Final Scream was the second romantic suspense novel you had written, after See How She Dies. What do you remember about the writing process? Was it an easier book to write? Harder?
Final Scream was easier to write than See How She Dies in that I had one “big” contemporary novel under my belt and I related to the characters a little better. I remember loving to write about the ranch and having the heroine choose between two interesting and sexy heroes. I loved going back into their lives and delving into their pasts to see what made them tick. I also liked a story about the haves and the have-nots in the small town of Prosperity, Oregon. I grew up in a small town, so I was more comfortable in a smalltown, rural setting than in a book set in the city as a lot of See How She Dies was.
Do you recall how you came up with the idea for Final Scream?
I knew that I wanted to do something that was a little different from See How She Dies, so I set it in a small town with a lot of secrets simmering just under the surface. I wanted to have brothers at odds and an antihero, the town bad boy, at the center of a mystery.
Were there any characters in particular that you enjoyed writing about?
Yes, I loved writing about Brig McKenzie. He’s one of my favorite heroes of all time. And I loved his brother Chase as well, the dynamic between them, so the scenes from the McKenzie brothers’ points of view were my faves!
How hard was it for you to kill off Buddy?
Oooh. Killing Buddy was tough, I loved his character. He, along with the heroine, were the heart and soul of the book, but I felt in order for the story to have emotional resonance, Buddy had to go. You know, killing off a good character in a book is always difficult. I struggled with the same decision in my Montana “To Die” series and I put off actually doing in the character until I convinced myself that it was the right thing to do for the series. I heard about it, too. Which was a good thing. It meant the readers cared.
Had you planned to kill off Buddy all along, or was that a surprise twist that popped up during the writing of the book? I know many authors outline their novels before they start writing them, but sometimes during the process, a “detour” comes along and takes the story in a different direction.
I write from a synopsis, and the death was included as it was so pivotal for the plot and emotional depth of the book, but, again, I struggled with the actual scene. Often times I do veer from the story line as I’m writing when a new, great idea or twist pops into my head, when I can lead the reader onto a new, interesting path . . . but not this time.
What’s been your easiest novel to write?
Wow. That’s a really tough question. Each book has its own individual struggles. Sometimes my writing is made difficult by my life, what’s going on in the “real” world as opposed to the world I’ve created with my characters. Final Scream wasn’t difficult, and I loved writing every page—I know that sounds corny, but it’s true in this case and not in many. Also, writing Deep Freeze and Fatal Burn went pretty well, and there were no unexpected snags while I wrote them.
And what’s been your hardest novel to write?
That question is actually easier to answer. I remember having a lot of trouble with If She Only Knew, struggling to finish it and finding all kinds of unforeseen holes in the plot as the deadline approached. Fortunately my editor came up with some innovative answers to my problems and I was able to finish the book. Another one that was tough was After She’s Gone, but the problems with that book were not within the story but rather because I had some family issues to deal with that took up so much of my time that I was late, late, late with the book. Fortunately Sister Nan (author Nancy Bush) came to the rescue, along with my editor, in piecing together the final chapters!
Often you’ll write sequels to some of your novels. Do you ever see revisiting the Buchanan family, or has their entire story been told?
I would love to revisit the Buchanan/McKenzie clan, but it would be with a new generation of heroes and heroines, and the characters in Final Scream would have secondary stories. It would be fun, of course, to see what happened to Brig and Cassidy and all the rest, but right now, I don’t have any plans for a sequel as there are other books that must be written first due to publishing deadlines.
What solo projects are up next for Lisa Jackson?
Expecting to Die, the next book in the Montana “To Die” series, featuring Detectives Alvarez and Pescoli, will be available soon. This one is fun because Detective Regan Pescoli is pregnant with a child and she faces the struggles of being an older mother who has been through the routine before as her other children are nearly grown. And her daughter, Bianca, is at the center of a bizarre murder mystery involving teenage girls, class bullies, and a monster in the woods. My next single-title book is You Will Pay. In this story a murder occurs at Camp Horseshoe, where a group of friends are all counselors. The murder is unresolved, and each character has a dark secret that is revealed through flashbacks from each of the people involved; they each have a unique view of what really happened the night their lives changed forever.
Any co-author projects in the works?
Yes! I’ve got a couple of joint novels I’m excited about. Rosalind
Noonan, Nancy Bush, and I have written a sequel to Sinister, our
best-seller that was set in Wyoming around the feuding Dillinger
and Kincaid families. The new book as yet untitled shows a different
side to the town of Prairie Creek, Wyoming, with a mystery surrounding
missing girls. As in Sinister, three women with three love
stories band together to find out the truth of the night where the
unthinkable happened. Three authors writing one novel is a challenge,
but we had a great time putting this story together just as we
did with Sinister. It will be in bookstores in August 2017.
The second story in the works is with Sister Nan, author Nancy Bush. We’ve written a series of books, the “Wicked” series, sometimes
called “The Colony” series, about the women of Siren Song
and their unique gifts. We’ve had tons of fun writing about each of
the unique sisters, but we’ve taken a break from Deception Bay,
Oregon, and this series and have written a stand-alone novel with a
runaway bride, a murder, a secret child, and lots of twists and
turns. The story grew from a beginning scene, and Sister Nan and I
have had a lot of fun with it! No publication date yet for this one,
but you can check my Web site for updates in the future!