Lisa Unger! Congratulations!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  Oh, my gosh. Lisa Unger.  Do you know her? One of the most generous, genuine, and absolutely uniquely talented writers of contemporary suspense. Every single book is jaw-droppingly innovative. Thoughtful, complex, multi-layered and completely completely creepy. Good creepy, but shiver-inducing creepy.

And it’s so perplexing—in real life, she’s irresistible. She’s a great pal, and a friend and teacher to writers and the joy of her fans, but also a wonderful wife with a cool husband and an adorable daughter. And a beloved dog.

And yet, her books are…chilling.

And today, we are all giving her a standing ovation! Her new book UNDER MY SKIN is not only an Edgar nominee for best novel, which as you know is the complete grail, but has just been announced as a finalist for the Hammett Award from the International Association of Crime Writers. Plus! Her short story is ALSO an Edgar nominee! Let’s just say—this is a grand slam home run.

HANK: Whoo hoo! How did you come up with the idea for UNDER MY SKIN? Did you do any specific research for the book?

LISA UNGER:  First--I am thrilled and honored. This is incredible, and I am so grateful. But--the idea for a novel can come from anywhere. It might be a news story, a photograph, even, in one case, a piece of junk mail.  For UNDER MY SKIN, it was Carl Jung quote: “Between the dreams of day and night, there is not so great a difference.”

This thought kicked around in my head for a while and led to research into sleep, dreams, memory, addiction, and the slippery nature of our perception.  A great deal of research goes into all of my novels, and my study of certain subjects is ongoing. I have a continuing obsession with Carl Jung and his work. I have spent a number of years researching trauma, addiction and their impact on perception and behavior. These ideas run through much of my work.

HANK: I can tell!  So—another topic. If you have to pick one favorite character from all your books, who would it be and why?

LISA: I could never pick a favorite! They are all so different, so important to me. I have love and empathy for each of my characters, even the most deranged among them. There are a few characters that stay with me and show up again and again in novels. Retired private Detective Jones Cooper tends to show up in books where I didn’t expect him. Eloise Montgomery, the psychic, and her granddaughter Finley are often on my mind; I know their story is not yet finished. There is a novel in the works featuring all of those characters.

HANK: Oh--amazing. Cannot wait. Your books are so—seamless. Have you ever been stuck while writing one of your books? How did you get over it?

LISA: Writing, as with all organic process, ebbs and flows. Some days you can’t stop the pages from coming; sometimes you spend a lot of time staring at the screen or the blank page. If I’m stuck in my narrative, I exercise. I go to the gym, blast some music, and move – or I walk my dog, or do some laundry. This, more often than not, will help me get to the next place in the narrative. Sometimes you have to walk away in order to give your subconscious the space to work things out.

HANK: You are so much fun—and I will never forget our night of margaritas!  You seem to be so aware of the need to relax and get away from it all? What do you do when you aren’t writing?

LISA: I live in Florida, so my life with my family is very centered on the beach and the water.  Boating, kayaking, and swimming are favorite activities. We are passionate lovers of story – of course. So reading, theater, and film are big features of our life. I love to cook. I have a yoga practice. We also travel quite extensively, and love exploring the world together.

HANK: How did your writer brain grow? Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?

LISA: I have been a literary omnivore since  was a kid – in love with books and film of all types and genres.  But I think if I had to pick one author that influenced me more than any other it’s Truman Capote.  His short stories are where I fell in love with language. IN COLD BLOOD, a searing true crime book – maybe the first of its kind -- taught me that one could write about crime and the dark side of human nature with compassion and with beauty. That book gave me permission to be who I am as a writer.

I also tend to mention REBECCA by Daphne du Maurier when asked this question. That was my first thriller. And the idea of the ordinary young woman caught in a tangle of extraordinary circumstance has been a theme in my work since my early novels.

HANK: I so agree! SO interesting to hear this, because we’ve never discussed this specifically. (Too many margaritas, maybe…) Certainly both have influenced me—Truman Capote was top of mind throughout TRUST ME. So--What projects are you working on now?

LISA: I am working on the revisions for my next novel.  But I never talk about a book until it’s totally complete.  So I’ll have to keep you suspense. After all, that’s my job!

HANK: Why why why did I even bother asking??? You are fabulous. And thank you so much for being here today!  I’m in Florida right now, actually, at BookMania—so let’s chat about dreams today—and I will pop in as often as I can.

 A few days ago, I dreamed I wrote a significantly successful book. Can I remember what I was? Nope. Only the title.

What have you dreamed about recently? Do you remember? And I may be checking in only sporadically—but you can be sure I am reading every post! And I’ll be here as much as I can—and totally focus when I get on the plane to come home.

SO now—take it away. Your turn.  And we’ll choose one lucky commenter to win Lisa’s internationally acclaimed UNDER MY SKIN!

Lisa Unger is the New York Times and internationally bestselling, award-winning author of sixteen novels. Her latest, UNDER MY SKIN, is nominated for an Edgar Award and the Hammett Prize. Her short story, THE SLEEP TIGHT MOTEL, is a #1 bestselling Kindle Single and is also nominated for an Edgar Award.

Published in twenty-six languages worldwide, with more than two million copies sold, her books have been voted "Best of the Year" or top picks by the Today show, Good Morning America, Entertainment Weekly, Amazon, IndieBound, Goodreads and more. 

Her nonfiction essays have appeared in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, and Travel+Leisure. Lisa Unger lives on the west coast of Florida with her family.

UNDER MY SKIN

What if the nightmares are actually memories?

It’s been a year since Poppy’s husband, Jack, was brutally murdered during his morning run through Manhattan’s Riverside Park. In the immediate aftermath, Poppy spiraled into an oblivion of grief, disappearing for several days only to turn up ragged and confused wearing a tight red dress she didn’t recognize. What happened to Poppy during those lost days? And more importantly, what happened to Jack?

The case was never solved, and Poppy has finally begun to move on. But those lost days have never stopped haunting her. Poppy starts having nightmares and blackouts—there are periods of time she can’t remember, and she’s unable to tell the difference between what is real and what she’s imagining. When she begins to sense that someone is following her, Poppy is plunged into a game of cat and mouse, determined to unravel the mystery around her husband’s death. But can she handle the truth about what really happened?