Laura Tisdall - "Echoes"

Laura Tisdall

Hey! This time we interviewed Laura Tisdall. She is the author of the amazing book "Echoes", we really recommend you to read it! Here is the interview:

 

1) What inspired you to write "Echoes"?

I've long been a fan of 'spy-fi' TV shows like Alias and Fringe, that are contemporary but merge big arcing, emotional storylines with elements of science fiction or future tech. Echoes isn't science fiction, but the main character Mallory is a cutting edge computer hacker, so I suppose I was aiming for something in that kind of vein. I think the question of online idenity vs real life persona - and how we reconcile the two - is also a big issue nowadays, so that was something I really wanted to explore as well.

2) How did you come up with the character names? Are their personalities based off your life?

The names come from a sort of trial and error process, as in I'll have a concept for a character and I'll write out lots of different names that might suit them. I'll also look through lots of lists of baby names, trying to find the right one. It can take a while, but generally there'll be a point where a certain name will jump out for a certain character and just click. In terms of personalities, none of the characters are based on my life, but I suppose I'd say there are elements of it or experiences I've had that have informed why they are how they are. 

3) What have you learned from writing?

That things are rarely perfect the first time! Revising and being prepared to try and look at things again in a different light can be helpful in lots of areas of life. The other thing writing has taught me is to be pretty thick skinned about criticism (or at least more so)! Although it can feel like it, most creative criticism is not a personal attack, but coming from something in your work genuinely not chiming rightly with another person. It's absolutely fine to disagree, but also sometimes identifying the source of that discord can be really helpful in ultimately improving the work.

4) If you could hack as well as Mallory, what would you do?

Probably not hacking! I think I'd use the skills to do something like software programming. That always looks rather cool. And it's legal - which is obviously a plus.

5) What are you working on now?

The first book I wrote, Tainted Earth, hasn't been published yet, but it was supposed to be the start of a trilogy. It's still a story I really want to tell, so I've started to go back and look at the sequel to it again, with a view to finishing them and hopefully eventually releasing all three.

Don't forget to check out our reviews for "Echoes" here