It’s exactly two months today until THE LIE, my second psychological thriller comes out and it’s all getting a bit exciting. The paperback is going to press this week (which means my author copies will be here soon, hooray!) and the marketing and PR side of things are about to kick off (including review copies to bloggers who I know have been waiting very patiently. Sorry bloggers!).

Earlier this year I sent some proofs of THE LIE to a dozen or so authors in the hope they’d read it and give me a quote (writing begging letters to fellow authors is definitely one of my least favourite things about the lead up to publication day!). Fortunately some truly lovely authors took the time to read THE LIE and give me a quote and I couldn’t be more grateful. I know how valuable writing time is and how, sometimes, it’s impossible to fit in reading too.

Here’s a selection of their comments:

“The Lie felt to me like a Black Narcissus for the Facebook generation, a clever exploration of how petty jealousies and misunderstandings can unravel even the tightest of friendships. Claustrophobic, tense and thrilling, a thrill-ride of a novel that keeps you guessing.” – Elizabeth Haynes

“The Lie is absolutely brilliant – The Beach, only darker, more thrilling and more tense. It’s the story of a twisted, distorted friendship. It’s a compelling, addictive and wonderfully written tale. Can’t recommend it enough.” – Louise Douglas

“C.L Taylor delivers another compelling  read that’ll keep you turning pages way too late into the night. Warning: may cause drowsiness the following day.” – Tamar Cohen 

“A gripping and disturbing psychological thriller: every bit as good as The Accident.” – Clare Mackintosh

“My heart was racing after I finished CL Taylor’s brilliant new book The Lie. Dark, creepy and full of twists. I loved it.” – Rowan Coleman

“Tense, menacing and utterly addictive, The Lie is a superbly crafted thriller. I loved it!” – Miranda Dickinson

“A real page-turner, with two storylines: one of growing menace in the present, and a past narrative of a girls-only holiday that goes horrifically wrong. Creepy, horrifying and twisty. CL Taylor is extremely good at writing stories in which you have no idea which characters you can trust, and the result is intriguing and scary and extremely gripping.” – Julie Cohen

‘With flavours of Alex Garland’s The Beach, a grit that wouldn’t be out of place in a Martina Cole, but at the same time retaining an identity all of its own, The Lie is the sort of book that gives you sweaty palms and makes your heart race.’ Victoria Fox

In the run up to publication day (23rd April) I’m going to start blogging more regularly (I know! Once a week instead of once a month) and I’ll be sharing the research I did before I started writing THE LIE including topics like mind control and brainwashing, why cult leaders are often psychopaths, toxic friendships and why women kill. There will be a video of me talking about the inspiration behind THE LIE (that’s next week), extracts from the  diary I wrote when I visited Nepal in 2006 (including the entry I wrote after I nearly drowned whitewater rafting) and lots more.

This week’s offering is me reading the first chapter of THE LIE. I hope you enjoy it.

THE LIE is available to pre-order on Amazon.co.uk
Or you could mark it ‘to read’ on Goodreads.

Now to return to my next psychological thriller, currently titled THE FORGETTING. I’m due to hand it in to my publisher on 1st July and, according the the schedule I worked out I need to write about 5,000 words a week to hit that deadline. Unfortunately my son was off sick with a chest infection most of last week and very few words were written I need to pull out all the stops this week to catch up…