Reimagining the classic themes of obsession and striving with an original and sinister edge, The Things We Do to Our Friends is a seductive thriller about the toxic battle between those who have, and those who covet–between the desire to truly belong, and the danger of being truly known.
We chat with debut author Heather Darwent about The Things We Do to Our Friends, along with writing, book recommendations, and more!
Hi, Heather! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello! My name’s Heather. I’m a debut author, and I live just outside of Edinburgh by the sea with my cat and my husband. Like so many authors, I spend a lot of time reading, and I’m on a constant quest to cut down on Twitter procrastination…
When did you first discover your love for writing?
I’ve always enjoyed writing and wrote a lot as a child. I studied English Literature alongside History of Art, and took a creative writing course at university, but I took a long break from it all while working in other sectors. Then, I dabbled in a bit of copywriting in my day job and other bits and bobs.
The thing that really propelled me into taking it seriously was a short online course which I loved, and then a longer selective entry one. The Things We Do To Our Friends grew from that, although it did take a while from first draft to publication as I wrote around other work. Although I enjoy writing those initial words, the part I absolutely love is editing my own work once I have some material to play with.
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!
That’s hard! I remember my mum reading Lord of the Rings to me as a child. The one that made me want to be an author – The Borrowers. I love that book.
The book I can’t stop thinking about currently (and this changes all the time) is Yellowface by R.F. Kuang. It’s absolutely brilliant and the true definition of a book you can’t help but devour in one sitting. It’s out next year.
Your debut novel, The Things We Do to Our Friends, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Glossy, vengeful, toxic, scheming women.
What can readers expect?
A dark psychological suspense set in Edinburgh that explores how far a group of friends will go as they start a dangerous business. Readers can expect despicable behaviour, lies, secrets, and violence.
Where did the inspiration for The Things We Do to Our Friends come from?
The setting came from my own time at Edinburgh – I worked in a cocktail bar and studied History of Art like my protagonist, but the characters are fully fictional!
I’ve always been interested in the world of work, so I knew that would feature pretty heavily. I was really fascinated by the idea of creating something new, of not trusting traditional institutional structures or jobs. Perhaps some of that came from my previous job, working in a start-up, but I think we’re seeing a lot of disillusionment with the old way of work. People are drawn to becoming entrepreneurs, or just doing things differently.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I enjoyed all the scenes that were set in a specific place, or involved the geography of Edinburgh, so I loved writing the scene in the book that involves acid. That scene came in relatively late, but it was really fun to piece together the action. I liked writing Tabitha too – she’s the main antagonist and she’s really quite terrible. Unlikable characters are my favourite.
Can you tell us a bit about your journey of getting The Things We Do to Our Friends published?
It took a while for me to get agented, and during that time I did a Revise & Resubmit for some agents, and also worked on the novel, tweaking it, cutting lots, adding lots until I could see how it was going to sit. It changed quite substantially from my initial querying rounds. I also changed the title from Cruel Friend to The Things We Do To Our Friends, which I think works a lot better.
The submissions process, led by my lovely agent, was a lot quicker, and then I edited with the UK and US editors for a while with numerous rounds of structural edits. These structural edits were really hard and at some points it felt impossible to tie it all together, but it was also probably my favourite part of the process, working closely with the editors and moving things around – hard but ultimately very rewarding.
Do you have any advice for those who may have set some writing resolutions for the new year?
If you’re a pantser like me, then push through to the finish line. If you have a full draft to play with, then it becomes so much easier to rip it apart, redraft and edit. Even if it feels like the draft is saggy in the middle or needs more work, I would say just try to get to the end. I’m only ever able to see how the plot is working after a full read through. And if you’re a planner… then tell me your secrets!?
For either type of writer, my biggest piece of advice would be to read widely and outside of your genre if you’re able.
What’s next for you?
I’ve been working on various writing projects, but no particular updates yet! I plan to continue in the same genre – more psychological thrillers.
Lastly, are there any 2023 releases our readers should look out for?
There are so, so many to choose from! I loved Grave Expectations by Alice Bell which comes out in September – it’s a really fun and clever cozy mystery. I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai and The Ugly Truth by L.C. North are both fantastic reads to look forward to this year.
