Louise McSharry

frequently when you least expect it.

I know you're going to love this chat.

Even if you've never heard of Jen before, even if you're not a reader, I just know that you'll enjoy this.

It's Jennifer Bray.

Jen Bray, it is so nice to have you here in my home and especially in this capacity because I've been familiar with your work for many years, obviously as a political journalist.

But you're not here to talk about political journalism, although I will ask you a little bit about it.

You are here to talk about your novel, The Lies Between Us, which is out now.

I think as this goes out, it'll be out in the world.

And how does that feel?

actually sometimes it starts to feel like it's never going to happen yeah it feels like this thing that's just in the future yeah and everything else comes before it and then all of a sudden you're in launch week and it's you keep pinching yourself going oh it's happening yeah like you really need to get your shit together yeah and then I find or my experience I've only had one book but it then it goes by so quickly and then all of a sudden you're like wait what I spent so long writing that and like you know developing it and editing it and all the rest and then it kind of sometimes it feels like it goes in a flash

like emails with good news to like grab it and be like this is amazing rather than being like oh how cool yeah I'm trying to like maximize every last drop of fun out of this thing that sounds like a really good approach I think that's definitely the best way to go about it um I have a hundred million questions okay we'll not get to all of them but um the first thing I wanted to ask you obviously you are an interviewer often so how does it feel to be an interviewee oh man it is so weird like it I I

Yeah, yeah.

I certainly... I would prefer.

Me too.

What do you think the anxiety is about?

Is it just about wanting the book to do well or is it bigger stuff?

Yeah, well, I think I definitely like to come back to that and being seen.

But first, I think we should go back to the beginning.

Because, you know, obviously, as we mentioned, you're a political journalist, you've been a journalist for years, and a very successful journalist.

But from what I gather, you also always wanted to be a novelist as well.