Lisa Sherman is the author of the new novel Forget Me. She is also an attorney.
Q: What inspired you to write Forget Me, and how did you create your cast of characters?
A: I think I was most inspired by the interplay between memory and identity. I was intrigued by the idea of the effects our memories have on our perception of who we are.
It got me thinking about what would happen if a character lost their long-term memory and felt like they were living a life that didn’t match who they thought they were. So, I decided to create a character who was dealing with that very issue.
Then to spice things up, I added a level of obsession with someone else’s life, of coveting someone else’s situation…and of questioning whether or not that life was once their own.
Q: Without giving anything away, did you know how the novel would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?
A: The best way for me to answer that question is to say that I thought I knew how the novel would end. In fact, I was pretty confident of how the ending would play out. But as I wrote the novel, I realized my characters had other ideas in mind. So, I followed their lead and changed things up a bit.
Looking back at it now, I’m glad I made these changes because I think the ending plays out just how it should.
Q: How did your background as a lawyer factor into the writing of this novel?
A: Forget Me is a psychological thriller, which means it falls into the crime fiction genre. As a result, my background as a lawyer played a role as I drafted the novel.
Prior to writing this novel, I did not consider myself a crime fiction writer. But as I wrote Forget Me, I realized I was constantly looking at the story through the lens of a lawyer. With every event that took place in the novel, I found myself asking what the legal ramifications of that situation might be.
Even though I do not, nor have I ever practiced criminal law, I think once a person has gone through law school, they simply cannot help looking at certain situations through a legal lens…for better or worse!
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the story?
A: I hope readers take away the idea that our past does not completely define us and that sometimes letting go of things provides us with the opportunity to reinvent ourselves. The idea that we can’t change our past, but we can often make changes that will influence our future.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I am currently working on book two in the Forget Me Not series. After working so long revising and refining book one, Forget Me, it’s kind of fun being back in the drafting phase of writing again. I say “kind of” fun because at times it feels kind of terrifying as well!
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Only that I am incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to be a guest on your blog. Thank you so much.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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