Susan Lewis Discusses Her New Book 'Believe In Me'

What can readers expect from your new book Believe in Me? 

I hope everyone is going to fall as deeply in love with this family as I did while I was writing the story.  Their hearts are always in the right place, even if they do sometimes get things wrong, which happens when their passions run out of control.  Their determination to rescue a young boy from injustice and prejudice is the main theme of the story.  Family, care and tolerance is at its heart.

Please tell us about the inspiration for the story.   

Like most people, I immediately flare up at the mere hint of unfairness and bigotry.  There has been such a lot of it going on in our world of late that I simply couldn’t ignore it.  This is only a small way of addressing it, but even small ways count.

What are your ideal writing conditions?   

I always write at home, at my desk with my dogs slumbering away at my feet and a cup of coffee (or glass of wine later in the day) not too far away. 

What are you reading right now?   

I generally have two books on the go – one on audio, one on Kindle.  The audio book is Liberation by Kate Furnivall; the Kindle book is The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker. 

The book is about second chances so do you believe that everyone deserves this? 

Yes, I’m a great believer in second chances as most people don’t make mistakes intentionally.  We all get things wrong at times, and we’d all like to feel that it’s possible to make amends, or to get it right going forward.

Is Kesterley-On-Sea based on anywhere you’ve been?  

Kesterly is an amalgam of coastal towns in Somerset and North Devon, so no, I haven’t actually been there, but I feel as though I have.

Who are your favourite authors and what genres of books do you like reading the most?  

My favourite author is usually determined by how much I’m enjoying the book I’m reading – in other words it’s constantly changing.  As for genre, this is something else that changes all the time, but I’m often drawn to stories set in other cultures, or that explore subjects I know nothing about (not difficult to find).

You are the bestseller for over forty novels - so how do you generate new ideas for books after writing so many already? 

Ideas are brought to life by news, people, unexpected events, all kinds of things, so they are happening all around us, all of the time.  So, unless life comes to a stop I can’t see that ideas would (it would be my ability to weave them into a story that might one day let me down – but I hope not!) 

You are a supporter of Breast Cancer Care and Winston’s Wish so why are these charities so close to your heart? 

My mother died from breast cancer when I was nine years old, so that is the reason behind my support for both these charities.

What is next for you?

Next for me is always a new book, but only after a period of recharging and research.  I am considering several topics at the moment, but I’m not ready to commit to any of them yet.  All I will say is that I shall aim to create a real page-turning story with a plot and characters that my readers can engage with on many levels.