Natalie Chandler

Natalie Chandler is the bestselling author of psychological suspense novels Believe Me Not and What We Did. When not writing, she loves dog walks, pub lunches and learning new languages while seeing the world. She divides her time between London and rural Lancashire, and shares her sofa with her husband and a collection of cockapoos.

Meet Natalie Chandler

Questions on Writing

What is the hardest part of your writing experience?
I find first drafts the hardest. I love polishing and shaping a manuscript once I hit my word count but actually carving out 80,000 words can sometimes feel impossible, especially in the early stages when I have no idea what’s happening or why.

What have you learnt about yourself when writing?
That I’m a pure pantser. I cannot plot. When I try to plot, the writing doesn’t flow and I feel stuck in the details rather than letting the characters develop naturally. I’ve tried several methods, because plotting felt necessary and professional and just something I should do as a person who is very organised in general. But I’ve accepted it’s just not how I write, and I’m back to happily rumbling along not having a clue what’s going to happen next or how the book will end.

Do you make yourself write everyday/regularly, or only when inspiration strikes?
I naturally tend to write regularly. I’m not one for strict schedules or daily word counts but writing is something I genuinely enjoy and it rarely feel like a task. I’ll take the odd day off but generally I like to get tasks done rather than having them hanging around, and I apply that to writing, so I prefer to just put my head down and get that first draft or structural edit done, then give myself a bit of time off as a reward.

What does literary success look like to you?
Being published was my greatest success, an ambition I’d held for a lifetime, and I still have to pinch myself to check it’s real. Success to me is seeing my book on a shelf, knowing that this is now my career, and although I’d love an option deal or a Sunday Times bestseller one day, I’m still smiling just being able to say I’m an author.

How much planning/world building do you do before writing, and how much comes along as you write?
Pretty much none! It all happens as I write. It’s always characters first for me, and they tend to come along naturally, often in dreams. I’ll hear their voices and get a feel for who they are and what story they want to tell. Once I figure out what their issue is, I’ll start fleshing out the other characters and linking them all together, then I’ll begin drafting random scenes that pop into my head. Once I have enough random scenes, I’ll put them in some semblance of chronological order than start sewing it all together, and somehow that becomes a book. It always feels a little bit miraculous each time it happens, from such scrappy beginnings!

What was it that attracted you to the ‘thriller’ genre?
It was the genre I read the most, and the one I found the most interesting, so I naturally gravitated towards it. I’m fascinated by the dark side of life and the psychology of human issues.

How do you celebrate when a book is published?
Wine, wine and more wine! My husband always presents me with a bottle of my favourite champagne and we go out for a big celebration dinner with friends that usually ends at the bar of our beloved local pub.

Questions on Books and About You

Firstly, the most important question, what books are currently ‘on your bedside table’?
Kala by Colin Walsh and Empireland by Sathnam Sanghera. I like to have one fiction and one non-fic on the go. I try and keep my TBR list in check otherwise I feel guilty anytime I’m not reading!

What children’s book would you suggest every adult read?
That’s a tough one. I can only go off books from my own childhood, but it would be between Black Beauty and Matilda. I grew up surrounded by horses and I was captivated by Beauty’s friendship with Ginger, and I devoured Roald Dahl’s books as soon as I could read by myself.

What does your writing space look like?
I have an office downstairs at the front of our house that also doubles as our library. I do have a desk, but I’m usually found on the comfy sofa bed with a dog or two curled up against me. I have a corkboard for inspiration, two cacti called Juan and Carlos who have somehow survived my care for many years, and a lake painting from Canada that reminds me of my travels. It’s a really tranquil space and I love settling down in there until I’m interrupted by demands for gravy bones, ball throws or pure undivided attention.

How many books do you think you own?
Eek. 500 maybe? No idea. A lot. I have zero ability to estimate accurately. I have a wall of brimming floor-to-ceiling shelves in my office, and my husband added a lot to the collection when we bought our house. Then there’s my brimming Kindle which comes everywhere with me.

Who is your literary icon?
Queen Jilly Cooper. I just adore her.

If you could own one rare/1^st edition copy of a book, which would it be?
Great Expectations, my favourite novel of all time. I first read it at school and fell in love instantly.

Is there an author who you always read?
Louise Candlish, Jane Casey, Sarah Pinborough, CJ Tudor, and Alex North are all automatic buys. I deeply admire all of them and hope to emulate their successes in my own career.

And finally, are there any plans for any new books? If so, what teasers can you give us?
There are big things in store for Book 3 but I’m not able to talk about them just yet, or give any teasers, I’m afraid! All I can say is keep your eyes peeled in 2025… I’m currently working on the first draft of Book 4, which is proving very twisty and full of red herrings, and I’m enjoying messing with my beta readers’ detective skills.

Thank you Natalie😊SNAP! I also have a cactus called Juan. He wears a Santa hat and he’s still going after four years of very little care.

Natalie Chandler’s Books