I Know You’re There by Sarah Simpson

Hi All!
Today is my stop on the blog tour for I Know You’re There and I am here today to with an interview with Sarah Simpson!

Title: I Know You’re There
Author: Sarah Simpson
Publisher: Aria
Published: 6th June 2019
Format: ebook
Pages: 404
Source:: N/A
Add It: Amazon UK Goodreads.
Summary:Is your house as safe as you think?

Natalie spent most of her childhood feeling afraid. So when she moved into her cosy little flat in St Ives and met her three friendly neighbours, she knew at once it was somewhere she’d feel safe.

Before long, Natalie’s neighbours have become the family she never had. Kind, motherly Morwenna, serious, reliable Nigel, and sweet, anxious Daniel. They collect each other’s mail, water each other’s plants, and share each others lives.

But as Natalie knows all too well, the people who are closest to you can also be the most dangerous. And this house is not as safe as she thinks…

Q&A

What is your favourite thing about writing books?
So many things to be said here but in a nutshell, it has to be the chance to slip away into an entirely different world, with an idea of where I will be ending up but no real idea of the journey to get there. A little like tumbling through the back of the wardrobe in The Chronicles of Narnia. It’s a perfect kind of escape and because I write psychological thrillers, when the story becomes too dark and twisted, as it invariably does, I can simply pull back and thank my lucky stars – it’s not really true. When I am in the thick of writing I often compare it to having two different world view point’s running parallel, I do my best not to become confused between the two!

Who is your favourite character in your book and why?
Oh, difficult, I love all the characters for different reasons, even the not so nice ones. But if I have to pick one, it would have to be Natalie. She is a complex character largely because of her life experiences and the hand she has been dealt. But she is a coper, kind and empathic and despite everything she has a delicious sense of humour with an almost simplistic take on situations.

What is your favourite drink to consume while writing?
I would say tea but as I am someone who pops the steaming hot mug next to me, then completely forgets until it is stone cold, I have to say – coffee, as I am happy to drink my coffee cold! I always have a pint of water next to me too.

Do you have any bad habits while you’re writing?
I forget to move then end up with awful neck and back ache. Sometimes, I realise I have been fixed in the same position for several hours, then wonder why everything crackles and pops when I try to move again.

How do you research your books?
I would say the majority of my research comes from being a people watcher and listener of passing conversations. Also, having worked with people for most of my professional adulthood, within mental health this has provided me with invaluable insights to the human mind. My books are mostly set in Cornwall, where I live, so I use locations which have at some point impacted on me for different reasons. I Know You’re There is set in St. Ives, Cornwall. This is such a vibrant, multi-faceted pretty harbour town with some of the most beautiful beaches in the south west. The story revolves around four neighbours who each have a flat within an old Victorian house. For this, I stalked the streets with my husband, wandering around to find the perfect setting, the perfect house. Taking photographs of the building, the views and of the charming twisty pathway into the town. In terms of anything else, I use the internet. I hate to think what anything would think if they gained access to my hard drive. I’ve needed to research some truly awful situations and human behaviours.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?
100% a pantser. I have a rough idea, a general outline of the overall premise. But I find it so difficult to plot and also to stick to plots. I truly rarely know where I am going, how my characters will feel, how they will behave until I am actually writing the situation. This then leads to the next situation, reaction and so on… I have attempted to be more organised and plot more proficiently but mostly I end up either ignoring said plans completely or feeling frustrated as if they have boxed me in and stunted my imagination.

If you could live in any fictional world, which would you choose and why?
Now there’s a question. And so many wonderful books to choose from. For me though, it would need to be the fantastical worlds of Enid Blyton, my first inspirational reading experiences. I would travel the far-fetched worlds at the top of The Faraway Tree and fly the skies in The Wishing Chair.

If you could befriend any fictional character, who would you choose and why?
There are many fictional characters I admire and love for all sorts of different reasons but it doesn’t necessarily mean I would want to share their experiences. So for me, I would definitely drop back in to childhood, to befriend Mollie from The Wishing Chair. A chance to let go of routines and structures for crazy dreamlike adventures. Experiencing some of the most bizarre yet wonderful places — the Land of Dreams, the Village of Slipperies, Mister Grim’s School for Bad Brownies, the Land of Goodies and many others.

About the Author

Sarah Simpson has a first-class honours degree in Psychology and has experienced working at a Brain Rehabilitation Hospital. She has spent time as a family consultant for Warwickshire and Oxfordshire solicitors and gained knowledge of the Family Court System. She now lives in Cornwall with her husband, three children and animals.