Today on the blog we welcome author Lisa Hartley, with her guest post, ‘My Writing Life’, as part of the blog tour for her latest book, ‘Tell No Lies’. Post contains affiliate links.

Lisa Hartley lives with her partner, son, two dogs and several cats. She graduated with a BA (Hons) in English Studies, then had a variety of jobs but kept writing in her spare time. She is currently working on the next DS Catherine Bishop novel, as well as a new series with Canelo.

My Writing Life

I’ve always dreamed of being a writer, ever since I can remember. The problem was, I spent all of my time imagining how life would be, instead of doing any writing.

The first thing I learnt was, if you want to be an author, you have to actually finish a book. At that stage, I had lots of different pages with ‘Chapter One’ written on them, but none that said ‘The End’.

I’m very lucky in that writing is now my only job, but I’ve learnt that’s exactly how I have to treat it – as work. Even if writing at home means I am always faced with hundreds of other things I could be doing (reading, PlayStation, cleaning, washing, ironing …), I have to be disciplined enough to sit down every day and get on with it. There will always be distractions (Twitter, Facebook, more reading, finding articles about something or other I could loosely call ‘research’ but isn’t really…). The trick is using the time I have available in the most constructive way I can.

I have a school age son and so need to work around his day and his holidays. I also have three dogs who need exercise and attention, and I need to fit all of this into my routine while ensuring I have enough time in the day to get on with my writing. I’m not someone who needs absolute quiet to work, which is a blessing, because I would write about three words a day if that were the case!

I have a desk in the corner of the living room and try to work from around ten in the morning until just after three, which is when my son comes home. I don’t tend to have a fixed daily word count, but I like to keep a check on my progress, especially if I’m working on a first draft. I find watching the words add up a real motivation, especially if I’m having a day where I’m struggling. I have to factor in time for research (since I don’t really plan my books I usually research as I write, because I don’t know what I’m going to need to know until it happens!), plus answering and writing emails, dog walking, making cups of tea, deliveries and so on. If I don’t feel satisfied with the amount of progress I’ve made during the day, I’ll work in the evening too.

I used to imagine words falling from my fingers without much effort on my part. Again, it doesn’t really happen, except on odd days where everything just seems to flow. But often it’s stop-start, rereading, changing names, substituting words. I tend to write a chapter or scene without stopping, then go back and read through it. I like to end the day halfway through a chapter rather than at the end of one, because I find it easier that way to pick up the thread of what was going on. I know every writer is different in the way in which they approach their day and their work, but this is what seems to work for me.

A tortured body is found in a basement. Drug dealing and people smuggling is on the rise. Then police start going missing.

There seems to be no connection between the crimes, but Detective Caelan Small senses something isn’t right.

Plunged into a new investigation, lives are on the line. And in the web of gangs, brothels and nerve-shattering undercover work, Caelan must get to the truth – or be killed trying. And then there’s Nicky…

Utterly gripping, written with searing tension and remarkable dexterity, Tell No Lies is a blistering crime novel for fans of Angela Marsons, Rebecca Bradley and Faith Martin.

www.lisahartley.co.uk
@rainedonparade
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