Strange Simon Cowell dream inspires Horsham author

Star Survivor is published by The Book Guild at £9.99 and is available from Amazon etc.

Lisa, aged 41, said: “The idea for Star Survivor didn’t come about in the way I’ve had other ideas, inspired by something I’ve seen or heard. This one came about after an evening watching The Hunger Games, mindlessly scrolling on social media. Overnight I had a dream where Simon Cowell and I sat on a beach, drinking cocktails, and he told me the premise of the book. When I woke up in the morning I thought it was a really good idea so I began to plot how it could actually work.

“With Star Survivor I knew the premise: that four celebrities would be on their way to a South Pacific island to take part in a reality TV show but they get stranded on an actual desert island and have to survive for real. No personal assistants. No mobile phones. Just whatever they have in their hand luggage. I started the story there, straight in the thick of the action. As soon as the reader begins they’ll be on the helicopter right alongside the four celebrities.

“I tend to work fairly loosely. I do have plot points, which I make a note of, but I don’t plan all of it. I like to be surprised with where the story is going because hopefully the reader will be too.

“The book is darkly comic. There’s a lot of funny bits as well as quite a lot of tension – they’re stuck on an island and the world thinks they’ve died, there’s got to be a bit of fear and worry in there. I’d say anyone who likes a bit of mystery with a dash of comedy will enjoy this.

“Star Survivor is inspired by the numerous reality TV shows we’re all aware of, for example I’m a Celebrity. Of course, the celebs in my book aren’t on the show as they’re on the wrong island but that doesn’t stop it being aired and the audience figures increasing.

“I used to consume Ben Elton’s novels, and when I think back to Popcorn, for example, I can see some inspiration there. Black Mirror inspired me too though you’ll need to read the book to understand why.

“I loved writing Star Survivor. I’ve brought in elements from my journalism days by including newspaper articles throughout the book to tell the reader what’s going on away from the island, how the world is managing their perceived deaths. How quickly they move on. I wanted to poke a bit of fun at the way the media represents celebrity stories too. I’ve worked for an entertainments news agency so I’ve got a bit of an insight into how things are represented.

“I had originally thought it would be a stand-alone novel but readers have asked me about what happens to some characters – I can’t give too much away of course. So I’m pondering it. It would need to be quite different, but then, I can see where some of the storylines could go.”

Lisa added: “Star Survivor is my debut novel. However I also write historical fiction and in May my first one of those is out, called Swim. Swim is a fictional biography of the Olympic swimmer Lucy Morton. It’s one hundred years in August since she competed at the Paris Olympics, at a time where women were outnumbered 22 to one, and since the Olympics is taking place in Paris this year, it’s perfect timing for my novel.

“I like writing commercial fiction and historical as both need different disciplines when writing though I do realise the tendency for me is to write strong female leads.

“I’ve been writing for a long time. I’ve worked as a journalist, including for the Sussex Express and West Sussex County Times in the past. Writing is my escapism as well as my day job so I decided to do an honours degree in English Language and Literature in my late 20s. During the degree there was a portion on creative writing and I think that was the point I realised I had permission to write creatively, not just journalistically. I’ve written ideas for books for some time now, but Star Survivor was the first one I completed and thought was good.”