#BlogTour Q&A with Seraphina Nova Glass!

Thank you so very much for taking the time to answer my frankly, nonsense questions, as Titan Books embarks on a fabulous blogtour to support the release of ‘Someone’s Listening’, Serpahina’s latest novel.

Don’t forget to follow them all on social media, and say hello, this is another of Titan’s brilliant psychological thrillers which they have released this year, they have been on fire!

Here’s a little bit about the book…

SHE WROTE THE BOOK ON ESCAPING A PREDATOR…NOW ONE IS COMING FOR HER

Faith Finley has it all: she’s a talented psychologist, a bestselling author and the host of a popular local radio program, ‘Someone’s Listening, with Dr. Faith Finley’. She’s married to the perfect man, Liam Finley, a respected food critic.

Until the night everything goes horribly wrong. Liam is missing—gone without a trace—and suspicion falls on Faith.

And then the notes begin to arrive. Notes that are ripped from Faith’s own book, the one that helps victims leave their abusers. Notes like “Lock your windows. Consider investing in a steel door.” As the threats escalate, the mystery behind Liam’s disappearance intensifies. And Faith’s very life will depend on finding answers . . .

Doesn’t that sound like a gripping must read?

And here is Seraphina who was graceful, insightful and extremely kind in answering the following questions-

1) In an interview with Crime Fiction Lover, you mention that reading a Ruth Ware novel was the ignition point for writing a psychological thriller-which one was it and what did you love about it?

 

The book was In a Dark, Dark Wood. I think I loved it because I had only ever read literary fiction for the most part. I’m a James Baldwin, Michael Cunningham, Jonathan Franzen type of person, so I guess I assumed, although I like thriller movies for fun, that thrillers would lack any depth and just be action-packed, espionage and high body count sort of stories. Nothing wrong with that, but not my jam. I loved the character development and complexity of her story telling, and I was impressed that no matter how many implausible things befell the main character, I felt connected enough to go along for the ride. It’s just fun to read and to write, and we could all use that kind of escape right about now.

 

2) Did you expect the response from readers about your novel? The reviews have been fab so far! Is there now a sense of pressure to follow it up or are you feeling that now you have started, it will be hard to stop?

 

I think there will always be a feeling of pressure to up my game on each book. It feels like book two, Such A Good Wife, has been done for ages now, and I am currently focused on book three. I guess the hope on my end is that, since I wrote Someone’s Listening after reading exactly one thriller, I’ll only learn more and get better. I have since devoured countless books in my genre, so the more I read, and the more I educate myself on the genre hopefully I only grow as a writer the more I work.

 

3) Was it a natural transition from writing plays to writing prose? What was the most difficult part for you in the process?

 

I think writing prose feels more natural to me. I tell my students at the university that playwriting is like classical training. If you can keep an audience engaged for two hours through mostly language alone—nothing blowing up, few scene changes, no car chases, etc., that is no small feat. It’s limiting in many ways, and to me, more difficult. Stage and screen are also collaborative, so once you write the script, the director, actors, designers get to interpret it any way they like. I love the control I retain writing prose! I like being able to create the atmosphere and describe the inner monologues of the characters, the sensory details, all of those things stage and screen limit. But, of course, I love writing across all three mediums still.

 

4) Faith Finlay is a woman who helps others but when it comes to helping herself, it’s not so straight forward.Do you think that’s the province of the expert, that they become so good at what they do by studying other people and when it comes to themselves they are suddenly lost? Especially for women, they tend to be historically viewed as the ones that are turned to for comfort, reassurance and answers that we don’t often have, is that why your main female lead is called Faith, to reflect that characteristic?

 

I certainly don’t think being therapist exempts one from having their own set of problems. Substance abuse and depression can affect anyone, and just because she is trained in mental health doesn’t mean she’ll easily cope when her husband is missing, and her career is in shambles, and she’s caught up in a scandal. To assume she’d do and say all the right things doesn’t ring true to me. I think anyone would fall apart under that kind of pressure, so I was writing her with as much honesty as I could. She can make bad decisions and be a little unlikable at times under the given circumstances. Who wouldn’t be?

I don’t know that I connected her name to the comfort and reassurance the way you have, but I like it!

