E. Lockhart is the author of the New York Times bestseller We Were Liars. In this episode, we dig deep into her newest novel, Genuine Fraud, where you’ll learn about the inspiration behind the book and its main characters.
She walks us through how she structured her novel and tackled the challenging timeline, and how she wrote her first action sequence by studying other great action sequences. Further into our conversation, we discuss how E. creates effective and realistic story settings, and how she creates emotional resonance in her writing. Craft-focused writers will love our chat about unreliable narrators and why it’s crucial to never lie to the readers.
On a more personal note, E. walks us through one of the most difficult times in her career and how it became a blessing in disguise that navigated her way to success. We wrap up the episode with actionable advice for you to achieve your writing goals. This episode is packed with some fantastic knowledge bombs and I’m excited for you to dive in.
Happy listening!
Xo,
Yin
PS. If you enjoyed this episode, I’d really love your support in growing our community by subscribing to us on iTunes, and leaving a rating and review. These specific steps help to increase our visibility on iTunes which really helps new listeners discover us. A huge heartfelt thank you for your time and support! You can click here to go directly to our iTunes page!
“If they [the characters] feel very close to people, it’s because they’re close to me.”
-E. Lockhart
“Sometimes the door opens but it’s not the door you thought you were knocking on, but it’s still a door.”
-E. Lockhart
“I’m not going to create my best work if I stay in totally familiar territory.”
-E. Lockhart
What You’ll Learn From This Episode:
- We deep-dive into the writing inspiration and process behind Genuine Fraud and the main characters
- Learn how she structured her novel and tackled the challenging timeline in “Genuine Fraud”
- How E. wrote her first action sequence by studying other great action sequences
- Learn how she challenges herself as a writer by shifting genres
- Creating emotional resonance in your writing
- Writing effective and realistic story settings
- Learn who and what was edited out of “Genuine Fraud”
- E. shares details about one of the most difficult times in her career and how it became a blessing in disguise
- Learn what it’s like for her to shift between from lighter contemporary novels to darker thrillers
- We discuss what makes a narrator unreliable and how E. writes truthfully for all her characters
- E. walks us through actionable advice for you to achieve your writing goals
About Genuine Fraud
Imogen is a runaway heiress, an orphan, a cook, and a cheat. Jule is a fighter, a social chameleon, and an athlete.
An intense friendship. A disappearance. A murder, or maybe two. A bad romance, or maybe three. Blunt objects, disguises, blood, and chocolate. The American dream, superheroes, spies, and villains. A girl who refuses to give people what they want from her. A girl who refuses to be the person she once was. This is the story of a young woman whose diabolical smarts are her ticket to a charmed life. But how many times can someone reinvent herself? You be the judge.
Learn More About E. Lockhart
E. Lockhart is the author of the New York Times bestseller We Were Liars, which is also available in a deluxe edition (on sale May 23). Her other books include Fly on the Wall, Dramarama, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, and the Ruby Oliver Quartet: The Boyfriend List, The Boy Book, The Treasure Map of Boys, and Real Live Boyfriends.
Books & Resources Mentioned in E. Lockhart’s Episode:
Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
Strangers on the Train by Patricia Highsmith
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
Gingerbread by Rachel Cohn
All American Girl by Meg Cabot
Georgia Nicolson series by Louise Rennison
