Get ready to learn more about the book Closer than Ever in this discussion with sapphic author Lisa Elliot.
Join us for an exclusive peek behind the scenes as we quiz Lisa Elliot about Closer than Ever, writing, reading, and more.
This book is part of the Scotland category in the 2026 IHS Reading Challenge.
Why did you write Closer than Ever?
I wrote Closer than Ever as a spin-off from Louder than Words. I wanted to stay in the Scottish Highlands and in the world I’d created with Louder than Words. I really wanted to write a road trip book where the characters travel around Scotland in a campervan together. Being Scottish myself and having worked in a previous life for VisitScotland, I have a strong interest in tourism in Scotland so I wanted to lean into that for this book. I think we love to welcome people here to Scotland and this book was my way of doing that, albeit through a sapphic romance novel!
I also wanted to explore Anna’s character further, as I felt very close to her when she appeared in Louder than Words. In terms of Hayley, an American, I wanted to challenge myself to try and write someone who isn’t British, and someone very different to me.
For the key tropes, I’d been wanting to write a friends to lovers story for a while, with a second chance element. I was keen to base it on friends who knew each other from university but got separated when one person went back home to their country abroad, and as life took both in other directions. It’s not easy to deal with having feelings for a friend. So I think it was an interesting starting point to have Anna and Hayley meet years later and see how they deal with their connection further down the line.
Who is your favorite character in the book?
I love both the main characters in this book, but Anna is probably more my favourite. It was written exclusively from her point of view, too. I relate to her in that she can suffer from anxiety sometimes and for that reason has built her life into a comfort zone in some ways. I like that she reconnects with her younger more adventurous self through the course of the book. She differs from me, however, in that I would never in a million years let anyone convince me into doing a skydive.
What inspired the idea for Closer than Ever?
I once had to say goodbye to a friend from university at Edinburgh airport. She was going home to Germany after having been in Scotland for a year. We lived in a student flat together and had the best time. I remember feeling distraught when saying goodbye, knowing that things would never be the same. This was back in 2003. We stayed in touch for a while but inevitably, life takes you in different directions. It gave me the idea for Closer than Ever, with Anna’s backstory. Maybe I was processing something by writing this book!
What was the biggest challenge writing this book?
My biggest challenge while writing this book was the ending. I couldn’t quite get it right and I had to re-write it many times. I think I struggled to make Anna’s internal conflict and motivations clear enough earlier on in the book, so when I tried to land her decisions at the end of the book, it was hard. Cue a meeting with the parents and a big ‘aha’ moment in her parents back garden, up the tree she used to climb as a kid. I wrote that chapter to help deepen our understanding of Anna and why she was more averse to taking risks.
Where do you usually write, and what do you need in your writing space to help you stay focused?
I usually write in my living room on my writing chair. I have a study where I could go but for some reason I don’t feel as creative in there. I need to feel relaxed, as if I were just sitting reading a book. If I’m at a desk, I find it harder to get in the writing zone. But on the flip side, I find I need to edit while at a desk. Writing the first draft needs to be pretty chill. It helps if the television is off and I don’t look at my phone. I like it to be quiet. Sometimes I’ll listen to music. For Closer than Ever, I had a playlist for the book and I listened to that playlist with my big headphones on while writing most of that book. With my current book, I’m needing a lot of silence. I guess it just depends on how I’m feeling. I think that’s the common thread with where I write and how I stay focused.
Do you have a pet who helps/hinders your typing?
I have two elderly boy dogs who need lots of attention and care. Hamish is a thirteen year old black Labrador and Lanto is a Spanish mastiff who is around eleven. I prioritise their walks and their routine, and I’ll fit my writing around their schedule. We’ve had Hamish since he was twelve weeks old, and we recently adopted Lanto just over a year ago. Sometimes Hamish sighs when I start typing in *his* living room, but he also knows that will be me sitting down for a while, and this relaxes him. They are both good boys!
What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing, and by whom?
The most valuable and impactful piece of writing advice for me was from Elizabeth Gilbert in her book, Big Magic. I read this before I’d ever attempted to write a book. I’d always wanted to write fiction but I never felt like I could. I think Big Magic gave me permission to be creative and it unlocked something in me. It helped me look at creativity in a new light, and to think of writing as something I do because I feel better when I do it (which is true!). It’s about the journey, the process, and not necessarily the outcome. That to write for yourself was key. I think it’s important to write with readers in mind too, and I do, but I still think about what she talked about in that book, and I try to keep those principles in mind.
Have you ever cried when writing an emotional scene?
As a Cancerian, I’m quite an emotional person. I’m so emotionally engaged with all of my characters and all of my books. But with the scene at the end of Louder than Words, I couldn’t write or edit it without crying or tearing up. It stood out to me as a something because I was having a strong emotional reaction every time. I think that book was very emotional and personal to me, as it touched on mental health and core family relationships and grief. I really felt for Myla in that book, in her journey, and in everything she’d lost and gained in life.
What type of books do you enjoy reading the most?
I read widely but the type of books I enjoy the most are those which have a love interest or romantic storyline in them because I just love romance so much! I enjoy books with female protagonists. I like complex characters that feel real, and I’m drawn to books with strong female characters with a feminist undertone. I usually like books with a message or that I can learn from in some way. My taste in books has changed over time. When I was in my twenties I tried to make my way through a lot of the classics like Jane Austen’s books and books like To Kill a Mockingbird or The Heart of Darkness. In my teens, I used to read some horror books but I’d never read in the horror genre now. Now, I’m moving in the direction of wanting to read (and write) more comfort books. With the state of the world as it currently is, I feel warm and cosy sapphic romances are about the only thing I want to read at the moment.
Are there any books or authors that inspired you to become a writer?
Kiki Archer’s But She Is My Student inspired me to start writing my first lesbian romance novel, Dancing It Out way back in 2017. I remember sitting in a cafe reading it on my Kindle, while on my lunch break and not wanting to go back to work. I’d never read a sapphic romance like that before. I think I’d read Sarah Water’s The Paying Guest and Tipping the Velvet, and I enjoyed them. But there was something about Kiki’s book that had me HOOKED and made me think, ‘I want to write something as addictive as this’. I felt my whole world open up, similar to when I read Big Magic.
