from your book?
“Revenge is going to be so sweet.”
What is your writing process like?
Wish I didn’t allow myself to be interrupted so often. That’s my excuse. I would say plotter but I’ve changed my process in the past few years. Now I go where and when the characters lead me.
Where do you usually write, and what do you need in your writing space to help you stay focused?
Most of my books have been written with pencil and paper, jotting through scenes and conversations, before moving to the computer. Now my iPad seems to have replaced the pencil and paper for the most part.
If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose?
Maybe Georgette Heyer. I used to love her Regency romances… but we probably wouldn’t have all that much in common. Or Anne Mather, a writer of straight romances who showed me, many moons ago, you could have ‘steamy scenes’ in romances. Too many good Sapphic authors to choose from.
What’s your favorite writing snack or drink?
Iced coffee. I put a pod in our machine, add milk and cold water, plus ice blocks. Add a biscuit/cookie and that’s it.
How do you celebrate when you finish your book?
Read another author’s book I’ve been hanging out to read.
Do you have a pet who helps/hinders your typing?
I do miss our cat, Paddy, who often jumped up on me when I was sitting writing, made me hold him with one arm, put his head on my shoulder so he could settle in for a snooze. Yes, I can type slowly with one hand. And I have photographic proof.
What animal or object best represents you as an author or your writing style?
I like chipmunks. Does that count?
What are three words that describe your personality?
If I didn’t want to remain a mystery woman, I’d mumble that I’m GRUMPIER than I used to be, that I can occasionally be JUDGEMENTAL, but that I’m basically KIND.
What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing, and by whom?
I remember reading something ages ago unrelated to writing, that for every action there is a reaction. It works for plots and characters too. And I’ve always told myself to write what I’d like to read.
What has helped or hindered you most when writing a book?
My innate ability to focus on one bad review rather than stacks of good ones.
What do you do to get inside your character’s heads?
Keep reminding myself that with the traits and past I’ve given a character, how would they honestly react.
Have you ever cried when writing an emotional scene?
Oh, yes. I still cry just thinking about a couple of scenes in For All Time. I’m not good with loss and my character, Laura, loses everything. (She is saved, though.)
Do you feel bad putting your characters through the wringer?
I try to give bad characters their comeuppance, usually not very successfully. I don’t think I have the killer instinct. Often wonder what I’d do if really pushed?????
Have you ever fallen in love with one of your characters?
Maybe Jamie Murray in my Friends and Lovers series. I love that kid. As to adults, I always like my characters but I’m more inclined to fall for other authors’ characters. Julia Desjardin and Catharine Cleveland are cases in point.
Are there any books or authors that inspired you to become a writer?
OMG! So many! And I was a librarian. I actually began writing sort of seriously so my Dad wouldn’t say ‘I told you so.’ I wanted to build my own house, he said girls didn’t do that and besides, I’d never afford it. Writing was my backup plan. FYI, there wasn’t an ‘I told you so’ said.
What books did you grow up reading?
My mother started me on the journey by reading to me. One ‘moment’ I particularly remember happened when someone gave my Dad a tea chest full of soft covered paperbacks, Penny Dreadfuls I think they were called. Mysteries, Westerns, etc. I suddenly began to notice not all westerns had a man and a horse on the covers. There were some really voluptuous women…
