Brianne Sommerville
Author Interview - Brianne Sommerville
Author of IF I LOSE HER
Who can you trust when you can’t trust yourself?
The pregnancy podcasts warned Joanna Baker about the baby blues, but when a near-fatal mistake places the first-time mom under the watchful eye of Child Protective Services, she receives a serious diagnosis.
Postpartum depression. Jo hears the words, yet they don’t make sense. Nothing does. Her blackouts are increasing, and she can’t recall events she’s been accused of.
As she fights to keep her daughter, she discovers cracks in her neighborhood, family, and her own home. With the support of her sisters, she attempts to piece together her traumatic past and uncover who is truly in control.
Jo must battle her faltering mind to save what’s most important—her daughter.
Author Interview - Brianne Sommerville
Author I draw inspiration from:
Canadian thriller writer Shari Lapena has always been a must-read author for me and got me interested in domestic suspense/thrillers. When I first read A Couple Next Door, I thought "Wow, okay, I want to read more of this!" I love authors who take complex subject matter and blend it seamlessly with a twisty plot.
Over the past few years, I've really connected with works that explore the darker sides of motherhood and I'm drawn to stories that explore generations of mother-daughter relationships. Ashley Audrain's The Push was a great example of this and it stuck with me for months (I still think about it!) Ashley is such a talent at exploring the nuances of motherhood and female relationships and she sure knows how to write a final line that keeps you thinking!
Samantha M. Bailey is another auto-buy author for me, with characters that come to life on the page and complex plots that keep you guessing and turning the pages at rapid speed. I'm eagerly counting the days until her latest A Friend in the Dark hits shelves.
Stacy Willingham (A Flicker in the Dark, Only if You're Lucky), who I only discovered last year has also quickly become a favourite author of mine. Stacy uses metaphors so effectively that her settings take on their own life, becoming integral characters in her works.
And lastly, a shoutout to the talented Canadian thriller writers whose work I always adore, including Jessica Hamilton (Don't You Dare), Hannah Mary McKinnon (The Revenge List) and Amy Stuart (A Death at the Party).
Author Interview - Brianne Sommerville | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
I can read anywhere--on the train to work, at the hair salon, in the waiting room during my daughters' dance classes--but if I had the choice, I would go outside and read on a patio with a latte or maybe on a dock with a glass of rose. And now I want it to be summer!
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
It would need to be someone funny so that I could just pretend I'm watching a stand-up act in the comfort of my own home and not trapped on an elevator (which by the way, I have been with my dog for like 35 minutes and it was not fun). Maybe this is cheating but I'd like to pick a non-fiction author/character--Mindy Kaling. I love her honest/raw humour and I think she would make the time go by. Her on Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series as she would just magic us out.
Author Interview - Brianne Sommerville | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
I'm not sure I can think of a specific moment--it's been this constant, what if? I've always enjoyed storytelling. My sister and I used to make up plays in our basement and then perform them for my mom and her JVC video camera. In high school I took a creative writing class and entered my first writing contest (I didn't win). But I remember feeling very invigorated by it all. I started to write my first novel in grade twelve. It was a coming-of-age story with suspense elements. My computer ended up crashing and I lost it all but I still have scraps of notes from it. I started taking my writing seriously in university where I studied English Literature, performed spoken word poetry and wrote and directed plays, but it was when I had my first daughter, nearly six years ago, that I thought, "I think I can do this. I can write a novel."
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
I consume all formats of books but my preference is paperback. I find hardback, while beautiful, heavy after a while. Ebooks are super convenient and I do have a kobo that I use but there's something about a paperback and watching the bookmark travel closer to the end, that is more satisfying to me. I've only recently discovered audio and I love it for the mere fact that I can multitask. Folding laundry and unloading the dishwasher have never been so interesting! I recently listened to Nita Prose's The Mystery Guest on audio and it was fun to clean the bathrooms while listening to the main character Molly gush about cleaning.
The last book I read:
I just started Ashley Tate's Twenty-Seven Minutes and I'm already hooked! Ashley is a debut author and was Ashley Audrain's writing critique partner. Before that, I read None of This is True by Lisa Jewell and it was amazing! I highly recommend for thriller/domestic suspense readers. And if you do listen to the audio book, it's extremely well done. I actually bought on paperback and audio so I could switch between the two because I literally could not stop reading it!
Author Interview - Brianne Sommerville | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
Computer is definitely my preference--it's just way more efficient. That said, I do enjoy jotting down notes either in my phone's note app or in a traditional notebook. For If I Lose Her, the novel was actually inspired by some of my journal entries when my first daughter was born. I would write feverishly during naptime and bouts of insomnia and some of those entries made it into the novel, making it read like a stream of consciousness. My current work in progress has a sixteen-year-old's diary POV and I used my teenage angsty journal entries as inspiration to find the character's voice.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
I'm picking Charlie from The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chbosky) a coming-of-age novel that has been compared to The Catcher in the Rye. I read that book before it was made into a movie when I was in grade nine and felt such a connection with the story and the main character who is introverted and perceptive and has a kind heart.
Author Interview - Brianne Sommerville | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
My day job also includes writing, just a different kind. I work in communications/public relations and craft news releases and speeches, develop key messages and brief executives. If I could choose another profession, I'd love to explore psychology as the human mind fascinates me. I also loved the psychology course I took in first year at university but I was scared off from studying it further as I heard we had to do a statistics course (math is not my strong suit).
Favorite decade in fashion history:
This is a hard one to choose. I was really into the sixties in elementary school. I loved the fashion and music but now I think I'd choose the seventies or eighties. I really enjoy high-waisted skirts and pants and feel like I can never go back to low-rise.
Place I’d most like to travel:
I've never been to Italy, and it's been on my bucket list for a while. Beautiful architecture? Check. Nice weather? Check. Pasta? Check. Wine? Check!
My signature drink:
Wine and wine and then some more wine. And if we are getting specific, a Californian Cabernet Sauvignon but on a hot day a rose or Sauvignon Blanc.
Favorite artist:
I'm going with music because music is a big part of my writing. I love writing to playlists and find music can get me in such different moods depending on what I'm listening to. It's so hard to pick one artist but some of my all-time favourites are Vampire Weekend, Broken Social Scene, Death Cab for Cutie, Fleet Foxes, MGMT, Strfkr and The Strokes.
Number one on my bucket list:
I have a fascination with deep sea creatures but I'm also extremely terrified of them. So, part of me wants to try scuba diving but I might also have a panic attack if I do that. So, maybe I'll settle for one of those river cruises in New Orleans where I can catch a peek of an alligator but I'm not trapped underwater.
Anything else you'd like to add:
If I Lose Her explores a first-time mom and her experience with postpartum depression and I hope that my portrayal, based on my own experience with postpartum anxiety, reads authentic and allows readers to connect with and relate to Jo.
Find more from the author:
Website: briannesommerville.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briannesomm/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BriSommWrites
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@briannesomm?_t=8jRdUegLyfm&_r=1
Author Bio:
Author Interview - Brianne Sommerville
Brianne Sommerville is a Canadian author who writes thrillers. She is a member of International Thriller Writers and Crime Writers of Canada. Brianne studied English literature and theatre before entering the world of public relations and marketing. She lives in Toronto with her partner and three littles under five and knows every episode of Peppa Pig by heart. If I Lose Her is her debut novel.
