The Last Goodbye is an unforgettable story about learning to love again and living life to its fullest, perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes and Josie Silver.
We chat with debut author Fiona Lucas about her novel The Last Goodbye, writing, book recommendations, and more!
Hi, Fiona! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! Yes – I’ve been writing romance, rom coms and women’s fiction for more than fifteen years now, although you’ve probably never heard of me! I started off my career writing as Fiona Harper but switched to a new pen name of Fiona Lucas with the publication of The Last Goodbye. The one thing you need to know about me is that I am obsessed with stories – just ask my husband how much TV we can watch in an evening before I have to pause and start spouting about character choices or plot holes! I’ve lived on the outskirts of London (UK) all my life and I’m a pretty ordinary mum of two – I just happen to do a job nowadays that allows me to daydream for a living.
How is your 2021 going in comparison to that other year?
I actually think I had 2020 pretty easy compared to some – especially anyone working in healthcare, and my heart goes out to anyone who had to suffer loss and hardship last year. I work at home anyway, so that wasn’t too much for a shift. The only problem was having the rest of my family locked down with me and in my space, which took a bit of getting used to! Both my daughters are currently at university, so I was feeling my nest was a little bit empty, but then, suddenly, they were back home, and we were spending loads of time together, especially in the evenings, which was an unexpected blessing. We worked out way through almost the entire collection of Marvel movies (in order, of course!) and my girls introduced me to Stranger Things, which we binge watched in about two weeks.
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
The first story I really fell in love with was Peter Pan. I used to act out the story – pretending I was Wendy, of course – in my bedroom. I mean, who doesn’t want to fly and have adventures with mermaids and pirates?
When did you first discover your love for writing?
I always loved writing stories at school, so I suppose it was then, but I didn’t realise I wanted to be a “writer” until I was in my mid-thirties, so it’s never too late!
Your debut novel, The Last Goodbye, is out June 8th 2021! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Widow, love, loss, healing, hope.
What can readers expect?
They can definitely expect to need a box of Kleenex! My main character, Anna, is a widow at 32, and struggling to work out how to live without the love of her life. But then she accidentally “meets” Brody, another tortured soul who’s working through his own issues, and they begin to give each other hope that there’s a way through grief and guilt. It’s definitely an emotional rollercoaster of story, hitting some hard topics, but also coming out the other side with optimism and (I hope) a warm and fuzzy feeling.
Where did the inspiration for The Last Goodbye come from?
The very initial seed came from watching an episode of The Good Wife (spoilers ahead!), when Alicia found a voicemail from Will after he died, and I really felt the ache of realising that you’d never get to speak to that person again, never get to say the things you should have said. That then combined with the fact my mother-in-law kept my father-in-law’s voice on her answerphone message for years after he passed. At first, I wondered if maybe Anna would be able to talk to her dead husband on the phone, but every time I fleshed the story out it became too much like P.S. I Love You, so I set it aside. It was my agent who suggested that Anna actually found somebody new to talk with to help her through her grief.
Can you tell us about any challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?
I can’t think of any book I’ve written that hasn’t been a struggle at some point! I always, always, always get stuck. Usually, I’ll stop trying to get words down on the page at that point, as I’ve learned that often the reason I’m stuck is that I don’t know enough about my story and that I need to dig into it more before going forward. I’ll take myself away from my computer and use pen and paper to brainstorm, give myself permission to make mistakes, even write a few chapters that are awful that I’ll need to delete later. Eventually, the story will come back into focus and I can carry on again.
Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Under the pen name of Fiona Harper, I wrote two books that allowed me to explore some interesting territory. The Memory Collector featured the daughter of a compulsive hoarder, and researching into the condition, and the impact it had on the wider family, was fascinating. In The Other Us, I got to play around with time travel and alternate realities, as my character got to go back to when she was twenty-one and choose a different life, which was definitely a lot of fun to write.
What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
Surprisingly fast! Amazon was still two years away from launching the Kindle when I started, so traditional publishing was the only route I considered. I had an idea for a love story, decided to give writing my first book a go. I eventually shelved that book, but wrote a new story using what I’d learned in the process.
I then joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association in the UK, which allowed me to have my manuscript critiqued by a published author. I’d just been hoping someone would say my writing didn’t stink too badly and that in a few years I might have something worth pitching. Much to my surprise, the two authors who read my book really loved it, and one of them sent it to her editor at Harlequin Mills & Boon. Five weeks later I was offered my first contract! It was amazing but also terrifying.
While a lot of people are a bit snobby about reading romance, especially Harlequins, it was a fabulous training ground for writing gripping, emotional fiction. I wasn’t allowed to throw extra characters or plot threads in to make things exciting; I had to learn to dig deep into the characters instead.
What’s the best and the worst writing advice you have received?
Best advice: your first draft doesn’t have to be perfect – it doesn’t even have to be close! We always compare our first drafts to other people’s finished products, which is a huge mistake and can be paralysing.
I’m not sure I can think of the worst advice, but I get itchy when people get too prescriptive, or say their way is the only way to write a book. As authors, we all have such different creative processes, so what works for one may not work for someone else.
What’s next for you?
I’ve just handed the first draft of my next book into my editor. It’s got amnesia, a runaway bride (maybe), and a journey from the highlands of Scotland to a fairy tale castle in the south of England, which sounds very rom com-ish but it also delves into toxic relationships and coercive control. No idea what we’re going to call it yet – or even if the finished book will resemble any of that!
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
Ooh, yes. I love anything with big emotions, twisty plots – and I’m definitely a fan of funny and quirky. Anything by Liane Moriarty is a winner, especially Big Little Lies or The Last Anniversary. But I also love Jojo Moyes (Me Before You, The Giver of Stars), Kate Clayborn (Love Lettering, Best of Luck) and Cecelia Ahearn – I thought her book Lyrebird was original, haunting and gorgeously romantic. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid also blew me away.
Readers and fellow writers can find me on TikTok at @fionalucasauthor, where I talk about books, the publishing process and give writing craft tips.