 

5) What book -or books-do you press on friends and family when they ask for recommendations?

 

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is one I push a lot. I just loved everything about it! Not in my genre, but such a gem! Anything Lisa Jewell as well recently.

 

6)Is there a genre that you would love to work in one day, apart from crime? 

 

Well, I wrote several TV scripts in the rom-com category, so I would say that something in that genre, although I find my idea of rom-com leans a little more toward quirky dark comedy. I guess a little Like Eleanor Oliphant come to think of it.

 

7) Having travelled extensively, is it a challenge now to stay put due to the ongoing pandemic, or has it refocused your attention on where you live, and how to get the most out of it?

 

It’s hard to stay put, indeed! My husband and I find our joy in travelling, so of course it’s tough, but I am grateful for my health and a job that allows me to stay employed and work from home (which I was already doing, so no huge changes there.) I am just counting my blessings and approaching it all from a place of gratitude.

 

8) In the UK, the arts are criminally underfunded and undervalued despite being the thing that we turn to for solace when times get tough -and boy has this year been challenging. The Chancellor Rishi Sunak has suggested that artists ‘retrain’ and there is a government app which, if you put in your skill set, it will advise on an alternate career. This has caused absolute outrage (aside from the frankly ludicrous suggestions the quiz makes), and in an environment where plays are cancelled, tours suspended and book launches rejigged, what has helped you keep going? What advice would you give to someone who is starting out, or established, and fears for their art ? It has been a devastating response to those millions involved in the entertainment industry at a time when we need them more than ever! 

 

It’s a good question, and yes not only heart-breaking how undervalued art is when none of us could imagine a world without movies, music, and books, but also wildly hypocritical. Could we even conceive of a world where sports were treated this way? Being is an NFL quarterback is such a longshot that we should defund sports programs in schools and discourage people from pursuing sports. I’m not saying sports programs are never de-funded, but I could probably guarantee that it would come after the arts programs already were. It’s a sad double standard.

 

There’s a quote by Gerard de Marigny that I love: “The soul of an artist cannot be muted indefinitely. It must either be expressed or it will consume the host.” I echo this statement and would always tell aspiring artists to follow their dream. I’d rather live very modestly doing what I’m passionate about rather than settle for a “safe” career that might be more stable, but might also be soul-sucking if my passion and happiness are stifled for it.

 

 

9) There is an excerpt from your next novel, ‘Such A Good Wife’ in the back of ‘Someone’s Listening’, another thriller which looks fantastic!  I love that you center a woman who is not necessarily easy to warm to, women are complicated and don’t often come across as layered in books-they are often the criminal or the victim. Who would you love to blurb ‘Such A Good Wife’, if you could choose any writer living or dead? 

 

I think I’ve made a commitment to myself to write complex female characters and not worry about them being called “unlikable” because my job is to make them interesting and real, not, in fact, “likable.”

 

If I could get a blurb from anyone, I’d have to say Agatha Christie. How fantastic would it be to have her say you’ve woven a great mystery?

 

10) The cover design for the Titan paperback is so striking , it totally stands out on the bookshelf. Were you involved in the design and is ‘Someone’s Listening’ the original title of the book?

 

The title was always Someone’s Listening even as a working title. My second book, they did change the title though. It’s a little weird not to have control of stuff like that, but I trust the marketing team knows what they are doing, so it’s okay.

 

The cover art I didn’t see until I ran across it, just a couple weeks ago, on Amazon! But I loved it.

Who agrees with Seraphina? That cover totally rocks!

Hopefully this will pique your interest and you might check out your local bookstores for a copy of ‘Someone’s Listening’ 

 

About the author…

Seraphina Nova Glass is an Assistant Professor of Instruction and Playwright-In-Residence at the University of Texas, Arlington where she teaches Film Studies and Playwriting.

She holds an MFA degree in Dramatic Writing from Smith College, and a second MFA in Directing from the University of Idaho. She’s also a screenwriter and award-winning playwright.

Seraphina has had the opportunity to travel the world using theatre and film as a teaching tool, living in South Africa, Guam, and Kenya as a volunteer teacher, AIDS relief worker, and documentary filmmaker.

Links-https://www.seraphinanovaglass.com/

Twitter @SeraphinaNova @TitanBooks