There’s something about the psychological genre that sucks me in like no other. The pervading sense of dread, the flawed narrator(s), the tension between characters, along with an iconic twist, all make for an utterly compelling, highly addictive genre. But it’s the chance to delve into the minds of my characters – to see what’s driving them, what makes them tick – that I love so much.
As with She’s Mine, for The Loyal Friend, I chose to write in the first person present and from multiple perspectives. Although this is by no means a pre-requisite for the genre, for me it fitted the story better and allowed for overlapping layers of doubt and intrigue to develop and flow through the book, the reader never quite sure who or what to believe. Multiple narrators allows you to create diverse characters, each of whom have a distinct voice, backstory, and agenda. I love switching between narrators, becoming a different person in each chapter, trying to feel and get across what it’s like to be that person, thereby helping the reader to understand what is motivating them.