Interview: Lesley Sanderson, Author of ‘The Orchid Girls’

Written by Steven Allison

This month, I was lucky enough to sit down with Lesley Sanderson, author of The Orchid Girls. Over a cup of tea (but no cakes – Lesley is abstaining from sugar right now; something I should be doing), Lesley told me all about her debut novel.

The Orchid Girls follows the story of two childhood friends, Grace and Molly, now very different women in adulthood. The former is a successful blogger who is married to a mayoral candidate, while the latter is a troubled alcoholic who can’t hold down a job. They share an awful secret from their past, one that Grace wants to keep buried, but will Molly let it be?

One of the best books of 2018, The Orchid Girls is a totally on-the-edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller filled with suspense and some great twists. From start to finish, the book will have you gripped, and the ending doesn’t fail to surprise. Love, obsession and secrets are but a few of the varied themes covered in this book.

The Orchid Girls is now available to buy on Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook formats, but in the meantime, let’s delve into the mind of Lesley Sanderson.

Hi Lesley. Thanks for meeting me!

Hello. Thanks for having me.

Can you tell me a bit about yourself and how you came to be a writer?

Sure. As well as being a writer, I work as a librarian in a multicultural secondary school near my home in King’s Cross. I’ve always had an interest in words, languages and the arts, and I studied French and Theatre Studies at Warwick University. I’ve lived and worked in Paris, I speak French fluently, and I also have a working knowledge of two other languages. I discovered Patricia Highsmith as a teenager and I’ve been hooked on psychological thrillers ever since then. I knew I wanted to write my own one day, so I took a 6-month creative writing course at Curtis Brown Creative and started to work on The Orchid Girls. It was finally released last week, which is really exciting.

Congratulations. The book had a different title at first, didn’t it?

It did, yes. It started life as On The Edge during the course, but I came to a mutual decision with my publisher Bookouture to go for The Orchid Girls. I think it was a good decision.

How did your relationship with Bookouture begin?

Well, the book was shortlisted for the Lucy Cavendish Prize in 2017, which is how I found my agent. I was contacted on Twitter by Hayley Steed from the Madeleine Milburn Agency who had read my shortlisted piece and asked me to submit the whole book. Despite it still being a draft version, she offered to represent me. After two rounds of editing, Hayley submitted to various editors. I received three offers and selected Bookouture. Once Christina Demosthenous (now my editor) got in touch, I knew straight away we made a great fit, and it’s all worked out great. I have a really good working relationship with her.

Did you have an idea of the story before you started the course?

I did. It’s very loosely based on things that happened in my life. The course was great for getting some constructive feedback, and it allowed me to develop it into something both engaging and that people would want to read. I’d started off thinking I would just use flashbacks, but I eventually realised that a mixture of flashbacks, diaries and newspaper reports would make for a more interesting and varied read. The Curtis Brown summer school course the following year was also where I learned how to use twists and red herrings effectively.

How do you make sure that twists and red herrings work?

I just try to make sure that surprises are realistic. I want clues to be misleading enough to distract readers from the truth but not so misleading that, when the truth is finally revealed, they think it’s ridiculous or far-fetched. Readers have to suspect the characters featured throughout the book rather some new character who comes in near the end from nowhere. Most of these twists come to me at a much later editing stage; this is part of writing I enjoy most – adding in the surprises.

You’ve had some great reviews so far, but I noticed that one criticised your “sign of the times” angle in the book as a “straightforward shot at an outcome.” How would you respond to that? How do you deal with negative feedback on the whole?

Ah yeah, I saw that one. I read all my reviews, and It’s always hard when they’re negative. However, this one was pretty constructive, and I don’t mind that at all. It’s feedback like this that will help me with future books, so I take it as helpful more than anything. What I hate is when bad reviews feel really personal, in particular those which criticise the strapline which hasn’t been chosen by the author.

Internet trolls are everywhere. Just ignore them.

I’m getting better at doing that. Already since the book came out and more reviews are coming in, I’m less obsessed with reading them. Now I’m fanatical about ratings! Many authors I know never read reviews and whilst I obviously enjoy reading positive feedback, I’m hoping to develop more of a thick skin towards the less favourable ones. Reading is subjective and not everyone will enjoy my work.

Why did you opt for a same sex relationship in your story?

I did toy with the idea of not including a same sex relationship given that it might appeal to a narrower audience. In fact, my agent has told me that we won’t be able to market The Orchid Girls in some countries, where that just wouldn’t go down well. But this was an important element of the book to me. There were different attitudes towards same sex relationships two decades ago, but things have changed now. I wanted that to come across in the book, showing how the characters lives have been shaped by past attitudes to homosexuality and by the different options available to them in modern times. We now live in a society where diversity is celebrated, and I wanted this to be reflected in the characters.

You also touched on alcoholism in the book. How did you make sure that Molly’s struggle with drink was believable and realistic?

Having an addictive personality myself, I’ve read a lot around the subject, in particular memoirs around beating addiction. Also, from the experiences of people I’ve known across the years, whose family members or friends have struggled with drink problems or who have struggled with alcoholism themselves.

Can you tell me anything about your next book?

I’m afraid that’s under wraps for the moment. I can tell you that it’ll be another psychological thriller, though, and it will be publishing in March 2019. My deadline is looming!

I look forward to it. Is there anything that you regret from the first book that you’re doing differently now?

No regrets, as such, but I have learned a lot. I’m still working on the second book, but I’ve approached it in a very different way. With The Orchid Girls, I dived in headfirst. This time, though, I’ve been quite committed to forward planning to make sure the writing process runs smoother than before. I had a detailed idea of the plot before beginning, with comprehensive character arcs and plans for each chapter.

Are there any writers whose style you’ve based your own on?

I have my own unique style like any other author, but I’ve been heavily influenced by the work of Barbara Vine. She’s an incredible author who I definitely aspire to. Erin Kelly also, who taught the Curtis Brown summer school I attended and is a fabulous teacher and writer.

Is there anything that you’re too scared to write about?

I’ve always been apprehensive about the idea of writing comedy. I think I’d just be worried that nobody would find it funny.

Name a book or story that you love and wish that you’d written.

I wish that I’d written Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. If you haven’t read it, it’s an incredible gothic novel about a woman living in the shadow of her husband’s dead former wife.

Was there a book that ever made you cry?

I think the only book that ever made me cry was Les Mots pour le dire, which is an autobiographical novel by Marie Cardinal. It’s called The Words To Say It in English. It dealt with some pretty sad stuff, including the author’s childhood in Algeria, how she felt about leaving there, her relationship with her mother, and her experiences with mental illness. The part that made me cry was when she showed her writing to someone (her partner) for the very first time, and her emotion at his positive reaction. Sharing your writing is like baring your soul and isn’t easy, especially in the early days.

What about writing do you have trouble with?

I write a lot about fear, and one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced is finding new and interesting ways of describing when a character is scared without using the same clichéd expressions over and over again, “like trembling with fear” or “scared to death.”

Thanks so much for talking with me. Its been a pleasure.

Same to you. We can chat again when the next book is out.

Have you read The Orchid Girls? Tell us in the comments below!