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Lucy Roth, author of 'When Sally Killed Harry' - Feminist thriller author discusses arts council funding, going easy on yourself and what readers don't want to know episode artwork

EPISODE · Sep 4, 2025 · 58 MIN

Lucy Roth, author of 'When Sally Killed Harry' - Feminist thriller author discusses arts council funding, going easy on yourself and what readers don't want to know

from Writer's Routine

Lucy Roth's new novel has one of the best names going. 'When Sally Killed Harry', is a feminist serial-killer thriller. When Sally discovers she's not the only one to have been jilted by dreamy con-man Harry, she takes matters into her own hands, and becomes his worst nightmare. It's Lucy's first thriller, but she has published novels and non-fiction books as Lucy Nichol. 'Parklife' talks about friendship, music and recovery in the 90s. There's also 'The Twenty Seven Club', which is a dark comedy around mental health and fandom. Also, 'Snowflake', 'No Worries If Not', and 'A Series of Unfortunate Stereotypes'. As a journalist, Lucy has written for The Independent, The Guardian, The I, NME and lots more. We talk about the Arts Council Funding Lucy acquired to write the novel, what it helped her do, and who it helped her talk to. It's a thoroughly researched book, with Lucy interviewing a criminologist, a detective, an expert in psychopathy, and the former CEO of Rape Crisis. You can hear why that was so vital for her writing. We discuss how her disorganised filing system keeps her organised, what thriller readers don't want to see and how her perspective on characters change through time. This week's episode is supported by Faber Academy. Their flagship, 'Writing a Novel' course is back. Find out more at faberacademy.com/writing-a-novel Support the show on patreon.com/writersroutine ko-fi.com/writersroutine Get a copy of the book at uk.bookshop.org/shop/writersroutine If you have a few moments, please do this survey which really helps the show - https://acast-d25653fd59cf.intercom-clicks.com/via/e?ob=9oUbiH0woKcJwV9Q8WUiC8BruxQ%2BHlrTALuRpe9%2FPddwKlJNiOX0Ooxy4zRWp%2Fpm&h=66ec8e1b64337f9ef329aeed760397c3843bd55e-ayi0335i_215470486248154 @writerspod writersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Lucy Roth, author of 'When Sally Killed Harry' - Feminist thriller author discusses arts council funding, going easy on yourself and what readers don't want to know

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