S M Thomas, or Steph as she’s more comonly known, has been writing since she could hold a pencil.
When she isn’t writing twisty worlds for her readers to escape into she can be found either with her nose in a book or dancing around her living room to Beyoncé.
But recently, she paused both her reading and dancing for long enough to not only invite me to read and review her latest book, Long Weekend, but also to chat to me about books, writing, life and cider over a virtual glass of wine or several at my cosy book nook. Her answers are wonderful so please read on!
Hi Steph, thank you not only for giving me the opportunity to read your latest book, but also for coming to chat to me at my cosy book nook. What can I get you to drink?
Oooo, I’ll have a glass of Zinfandel please!
You’ve been writing since you could hold a pencil, Long Weekend is your fourth book, and when you’re not writing you enjoy reading and dancing to Beyonce. I have to admit to that being all I know about you. So, please can you tell me a little bit about yourself and your background?
Well, I’m a mother of two whose quickly approaching forty (!), my day job is being an assistant to our MD (who thankfully is nothing like Rebecca) and I’ve been with my current company for thirteen years. Before then I was a receptionist for eight years at a local hotel and I studied Media Production specialising in script writing at university.
Have you always wanted to be an author? What, if anything, inspired you?
Yes, I’ve most definitely always dreamt of being an author, and a love of books growing up is what inspired that dream. I always had my nose in a book growing up and was (and still am) fascinated by the worlds others create with just words.
Have you ever had another job, and if so, was that any help whatsoever to you as an author?
I guess my many years on the battlefronts of hospitality enabled me to indulge in a lot of people watching and from there I’ve been able to lend some realism to my characters.
Where do you live, and what’s the best thing about it?
I live in not-so-sunny Somerset in the UK and the best thing about it is definitely the landscapes.
For the benefit of readers such as myself, who have been introduced to Long Weekend without having heard of your previous novels, how do these compare? And what made you want to write a new stand-alone book instead of another instalment to your series?
Well the Paige Hanson series is still in the thriller family but it’s definitely more dystopian than Long Weekend. It’s set on Earth Two which was important because it allowed me to tell the story I needed to tell. It’s full of parallels to current society but I had to be able to push the boundaries a little.
The trilogy concluded naturally and I feel like, although I could revisit her at a later stage, that Paige Hanson’s story is finished and that freed me up to start a new project.
I wanted to write a stand-alone to see if I was able to tell a whole story in just one book – and thankfully I did!
Long Weekend is, if I can describe it that way: a modern take on a classic whodunnit crime thriller. Where did you get the idea to write it?
I love a whodunnit, especially one set with the characters in a location they can’t escape from!
Did you know when you started writing that you wanted the book to end in the way it does, or did that come as a surprise to you as it progressed?
I always knew the ending was going to go one of two ways, but it wasn’t until the last 75% of the book that I knew for certain which way it would go!
When reading it, I was instantly reminded of And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. I have to ask: was that book an influence?
I’ll confess, despite knowing of And Then There Were None I refused to let myself read it fully until I’d finished writing Long Weekend. Mostly because I knew that Agatha Christie is the master of the whodunnit genre and everything else pales in comparison ha!
The very first thing I did, after having a celebratory drink, was sit and read the classic and my God did it blow me away!
Would you ever be tempted to write in another genre?
My kids keep nagging me to write a children’s book so that’s a backburner project, but I’ll have to write it under a different pen-name, can’t have children reading my thrillers!
How are you enjoying that drink? Can I get you another?
Yes please!
How about some music? (I think I might know this answer to this already but …) do
you have a favourite song?
Ha! Beyonce is always going to be one of my top artists of all time but I tend to have obsessive periods of listening where I listen to the same artists over and over. At the moment I’ve got Renne Rapp or Wet Leg on repeat.
Back to topic. How do you normally get inspiration for your characters? Are any of
them based, however loosely, on people you know?
Well….now that would be telling wouldn’t it….
Do you have a favourite character?
I think Paige will always have top billing in my heart, I spent three years working on her story and the writing process meant a lot to me.
Netflix get in touch to say that they want to make Long Weekend into a film. Who would you want to cast in the roles of Emma, Fiona, Michael, Robert and Steven? And where would you want it to be set if you could be a special guest during the filming?
Oh this is an interesting question and one I haven’t actually thought too much about. Let me have a Google and a daydream…..
Okay, it’s too hard. I can’t choose. The problem is there may or may not be some real-life people these characters are loosely based on so it’s hard to cast anyone but them in the roles. And if I were to confirm their names my editor will beat me up.
What would you say is your favourite thing about being a writer?
The solitude.
And the least favourite?
The solitude!
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not writing (other than dancing to Beyonce)?
Reading or lying on my sofa watching something on a streaming platform. I like to be entertained pretty much 24/7 if I’m able.
If you could recommend just one book by another author for me to add to my groaning TBR pile, which would it be and why?
At the moment I’m recommending The Islanders by Caroline Mitchell. It had the kind of ending where you sit back and wonder how you didn’t see it coming, because it’s stitched so wonderfully throughout the book.
It’s been lovely to chat to you, and I hope you don’t feel too hung over after drinking with me all night! What’s your perfect day of relaxation, particularly if you’ve stayed up a bit too late and had one too many the night before?
Bubble bath, Netflix and coffee!
And finally … can you tell us anything about your next book?
It’s my first dual POV book which has been interesting to write. It’s about two sisters, May and Isabella, and the complexities of their relationships which culminates in the death of one of them.
And finally finally … if I were to come round to yours for a drink, where would you take me for a night out?
I’d take you to the Brit Bar, it has live music with a heated AND sheltered outdoor area which is vital in our climate! Plus they serve Thatchers and I wouldn’t let you visit Somerset without trying Thatchers.
That sounds great and I’ll be there as soon as we get a warm summer’s day (it’s got to happen one day this year, surely)? I love a glass of Thatchers Gold but I have to be hot and it has to be cold to get the full experience!
Oh God, I hope we get some sunshine soon! It’s hideous out here!
I used to be a Gold girl but Haze recently stole my heart!
You can hear Steph talk more about herself by visiting her website, http://www.smthomas.co.uk. Her latest book, Long Weekend is out now, published by A R Hurne Publishing. (Read it, it’s fantastic!)
19th April 2024
My Cosy Book Nook 