Friday Reads – The Perfect Couple by Jane McLoughlin

It’s time for another Friday Reads post and this week I’m featuring the addictive psychological thriller, The Perfect Couple by Jane McLoughlin. So grab yourself a cuppa, get comfy and let’s get chatting to Jane. 😊

The Perfect Couple blurb

It was meant to be the perfect year abroad…

Rob assures me that it will be an adventure for us: a year in England living in a gothic mansion. He has a new job, and as his wife, I’ll support him. It will be good for our marriage.

But as soon as we arrive at the house it starts.

The noises. The voices.

Why can no one else here anything?

The boy.

Why can no one see him?

And now Rob is acting strangely. Distant. Dismissive. He tells me it’s all in my head. But I can hear the bells in the woods. I can see the boy.

I make friends but I feel they know more than they tell me. Worst of all, they freeze when I tell them where I’m from. Who I am.

I feel myself unravelling. There is a secret here that everyone knows. Everyone but me.

This perfect trip is turning into a perfect nightmare.

Buy Link: Amazon

Welcome to my blog Jane. Have you always wanted to be a writer?

I was always an avid reader, but as a child and younger woman wanted more than anything to be an actress. I sort of fell into writing, although I’ve always seen it as an extension of that desire to inhabit different roles, or live in different situations or locales.  

Has any author inspired you?

I don’t know if they are inspirations, but I’m a huge fan of Patricia Highsmith, Daphne du Maurier, and Shirley Jackson, for their dark, sometimes twisted, points of view and fantastic storytelling skills

Are you a pantster or a plotter?

I’m a pantser, at least at the start of a book. I have to go back and plan when I invariably get lost, but by then, I feel like I know the world of the story, and the characters, so it’s easier to go back to the beginning with a clearer path in sight.

Is your writing ever inspired by your family or real life incidents?

It’s very rarely inspired by real events, although my settings are usually based on somewhere I know. Also, the emotional background to a story or situation is sometimes loosely based on actual feelings; times of being afraid, or feeling vulnerable. The acting world would call that “sense memory” when you channel past feelings into present work.

What are you writing at the moment?

I’ve just finished another dark psychological thriller, set mostly in Sussex, where I’ve lived for many years, and in Venice, where I spend as much time as possible. In the future, I’d like to write something a bit lighter…I’m optimistic and funny in real life, so I don’t know where all the dark stuff comes from!

What inspired you to write this book?

I liked the idea of combining elements of a psychological thriller with that of a gothic suspense story. I wanted to focus on a character who is out of her comfort zone, and is in the company of someone who doesn’t have her best interests at heart, making her feel abandoned in a world she doesn’t understand.

What advice would you give to other writers?

I think I would say that the process of writing is the most important thing: to do it, to enjoy doing it as much as possible. And publishing is always hard, regardless of where you are in terms of getting an agent, pitching your work, and even getting a book launched, so find as much enjoyment in that process as you can, too. Celebrate any success, whether it’s hitting a daily word count target, finishing a draft, sending out queries, or getting a book deal. They are all important milestones!  

Good advice, Jane. It’s so important to celebrate every achievement. Thank you for dropping by to talk to us today. Wishing you lots of writing success.

Meet Jane

Jane McLoughlin was born and raised in the USA but has spent much of her adult life in the UK. A former teacher, she has previously published novels for young people which were nominated for various awards, including the Carnegie Award and the Branford Boase Prize. She has two grown up children, and lives in Brighton. The Perfect Couple is her debut novel for adults.

Social media and website links

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