What made you want to write crime fiction? deal, and a few days later, when the book had gone to auction in the U.S. I talked about leaving with my agent after the U.K.

I was 21 when I started working in the newsroom and my colleagues were like a surrogate family, albeit a slightly dysfunctional one, so quitting wasn't an easy decision. It was amazing and I'll never forget that moment! I was at work when I got the call, sitting next to one of the BBC's main news anchors (Huw Edwards), and I had to act like everything was normal when my whole life had just changed! I'm very lucky to have the best agent in the known universe (Jonny Geller), and I was completely overwhelmed and very flattered by the response to my book.

What was it like hearing it was sold at auction? I completed Sometimes I Lie just before I graduated and was approached by 15 literary agents, so all that hard work was worth it! I applied for a place on the course and got myself a 0% credit card to pay for it. In many ways, it felt like my last chance, so I worked even harder than before and it meant everything to me. I already had the idea for Sometimes I Lie and wanted to write the best book I could and give myself-and the novel-the best possible chance. Your dreams always know the way.ĭid you attend the Faber Academy writing course before or after this decision? I think you have to follow your dreams, no matter how scared you are of failing. I have my fair share of rejection letters, but each time I just picked myself up and tried again.

I started my first novel the year I turned 30 and it feels like I've been scribbling in my spare time ever since. When did you decide to start writing novels? The press release about my book deal was a big surprise for a lot of people! I work in my garden shed now with my cowriter, a giant black Labrador who is scared of feathers. It was such a secret that most people I worked with had no idea I was busy writing Sometimes I Lie on the train to work and during my lunch breaks. I worked for the BBC for 16 years and I loved my job, but my secret dream was always to be an author. Talk us through your transition from BBC reporter to published novelist.Īs a child, I used to sit in the back of my parents' shop scribbling mini books onto folded pieces of paper. Alice Feeney discusses her first novel, Sometimes I Lie, the thrill of being published, and progress on her second novel, Sometimes I Kill

Author alice feeney