This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
INTERVIEW BY AMANDA KEATS
Rosamund Lupton has released two bestselling novels, Sister and Afterwards.
Hi Rosamund. Congratulations on the release of your second book Afterwards. How did the idea for it come about?
Thank you! I'm not exactly sure where the idea for AFTERWARDS came from. Sometimes it feels like an idea springs from nowhere. I just knew I wanted to write about a mother and teenage daughter who could watch what was happening, while not taking part in it, and chat to each other for the whole of a book. I thought it would be a wonderful way to explore their relationships and characters. With the beginning of the book, I was walking to my children's school one day to pick them up when I saw a fire engine roaring over the bridge towards their primary school, sirens wailing. I had that heart-stopping moment when I thought it was going to their school and huge relief when it sped past. That made me think of starting with a fire at a school.
Once the idea has been formulated, how do you go about writing a book? Do you have a trusted system or just go with the flow?
With SISTER I went with the flow and then had to re-plot a large section of the book which was very hard, so with AFTERWARDS I plotted the detective and thriller stories first, and then wrote the novel.
What is your average writing day like?
It's focussed. I work while my two boys are at school and sometimes at night.
What was your journey like to getting published?
Like most authors, it wasn't smooth, but I was very lucky to meet my editor Emma Beswetherick early in the publication process. She immediately loved the book and worked with me on the rewrite.
As a debut author, how did you find the incredible success of Sister? And have you ever considered writing a prequel or revisiting the characters in some way?
The success of Sister continues to feel amazing a little unreal – I never expected anything like it. By the time I finished the book I felt I got the main characters to the place I wanted them to be so was happy to leave them there.
Were you always passionate about writing? 
Yes, ever since I could hold a pencil. My mum recently gave me a story I'd written aged 5 and I never stopped.
What books do you love to read? What is your favourite women’s fiction book of all time?
I read a huge number and variety of books, but tend not to choose on gender. I think my favourite woman author is Anne Tyler .
What can we expect from you in the future? Do you think you will stay writing the darker women’s fiction or explore some more light-hearted styles?
I'm not entirely sure what I'll be writing in the future, but will keep you posted.
Thanks Rosamund.