Q and A with A. A. Abbott

Earlier today I reviewed Lies at Her Door by A. A. Abbott.

The following is a Q&A with the author conducted by Lauren Carr, Senior Virtual Book Tour Coordinator and owner of iread Book Tours.

Why the pen name “AA Abbott”?
It was a shameless attempt to place my books right at the front of your bookshelves! I’ve seen from surveys that roughly half of readers file their books alphabetically. Others might arrange them by size or color. My system is more basic: I confess that my house overflows with books, and they’re shoehorned into crannies everywhere.

Do you write about what you know?
I was certainly inspired by real life, especially when a sinkhole appeared in a nearby garden. Like Lucy Freeman in “Lies at Her Door”, I live in a tall, thin house in the English city of Bristol. My home is part of a gracious old terrace painted white. I think of it as resembling a wedding cake. However, although I draw on my own life for inspiration, Lucy is nothing like me. She is much younger, for a start! I can assure you, too, that “my” sinkhole was devoid of skeletons. Lucy, her neighbors and the crescent where they live are very much fictional.

How do you research your books?
For Lies at Her Door, I read manuals on British police procedure and sent copious questions to retired police detectives, forensic specialists and a fellow writer who lives in France. (At one point in the book, the British cops have to get information from their counterparts in France.) A former detective also read my first draft and pointed out my mistakes. I am hugely grateful to all my helpers for giving their time so generously.

What’s the best advice you had from your editor on Lies at Her Door?
My editor, Katharine D’Souza, is also a writer. I’d recommend her book, “Park Life”, to all women over the age of forty. She is incredibly good at describing her characters’ emotions and she urged me to focus on Lucy’s feelings in particular. Thanks to her, we can taste Lucy’s chocolate, feel her sugar rush and sympathize with her guilt.

You publish a dyslexia-friendly edition of all your books. Why?
All my books are published in ebook and conventional paperback formats. Although I’m not dyslexic, some of my relatives are, and accessibility is important to me. As an indie author, I can publish different editions easily, so I chose to have dyslexia-friendly versions printed. They use a large sans serif font and are super-easy to read. One of my books (“Bright Lies”) is also available as an audiobook.

Where to Find Lies at Her Door and other books by A. A. Abbott

Read Lies at Her Door free with Kindle Unlimited, or buy it in ebook, paperback, hardback, large print or dyslexia-friendly print. Follow author AA Abbott on Twitter and Facebook, and find out more about her at https://aaabbott.co.uk/.