Sitting Down with Tess James-Mackey
I had the incredible opportunity to interview the lovely Tess James-Mackey recently. In February of 2023, Tess released her debut YA Thriller novel SOMEONE IS WATCHING YOU which has been a huge hit already! I was fortunate enough to have been given a chance to read this novel before its publication date and I was thoroughly impressed. I will leave the synopsis of this novel below along with links to purchase a copy for yourself if you have yet to read it.
What inspired the book?
SOMEONE IS WATCHING YOU was actually inspired by a very real place in my home town. I used to go there a lot during maternity leave and was fascinated by the history of the building, as well as the decision to open a soft play centre for kids in the sports hall of a recently closed prison! I wanted to delve deeper into the body of the prison, so went on a couple of tours. Pretty much everything mentioned in the book is real – the layout of the Victorian cell blocks, the claustrophobia of the cells, the Georgian tunnels below, and even the hanging room… I wanted to take the feelings the place generated in me of morbid curiosity and creeping dread and make them palpable in a book!
How did you create the characters? Did anyone inspire them?
The main character, Nia, was actually inspired by a friend I had as a teenager. I was amazed by her ability to say no to peer pressure and shrug off the negative opinions of our peers – she seemed comfortable in her own skin and had so much courage in her convictions, which was sadly not something I possessed myself! So Nia was the opposite of this friend, and I definitely channelled a lot of my desperation to please people into her. I found it really hard to know when to say no as a teenager, and it’s frightening to look back and think how much trouble that could have got me in – if I’d been dared to explore an abandoned prison, as Nia is, I’m not sure I’d have found the confidence to stand up to my friends and risk them cutting ties with me because of it.
Have you visited any abandoned prisons yourself?
Yes! As well as the prison SOMEONE IS WATCHING YOU was inspired by, I’ve also visited a few in Australia. They really give me the creeps – I think it’s the combination of history stretching sometimes hundreds of years back right up to the present day. There are so many stories in those walls – my imagination goes into overdrive and I end up freaking myself out just thinking about it!
What is your writing process?
I’ve found it depends on what I’m writing – I went through a phase of really carefully plotting in a bid to avoid big edits, but I think I’m naturally more of a “pantser”, as the drafts I’ve written without much of a plan seem to flow better and end up requiring the same amount of editing as the plotted drafts. SOMEONE IS WATCHING YOU was a complete free-write, I had no idea where the story would end up, and it was really fun to write.
Did you already know how the book would end when you began writing?
Not a clue! In fact, it originally had a very different ending (which would have been a lot darker than the current one, if that’s possible!) I love writing climaxes – I find myself typing a bit wildly as the adrenaline mounts and the action intensifies. I tend to write very short first drafts as I’m so keen to get to the big final showdown!
Will you continue with YA Thriller novels or branch out?
I love writing YA thrillers – I feel like the combination of tense plot and explosive endings works perfectly with the enhanced emotion and occasionally questionable decisions we’ve all been guilty of making in our teen years (well, I certainly have!) At the moment, I’d love to keep writing more, and there are so many places that inspire me to trap characters in that I don’t feel like I’ll run out of ideas any time soon!
What should we expect next?
More teenagers being stuck in atmospheric (and very real) places! As well as fear and explosive climaxes, I absolutely love exploring character flaws in my books, so expect more “difficult” protagonists from me!
What has been the best part of being a published author so far?
Being published has had some surprising impacts for me – it’s such a strange feeling to arrive at a place you dream of and work so hard to get to, that I’ve found it difficult to know how to process all of the emotions that go with it. I’m trying really hard to focus on the here and now, rather than what might come in future. And just seeing photos of my book in shops, or hearing about people reading it gives me a lovely buzz!
Any book signing events on the horizon?
I’m doing a tour of bookshops in my local area soon – I’ll need to work on my handwriting as someone asked if my six-year-old had signed my first few attempts…
What made you want to become an author?
It was certainly something I dreamt of throughout school – the only subject I’d say I enjoyed was creative writing. But I never saw it an option really – I assumed writers were highly-educated, globe-trotting people who I greatly admired, but I never dreamt I had the right to attempt to become published myself! Seeing how welcoming and inclusive UKYA authors have been has helped reduce that feeling of impostor syndrome – the WriteMentor programme in particular is so encouraging and taught me that if you feel like you have a story in you, then tell it!
Can you tell us 3 of your favourite authors?
Growing up I was a big fan of Malorie Blackman and Melvin Burgess – I was so enthralled by their unapologetically messy teen characters. Nowadays, there is an abundance of excellent UK YA authors that I love, so I can’t possibly name them all! It feels like we’ve reached a time where there are stories for everyone out there, which is very exciting.
What is your favourite snack?
I’m currently eating a Fab ice lolly, so let’s go with that! I’m definitely more of a sweet than savoury person.
I would just like to thank Tess for allowing me to interview her and ask her these questions. She is so incredibly kind and lovely and I cannot wait to see what she creates next!
Synopsis:
An abandoned prison. A deadly game. How far would you go for a dare?Nia would do anything to win the approval of her boyfriend Scott and his friends, especially mean girl Olivia. When Olivia dares Nia to explore an abandoned prison, she sees it as the perfect opportunity to prove herself. Facing dark tunnels, distant noises and creepy mementoes left behind by incarcerated criminals will surely all be worth it.
But it isn’t long before Nia and her little sister, Kayla, find themselves trapped inside. And then Kayla vanishes. Suddenly, this feels like more than a game gone wrong. Someone is hell bent on making Nia and Kayla the prison’s last inmates. “
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