Shari Lapena: The queen of thrillers in Prague looked out for…
Shari Lapena is simply full of surprises – not that she’s made a living out of them! Unfaithful husbands, murdering wives, suspicious neighbors… Her books certainly don’t skimp on surprising moments.
We are talking about the last day of your visit to the Czech Republic. What are your impressions?
I am incredibly excited! I knew that my books sell very well in the Czech Republic, my Czech publishing house has a great team of skilled people, but I never dreamed of such a reception! I had two signings in Prague and one in Brno, and each one lasted over an hour. It was an unforgettable experience.
Are Czech readers something specific?
They are definitely more excited. When I arrived at the bookstore in Brno, a crowd of fans was already there waiting for me, and when they saw me, they started clapping spontaneously. Those are the moments you don’t forget… I’ve seen similar enthusiasm probably only among readers in Mexico. They don’t respect me in Canada, I’m happy that thirty people come to my book signing.
Did you get inspiration for another book while visiting the Czech Republic?
Actually yes. Right after arriving at the airport in Prague, I saw a Czech glass shop where there was a large round paperweight and I immediately thought that it would be a great murder weapon!
Have you had the opportunity to taste a Czech specialty?
I did almost nothing else. I absolutely fell in love with the tenderloin. I even ate here twice! I think this is my new favorite food. And the fried cheese was a treat too. I really liked everything I tasted here. I can’t wait to eat boring healthy food back home in Canada…
The last book is your best according to the reader feedback I have recorded. Do you have a bestseller recipe?
I don’t have that and I don’t think there is one. I enjoy watching readers’ reactions because everyone has a different favorite book of mine. Precisely in the case of Not a very happy family, the success lies in the fact that no character is purely positive. Everyone here has a motive for murder, and everyone lies.
They call you the queen of neighborhood thrillers. What attracted you to the environment of neighborhood relations and life in the suburbs?
So proximity. That on the outside, your street may look like the most beautiful place to live, but in reality, everyone is hiding something there. As an author, it’s aimed at the psychological side of the story. You won’t find any big action in my books, because I think the greatest danger often lurks beneath the facade of ordinary life.
Read also
But your life story is also inspiring. You didn’t start writing until you were fifty-five, because it’s never too late to change your life and fulfill your dreams?
Probably yes. No, my life wasn’t very inspiring until I started writing. As a child I read a lot, especially Agatha Christie. She probably left a big impression on me, because she is still my role model today. I studied economics, which was a mistake, because I don’t like numbers and graphs at all. I kind of regret not studying psychology. It might come in handy when writing psychothrillers.
But you were also a lawyer, weren’t you?
Yes, but I didn’t do criminal law. I was doing commercial law, looking at contracts and stuff. I didn’t enjoy it at all, so I quit after a year. Then I worked as a teacher, that was more fun, but unfortunately at that time it was difficult to find a permanent position, so it was more like part-time. And then I got pregnant and stayed home with the kids.
And when did you start writing?
Just when I was on maternity leave. Whenever my daughter fell asleep, I started writing. Actually, I always wanted to write, but I didn’t believe that you could make a living from it.
Well, then this dream has come true for you…
Wait, you’re getting ahead of yourself! First, I wrote three humorous romance books. They sold averagely, but did not make a dent in the world. Only then did I think that I would try to change the genre and write a thriller. I didn’t even tell my husband and secretly started writing the book Husbands Away. And then it went from time to time. I sent a manuscript that focuses on thrillers, a few days later she wrote that we should have coffee. And the following weekend I sold the rights.
Success was quick. Did it surprise you?
I was really shocked! We writers don’t like to be asked which book is our favorite because our works are a bit like children to us. But The Spouses on the Side has a special place in my heart just because they set the carousel in motion.
Do you currently have six books that have been written best for you?
My last book, A Not-So-Happy Family, went very well. In it, I focused on the relationships between siblings, because it seems to me that it is a somewhat neglected topic. Most books focus on relationships, but I think the bond between siblings and their parents is perhaps even more interesting!
No and the hardest?
So he was definitely an Unwelcome Guest. It’s kind of my tribute to Agatha Christie, and it was extremely difficult to describe a group of people in a closed space so that the reader doesn’t guess the ending, but at the same time the motive makes sense. I’m really proud of myself that I managed to do it in the end. I even had to change the killer because I still wasn’t happy with it…
Wait, change the killer… So you don’t plan ahead, you don’t draw maps, who with whom and where?
Not at all! I think I’m good at writing thrillers precisely because I’m just as tense when writing them as I am when I read them. I spin various theories about who it could be and leave room for all the characters to appear suspicious. I enjoyed this the most in Her End, where I even left the conclusion slightly open so that each reader could figure it out in their own way…
Don’t your friends’ writing ever bother you? Aren’t they afraid that if you invite them over for dinner, that you’ll prepare some kind of terrifying surprise for them to test their reaction?
So far, everyone has survived! But it is true that our farm would be a good place to commit murder. It’s far from everything, and there are plenty of great places to hide a body around… By the way, did you know that if you give a corpse to pigs, there’s really nothing left of it? The best method to destroy evidence!
Do you think about these things often?
Not really. I mainly want to while writing, otherwise I want to keep my head clear. But even in my free time, I prefer to read thrillers. Especially Gilly MacMillan, Louise Penny and Cara Hunter. By the way, Cara Hunter was also in Prague this year at the Book World and we spent an unforgettable evening together in a bar… I love that you are already changing your last name to Hunter in the Czech Republic, from now on I won’t say otherwise! I’m a little sorry that I’m not Lapenová.
Are you friends with any other authors?
Yes, it’s a pretty small community, especially us thriller writers know about each other at least. Paula Hawkins is a great woman, even if she writes some rather scary books, so going out for a drink with her is always an experience. Margaret Atwood lived two streets from us. And once I had dinner with Harlan Coben, also a great guy.
Are you already working on another book?
Yes, I wrote my first six books at a pace of one a year, which was great but exhausting, so I took a year off after Not-So-Happy Family. But I couldn’t stand it anyway and started working on the seventh book earlier, so it’s already in the final stage. It will be released in Canada next summer. Unfortunately, I can’t reveal the title yet, but I’ll let you know that it revolves around the disappearance of a nine-year-old girl.
Will you miss anything after returning from the Czech Republic?
I’m really looking forward to my cat Poppy, who always sits next to me when I write. I will miss the European lifestyle you have here – eating good food, even if it’s not very healthy, sitting in front of a cafe with friends and just enjoying life. I have the impression that here it’s always just work, work, work and the important things are being forgotten. But I will miss the tenderloin the most!
Read also
SHARI LAPENA (62)
- Author of six thrillers: Spouses Separated (2017), Stranger in the House (2018), Unwelcome Guest (2019), One of Us (2020), Her End (2021) and Not a Very Happy Family (2022).
- She and her husband Manuel live in the Canadian countryside, where they have a farm. They have two children together.
- She tries to do yoga every morning because sitting while writing hurts her back.
- In her free time she rides horses, which we find to be great exercise. They say it’s more expensive than it seems!
- Her cat Poppy made it into the acknowledgments of all the books as Shari keeps her writing company.
- Her favorite dessert is ice cream, especially the combination of lemon and chocolate.
SOURCE: Vlasta magazine