I'm pleased to welcome Lisa Sherman to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Lisa writes the Forget Me Not series. FORGET ME is the first book in the series and was released last month.
Kathy: In FORGET ME we meet Wanda Dellas, a woman feeling she should have a different life and searching to uncover her past. Have you ever felt you were missing something or felt another kind of life calling to you?
LS: Absolutely! For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to be a writer. Growing up, words were magical. I was fascinated by their rhythm, their sound, their meaning. As a child, I would get lost in the stories written by my favorite authors and try to write my own. Throughout high school and college, I turned to poetry for comfort and to help me understand the changing world both around and within me.
But as I got older, I lost touch with the beauty and magic of language. Pulled into the pressure of work, I forgot the joy I had for reading and writing fiction. Until one day, the voice inside me that wanted to write became too loud to ignore and I decided to write once again. And I haven’t stopped writing since!
Kathy: Memory is so vital to our existence, is this a primary reason you gave your protagonist long term memory loss?
LS: I have always been fascinated by the connection between memory and identity. I feel so much of who we are as individuals is based on our memories: the experiences we’ve had and how we responded to those experiences. I feel our memories inform how we act in the present. So, I wanted to write a book that explored this topic through the lens of a character who is suffering from amnesia and struggling with her identity. In FORGET ME, the main character is desperate to find answers to her past so she can determine who she really is. But the closer she gets to the truth, the closer danger gets to her and her young daughter, leaving her to question whether the past is best left forgotten.
Kathy: Do you have a background in psychology?
LS: While I did not major in psychology when I was in college, I always gravitated toward the psychology courses. I took so many psychology classes that if I had taken just a few more, I probably could have had enough credits to minor in it.
Kathy: What first drew you to psychological thrillers?
LS: To me, there is something so interesting about the way we think and perceive the world around us. I always felt the desire to try to better understand why people acted the way they did and enjoyed the fact that psychological thrillers often explored this issue.
Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?
LS: FORGET ME is my debut novel, so currently I have not published in other genres. But I also love Women’s Fiction and Historical Fiction and hope to eventually publish in those genres as well.
Kathy: Tell us about your series.
LS: The Forget Me Not series begins with book one, FORGET ME, which explores the connection between memory and identity. FORGET ME takes readers along for the ride as Wanda tries to piece together whether she and Claire are the same person or not.
Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?
LS: That’s a tough question! There are things about each of the characters in the novel that I like and dislike. But I guess my favorite character would have to be Wanda’s neighbor, Penelope. The idea for Penelope’s character came to me a little later in the writing process and she brought with her the symbolism of flowers that is sprinkled throughout the novel. I really enjoyed developing her character and exploring the wisdom and expertise she added to the novel.
Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?
LS: This may sound a little strange. Many years ago, while working as a law clerk, a fellow employee approached me and truly believed I was someone else. When I explained to her that I was not that person, she couldn’t believe how much I looked like the person she thought I was. She even showed me some pictures and she was right I did strongly resemble this other person. That got me thinking about what an experience like that might do to someone who had lost their memory. I couldn’t get the idea out of my mind that someone struggling to figure out their past and their identity would really grab on to that kind of detail and pull that thread to see where it leads. So, I created a character who does just that.
Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?
LS: Being a published author has been a lifelong dream of mine. While it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly why, I think much of the reason I decided to publish my book is because of how much I have always enjoyed being a reader myself. I believe books provide an opportunity to escape into the lives of the characters and learn from them along the way. I wanted to try and create that experience and share it with others.
Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?
LS: Oh wow, there are so many I’d like to invite! But I guess if I had to narrow it down, I would choose Gillian Flynn, Sue Grafton, Mary Kubica, Liane Moriarty, and Edgar Allan Poe. (Okay, that’s five!)
Kathy: What are you currently reading?
LS: FAMILY OF LIARS by E. Lockhart
Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?
LS: Other than writing, one of my main interests is theater. I have so much respect and admiration for actors and their ability to breathe life into the characters they play. To me, there is a certain magic that goes along with live theater and when I am lucky enough to catch a show, I feel I get to be a small part of that magic.
Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.
LS: Chocolate! Whether it’s in the form of cookies, brownies, or candies, chocolate is a definite staple. Also, ice cream bars, tea, and ketchup (it just goes well on so many things!)
Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?
LS: I am currently working on book two of the Forget Me Not series, YOU BELONG TO ME. While the central question in FORGET ME is answered at the end of the novel, YOU BELONG TO ME, is a continuation of the storyline. In YOU BELONG TO ME, central characters from FORGET ME will find themselves in new dangerous situations with a mystery that needs to be solved. YOU BELONG TO ME is scheduled to be released in Fall 2023.
Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?
LS: One of my favorite things about being an author is the creative process. I love the playful aspect that goes into writing a story. It is always so exciting to peel back the layers of a story that I’m writing and watch as the characters take shape and come to life. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of the aha moments that surprise me when I least expect them.
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LISA SHERMAN: Lisa has always had a passion for stories and the
fictional worlds created by her favorite authors. Her love of words led
her to pursue a BA in English Literature as an undergraduate. Her
interest in jurisprudence led her to law school, where she attained her
Juris Doctor degree. Later, Lisa rounded out her love of writing by
obtaining an MFA. Lisa has always been fascinated with the “why” behind
people’s actions. As a writer of psychological thrillers and women’s
fiction, she hopes readers will enjoy getting a sneak peek into what
makes her characters act the way they do, especially when faced with
challenging or extraordinary situations. Find out more at: https://lisashermanauthor.com/
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Blurb:
How can you know who you really are if you can’t remember your past?
Wanda
Dellas is living someone else's life: that's the sense she's had since a
mysterious accident robbed her of her long-term memory. Lost and barely
scraping by, Wanda cleans offices at night in order to support her
young daughter.
Then Wanda sees a news report about a
presumed dead businesswoman, Claire Stanbrick. Bad enough that Claire
bears an uncanny resemblance to Wanda. But it turns out Claire went
missing around the same time as Wanda's accident, too. Plus, she can’t
shake the sense that Claire’s husband Jack, who’s serving time in prison
for Claire’s murder, is innocent. And she’s beginning to develop
feelings for him. But which feelings are real and which are just
figments of her fractured memory?
Answers to the past often come at a price.
As
Wanda learns more about Claire, she realizes Claire didn’t have the
picture-perfect life Wanda imagined . . . a fact someone following her
is determined to keep a secret. And the more Wanda discovers, the more
she faces new dangers that threaten her life . . . or is it Claire’s?
