Author Interview – Lisa Regan

What genre are you most comfortable writing? Crime fiction.

What inspired you to write your first book? The Jacob Wetterling case in Minnesota.  Jacob was the same age as me when he was abducted by a masked gunman.  I remember the news coverage of his disappearance and the feeling like wow, that could be me.  It was very scary.  I never stopped wondering what happened to him.

Who or what influenced your writing once you began? My very early influences were Dean Koontz, Tami Hoag and Lisa Jackson. Other crime authors that I aspire to be like in some way are Karin Slaughter, Gillian Flynn, Gregg Hurwitz, Greg Iles, John Hart, Dennis Lehane.

Who or what influenced your writing over the years? In terms of my actual writing it would be reading other works by amazing writers in my genre.  They made me want to get better.  I always read as both a reader and a writer.  Read for enjoyment while keeping an eye out for exactly what the writer is doing and how they’re doing it.  I will read books by Karin Slaughter, John Hart, Gillian Flynn and John Hart over and over again to learn from them.

What made you want to be a writer? Writing was just always how I made sense of my world.  When I was confused about things, I would write about them in some way whether it was a journal or through a story of some kind.  It always helped me figure things out.  It was also a great escape.  When life was kind of sucky, I would write and it would take me away for hours and hours.  It was always a good release for me.

What do you consider the most challenging about writing a novel, or about writing in general? Definitely the second draft!  The draft where you’re going through to make sure that things make sense, that everything is consistent, filling in things that need filling and fleshing out things that need to be fleshed out.  I love writing the first draft because it’s so easy; and once the actual book is complete, it’s easy to work with, but that in-between stage where you’re still tweaking a lot of things is very frustrating and painfully slow for me.

“Readers should drop what they’re reading and pick up a copy of Finding Claire Fletcher.”  -Gregg Olsen, New York Times bestselling author

“A powerful, emotionally-charged story by a debut author you’ll want to keep an eye on!” -J.C. Martin, author of Oracle

Newly divorced and with his career in jeopardy, Detective Connor Parks takes solace in the arms of a beautiful woman he meets at a bar. The next morning, Claire Fletcher is gone, leaving nothing behind but an address and a decade-old mystery. The address leads to the Fletcher family home where Claire’s siblings inform Connor that their fifteen-year-old sister was abducted from a city street ten years ago and is presumed dead.

During those ten years, Claire endured the cruel torture and depravity of the man who abducted her. Paralyzed by fear and too ashamed to return to her family, Claire is resigned to her life as Lynn, the identity her abductor forced upon her. Every time she attempts escape or betrays him in the smallest way, someone dies. Even now, her clandestine run-in with Connor Parks may have put his life at risk, as well as the lives of her family.

Connor is convinced that not only is Claire Fletcher alive, but that she is also the woman he met at the bar. Driven to see her again, he begins his own investigation, off the clock and without the police department’s consent. He is determined to find her and unravel the mystery of her abduction and odd reemergence. But finding Claire Fletcher proves more dangerous than he anticipates. In fact, it may be deadly.

5-Stars! “. . .heart wrenching, suspense ridden, and eye opening.”  -Amy Castellano, Chic Book Chick

5-Stars! “Her characters are strong and believable and they will fill you with emotions that will rock you.” -My Cozie Corner Book Reviews

5- Stars! “. . .This was a fantastic novel and I am looking forward to many, many more in the future.”  -Alex J. Clatch, Amazon Reviewer

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Genre – Psychological Thriller / Crime Fiction

Rating – R

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Website http://www.lisaregan.com/