Interview with Lisa Renee Jones, Author of A Perfect Lie

by grant

in Author Interviews, Mystery, News, Thriller

13 May 2019

What can you tell us about your new release, A Perfect Lie?

A Perfect Lie is my very first psychological thriller and though I’ve been publishing books for almost more than a decade, this book has created a very special place in my heart. A Perfect Lie is a twisted story narrated by the twenty-eight year old Hailey Anne Monroe, this is a story of destiny. The one we all have before us. The one we can’t change. The one she stopped trying to change even if it means murder.

What or who inspired you to become an author?

There are so many amazing and fascinating authors who have inspired me. A narrow list would include: Karen Marie Moning, Lori Foster, Nora Roberts, just to name a few. But I could go on for hours. In a non-author capacity, my need for a creative outlet sparked my first book. I once wanted to be an actress, but after having my sons, and life getting in the way, I eventually turned to writing to satisfy my need for creativity.

What’s on your top 5 list for the best books you’ve ever read?

Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard, Fever series by Karen Marie Moning, Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton, Into a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware.

Say you’re the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?

Karen Marie Moning. Her Fever series is by far and wide one of my favorites, and I would love to ask her the inspiration behind the series, and what her favorite book has been to write, and if there’s a book she’s written (or thought of) that she’s hasn’t written yet.

What’s your favorite thing about writing?

The ability to create a world, and characters, that tell a story my readers fall in love with. I am so humbled and honored to have written as many books as I have, and reached as many readers as I have. Those readers are who inspire me to write bigger, and better with each book, and hopefully I achieve that.

What is a typical day like for you?

I wake up, take care of any pressing matters, check social media, shower, write for the rest of the day until evening when I break for a gym session, and then write another hour or so before bed. Sleep. And repeat.

What scene in A Perfect Lie was your favorite to write?

The main character, Hailey, is an artist, and as she finds her love of her craft again in this book, there’s a certain scene where she’s painting a thought, or perhaps a memory, that keeps haunting her. That scene was both incredibly difficult and amazingly fun to write. It’s a highly emotional scene, in which Hailey openly spars with her thoughts and emotions truly for the first time.

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

Everything happens for a reason. It may be an age-old saying, but it’s something that I have to remind myself of when times get hard, or something inexplicably sad happens. We may not always see the reason right away, but I like to think there usually is one that helps us shape who we’re meant to become.