Tell us about yourself.:
I live in Perthshire in Scotland and began writing seriously fairly recently.. After a 34 year career in Education I took early retirement in 2019 and began writing 'Listen To Mother', my first novel which was published on 16 January 2025.

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?:
I grew up in Broughty Ferry, a suburb of Dundee in Scotland. Broughty Ferry didn't influence my writing in any way although some of the people I met during my childhood and their individual characteristics have featured in some of my characters. I find people very interesting and often store away attributes I see in others to use at some point.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really. I do like to think for days about where the plot is going and what the characters are going to do then sit down for a number of hours and splurge it all out.

What authors have influenced you?
I grew up in Broughty Ferry, a suburb of Dundee in Scotland. Broughty Ferry didn't influence my writing in any way although some of the people I met during my childhood and their individual characteristics have featured in some of my characters. I find people very interesting and often store away attributes I see in others to use at some point.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Persevere even when you think you will never be published. There will be someone out there who will like your book.

What is the best advice you have ever been given?
When I sent my first novel off to a number of agents I received a reply from one agent who was about to retire. Although he liked my writing, he was no longer taking on new authors but he liked my writing style and encouraged me to persevere in trying to get it published. The content of that email has stayed with me even when I thought my novel would never be published so I kept sending it away with his encouragement in my head.

What are you reading now?
I'm currently reading Nevil Shute's Trustee From The Toolroom which I am thoroughly enjoying. Shute has taken the most ordinary of characters and created an exciting page turner.

What’s your biggest weakness?
Ice cream, particularly mint choc chip! And Golden Retrievers.

What is your favorite book of all time?
It's very hard to pick one book. However, if I had to choose just one, it would probably be A Prayer For Owen Meaney by John Irving. It made me laugh and cry in equal measure, and is a book I'm happy to revisit.

When you’re not writing, how do you like to spend your time?
I live in a very beautiful part of Scotland and am very fortunate to have a good sized garden. I love gardening with my husband and producing our own food. I enjoy the theatre, going to the cinema, eating out with friends, walking, cycling and cross stitching. I also love holidays, particularly our annual visits to Provence.

Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?
As a child the book that had the biggest impact on me was 'When Marnie Was There' by Joan G Robinson. It was the first time when reading that I had felt emotionally challenged and I liked that.

What has inspired you and your writing style?
I have always been very interested in people and thoroughly enjoyed working with a wide range of professionals throughout my career. Relationships and the decisions characters make, therefore, drive the plot in my novels

What are you working on now?
I'm currently working on a dystopian thriller after having finished a family saga set in Scotland. It's my intention to return to the crime thriller genre in my fourth book.

What is your favorite method for promoting your work?
Promoting my work is all very new to me given that 'Listen To Mother' is my first published novel. I hope to learn more about how to promote my work as things move along.

What’s next for you as a writer?
Promoting my first novel 'Listen To Mother' and learning how to do that! Completing 'Alone', the dystopian novel I am currently working on then getting 'A Father's Daughter', my second novel, published.

How well do you work under pressure?
Pressure can sometimes be a good thing since it focuses the mind. However, I prefer to write steadily so that I can determine the pace at which my novels are written.

How do you decide what tone to use with a particular piece of writing?
The characters and their individual characteristics determine the tone of my novels.

If you could share one thing with your fans, what would that be?
Some of my favourite authors:
John Irving
John Le Carre
Alice Munro
Louise Penny
Mick Herron
Jane Austen
Hannah Kent
Graeme McCrae Burnett
Josie Dew
Eric Newby

LJ Smith’s Social Media Links
Twitter