Q&A with Samantha Downing

 

Photo by Jacqueline Dallimore

 

 

Samantha Downing is the author of the new novel A Twisted Love Story. Her other novels include My Lovely Wife. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write A Twisted Love Story, and how did you create your characters Wes and Ivy?

 

A: The initial idea came out of a book I wrote before A Twisted Love Story. That book was thrown out and never published, but there was a small subplot in it about an on-and-off relationship like Wes and Ivy’s.

 

It occurred to me that this relationship was the most interesting part of that book, and I decided to make it the central story in a new novel. I wanted to write a thriller that was about a relationship, and from there I created Wes and Ivy.

 

Q: How was the book's title chosen, and how would you describe the dynamic between Ivy and Wes?

 

A: My original title for it was Always Have, Always Will but it wasn’t quite right, so the title was changed to A Twisted Love Story. I think it really describes what the book is about.

 

As for Wes and Ivy, they are a dramatic, tumultuous couple who have been breaking up and getting back together for 10 years. And this is exactly the way they want it. Wes and Ivy don’t have a problem with their relationship, but a lot of other people do.

 

As with most couples, they are completely focused on each other. In this book, I take that idea to the extreme. Wes and Ivy aren’t trying to hurt other people, they are completely wrapped up in each other. But...things happen. We don’t always realize the ramifications of things we do. Wes and Ivy certainly don’t.

 

Q: Then there's your character Karen. How did you come up with the idea for her?

 

A: I knew Karen would be the detective who investigates Wes and Ivy, but I didn’t want anything about her to be typical. And I certainly didn’t want her to be the “meme” of a Karen.

 

Wes and Ivy’s relationship isn’t the only one in this book. Every character has, or had, a relationship that has made them become who they are now. Karen is no exception. She has her own goals and motivations and lot of them come from her own experiences in relationships.

 

Personally, I think all of us are like that. We are shaped by relationships, and by love, because the emotions involved are so strong. It just may not be as dramatic as it is in A Twisted Love Story.

 

Q: In our previous interview, you said, “I find that whenever I try to plan in advance, for me it takes away a lot of the creativity.” Was that the case with this novel too?

 

A: Yes, I am still a pantser and I don’t plot my books. If I know what’s going to happen next, I write towards it. I telegraph it, and the book becomes predictable. That’s the last thing you want in a thriller. Being a pantser allows me to think as I write, and I seem to have better ideas that way.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I am writing my next thriller, but no details yet.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Just that I hope everyone enjoys A Twisted Love Story, and I’m grateful for everyone who picks it up and gives this book—or any of my books—a chance.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Samantha Downing.