Q&A with For Your Own Good Author Samantha Downing

This entry was posted on 11 August 2021.

Set amongst the teachers, students and families of a prestigious school, Samantha Downing’s stunningly original new thriller, For Your Own Good, has been summed up as “Big Little Lies meets Gillian Flynn”. In this Q&A with her, the bestselling author chats about reading by torch under the covers as a child, her favourite book and the impact that the pandemic has had on her writing.

 

Q. How did you get into writing?

A. It was really a natural extension of being a reader. Reading was one of my favourite things to do as a child and then as an adult, and eventually I decided to try writing book. It wasn’t something I studied or got a degree in, it’s just something I found I really enjoyed.

 

Q. Where do you do your writing?

A. Usually at my desk at home but occasionally in a coffee shop.

 

Q. Why do you think readers love suspense novels? Where do you think your books fit within the genre?

A. Suspense novels, by definition, make you want to turn the page. I think all readers love the feeling of wanting to know what happens next. I know I do! It’s why I love thrillers and suspense novels. When I was younger, I would use a flashlight to read under the covers when I was supposed to be sleeping. What’s better than that?

 

Q. You’ve been published around the world – do you have a favourite international book jacket?

A. Japan had a really interesting cover for My Lovely Wife. Most of the covers have a woman on them, but the Japanese cover has a bloody tennis racket. It was a drawing, not a photograph, so it wasn’t so gory it was off-putting. I also loved the Polish cover of My Lovely Wife, which had an elegant-looking woman with a cracked, ripped-looking cover. It was really moody and creepy.

 

“The state of the world has definitely affected the subject matter and mood of what I’ve written.”

 

Q. What is your favourite book?

A. One of my all-time favourites is Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. I would also add in just about any book by Patricia Highsmith and Gillian Flynn.

 

Q. What authors/films/plays have inspired your writing?

A. Definitely all of the favourites mentioned above! I’ve been reading thrillers all my life. My whole family reads them so we always had books lying around the house. John Grisham, Michael Crichton, Clive Cussler… these are some of the first thrillers I remember reading. Eventually I moved on to the domestic thrillers, starting with Gone Girl, and I loved them even more.

 

Q. How have you found writing during the pandemic? Has it changed your approach or routine?

A. I’ve written a lot during the pandemic and most of it has been thrown out because it either wasn’t right or it wasn’t good. Luckily, For Your Own Good was finished right before the pandemic started. The state of the world, and particularly the United States, has been pretty depressing for the past year. That’s definitely affected the subject matter and mood of what I’ve written.

 

Q. Lastly, can you give us any clues about what to expect from your next book?

A. Not yet! It will be another thriller, though.

 

For Your Own Good is out now. Read an extract.

 


 
 
 
 

ALSO BY THIS AUTHOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY

Q&A with Scorpion Author Christian Cantrell

Facebook  Twitter