Today we are focusing on Claire Douglas, the internationally and Sunday Times bestselling author of 10 thrillers. Claire is a frequent Richard & Judy Book Club pick and her books have sold nearly two million copies in the UK alone. We took this opportunity to chat with Claire about her latest novel, The New Neighbours, her writing process, and the journey to becoming published.

Could you introduce yourself and The New Neighbours?

The New Neighbours is about a woman called Lena who has recently split from her husband and is facing the fact her son will soon be flying the nest. When Henry and Marielle Morgan move in next door she’s instantly intrigued by them. They have recently retired from successful careers and have moved to Bristol to be near their grandchild. When Lena is outside gathering sound with a boom microphone for her son’s college project, she accidentally picks up a private conversation between the Morgans and it sounds like they are planning a crime, but will anyone believe her? After all, the Morgans are an affluent, well respected couple who have never been in trouble with the law. Is she making more of this because she’s bored and lonely, or do the Morgans really have something sinister to hide?

As for me, I live in Bath with my husband and two children – one of which is also about to fly the nest! I have two fluffy cats (and would love a few more) and I spend a lot of my spare time watching TV. My current new favourite TV show is the brilliant Colin From Accounts.

Have you always wanted to be a writer, and what drew you to writing thrillers?

I’ve always been a huge reader and as far back as I can remember I’ve wanted to be a writer. I used to spend a lot of time alone in my bedroom writing stories as a child. I always loved reading mysteries, and Agatha Christie’s Marple books and the Enid Blyton Adventure stories were some of my favourites growing up. I wrote my first full-length novel at 23 (it was terrible!) and have four or five in a drawer somewhere that will never see the light of day. When I was in my mid-twenties I had a short story published in Women’s Weekly and I was over the moon. I still remember ringing my mum up in excitement to tell her. When I started writing The Sisters, my debut, I thought I was writing a romcom but as the words poured out it was a lot darker than I was expecting it to be and I realised that I was writing psychological suspense.

Your books have sold in 24 countries, and you’ve been a German bestseller with 7 of your books. What do you think makes them so loved internationally?

A reader recently messaged me to say she liked my books because even though they are thrillers, and some are quite dark, they are still warm. I really liked that. Despite being psychological thrillers I hope there is heart and emotion at the core of my stories and characters that are relatable, even if they aren’t always likeable. 

How do you find inspiration for your books?

Mainly newspaper articles and old films. The idea came to me for Just Like The Other Girls after reading about the Craigslist killer. I’m also quite nosey and pick up little bits of conversations between people. The Wrong Sister was inspired by my friend who was telling me how her and her sister do a life swap for a week and it got me thinking about what would happen if one of the sisters was mistaken for the other. 

The New Neighbours will be your 11th novel - how has your approach to writing fiction changed since your debut?

I’ve had the same editor now for ten books – the brilliant Maxine Hitchcock – and she’s taught me a lot about self-editing. When I’m writing something that might veer into unrealism or melodrama I can almost hear her voice in my head telling me to pull it back. I do believe writing is a craft and that we are always learning. I still like to read thrillers by my favourite authors to try to unpick how they pulled off a great twist, or a memorable character.

Was there anything about the publishing process that surprised you?

So many things but one in particular was I never knew that books went through so many edits. I was so naïve! I thought a book was proof read and that was it. Before I was published I never realised how collaborative the process is. There are structural edits and line edits and copy edits and then a few rounds of proof reading.

What have you learned from your journey as an author so far, and what advice would you give your past self?

That a writing career is a marathon and not a sprint. You might not get a big flashy advance for your first book – the kind I was always reading about in the press – or high sales, and you’ll have some books that do unexpectedly well and others that don’t do as well as expected. It’s a rollercoaster but a fun ride nevertheless and I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. 

What was your journey to gaining representation like, and what advice would you give to writers who are submitting to literary agents?

I sent the first three chapters and a synopsis of what would be The Sisters into a competition for Marie Claire magazine. I’d entered so many competitions over the years, had rejections from agents in the past, plus I’d only just started writing The Sisters and hadn’t even finished it. I didn’t hear anything for a few months and then I got a call out of the blue from Marie Claire to say that I had won. My prize was a publishing deal with HarperCollins and an introduction to a literary agent, and one of the judges, Juliet Mushens. I was so nervous going to meet Juliet. It had been my dream for so many years and I was terrified I was going to mess up the meeting. But Juliet was so lovely and kind and had such great advice. She offered to represent me and since then she’s taken my career from strength to strength. The advice I’d give when submitting to a literary agent is to do the research. Look in the Acknowledgements of the books you like to read to see who the author’s literary agent is, and check their website to find out what sort of thing they are currently looking for and whether they are the right fit for you.