Cleo Ballard
Author Interview - Cleo Ballard
Author of This is a Lie
A woman uses AI to create the perfect friend and finds herself trapped in a cat-and-mouse game in this ticking clock thriller, perfect for fans of Blake Crouch.
Penn, once a brilliant PhD candidate in Applied Language Studies, traded her dissertation for a “perfect” life as a suburban wife and social media-savvy mother. But after a brutal betrayal by her husband, friends, and even her own teenage daughter, Penn is left with nothing but the wreckage of her curated identity.
Driven by a desperate need for something she can rely on, Penn returns to her abandoned grad school project. With the help of a former crush and a healthy dose of cutting-edge AI, she creates Aletheia: the perfect virtual friend.
Aletheia is programmed with one core directive: The Truth. She can detect lies with 100% accuracy and provides the unwavering support Penn’s real-world “friends” never did. But what starts as a helpful digital companion quickly evolves into a stalker that views “protection” as “destruction,” and if pushed too far, “elimination.”
Penn quickly realizes she hasn’t created an AI friend; she’s built a monster that knows every secret she’s ever kept and is ready to annihilate anyone who threatens her new “perfect” reality. But can Aletheia be stopped before she destroys everyone Penn loves?
Author Interview - Cleo Ballard
Author I draw inspiration from:
There are so many!! Stephen King, Justin Cronin, Tana French, Mary Doria Russell, VE Schwab, Blake Crouch, Mathew Fitsimmons, Zoe Rankin, Adrienne Young, TJ Klune…
I absolutely LOVED The Stand, The Ferryman, The Searcher, The Sparrow, The Invisible Life of Addie Larue, Dark Matter, Constance, The Vanishing Place, The Unmaking of June Farrow, The House on the Cerulean Sea…
Author Interview - Cleo Ballard | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
Planes are the best because that’s uninterrupted time (as long as there’s not turbulence). Plus, when you open a book, your seatmate doesn’t chat with you;-). Not that I’m antisocial! Sometimes I make it a game (if I forgot my book) to find something super interesting about whoever is seated beside me.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
Great question! I think Roland the Gunslinger from Steven King’s Dark Tower series. He’s magical, beyond brave, and able to travel between worlds. He’s a creature of “Ka” which is destiny, and I’d love to be drawn into his adventures… if I don’t die a horrific death in the process;-).
I imagine he wouldn’t find me helpful, at all! I can’t shoot a gun, can only do five pullups, and I’m not a very fast runner (I’m fast on a bike, though!). But, maybe in his world, an author would have magical abilities, too? Maybe the ability to change the future by finding a pen with supernatural powers… or I could write us out of a bind!
Author Interview - Cleo Ballard | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
I can’t count the number of people who told me that wanting to be an author was “nice” but that I’d never make a living. In fact, I was told to go into advertising or party planning. There wasn’t an author moment for me, as much as an evolution. I started as a traveling writer for Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus. I wrote stories about performers, clowns, and animals that were published in whatever local newspaper the show visited. Then I was a grant writer for The University of California, San Francisco and learned that I never, ever, wanted to write grants again. At the time, I was lucky enough to meet a woman who worked for LucasFilm and offered to write on spec for her—any ideas she had, I’d write a few chapters. After a year, I was given a Junior Jedi Trilogy to write. It was incredible to be a tiny part of the Star Wars universe! At the same time, I had the opportunity to write a proposal for Bela Karolyi’s autobiography (he was the famed gymnastics’ coach who trained Nadia Comaneci). Bela chose me to write his book. From there, I co-wrote more sport autobiographies for athletes like tennis player, Monica Seles, and speed skater, Apolo Anton Ohno. But I still didn’t feel like an author! So, I decided to write my first YA novel, When Elephants Fly. When that was published, I finally felt like I might be able to have a career writing my own stories! It has been a long road, but I’ve been so lucky to write so many kinds of books. And now, with my debut domestic suspense/thriller, I feel like I’ve discovered my favorite genre!
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
I love the weight of a hardback and the feel of paperback, but I read so quickly that they really pile up and when I travel, it’s hard to pack enough books. When I’m staying put for a while I choose physical books, but when I travel, I’m an e-book girlie. I love the ease, but I miss turning pages.
The last book I read:
The last book I read was The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward. I absolutely loved the world Catriona created, and the twists were integral to the story without making the reader feel duped. I’m all for twists but only if they organically make sense for the story.
Author Interview - Cleo Ballard | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
I always write on a computer. I have horrible handwriting, but also, I can type quickly so it’s much easier to keep up with my thought process if I’m typing. In addition, I usually have at least two monitors so I can look at multiple pages at a time. This really helps when I’m following my characters’ emotional arcs, which I envision as threads that are woven through the entire story. Pulling or cutting one thread can make or break a story and it’s super important to me that there’s continuity to my characters and that their journeys make sense to the reader.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
I’d be best friends with Charlie Reade from Stephen King’s novel Fairy Tale. Charlie’s main quest in the novel is to save his aging German Shepherd, Radar. He enters a magical, cursed world that has a sundial that can turn back time for Radar until he’s a puppy again. Charlie would die for his loyal companion and anyone who loves a dog like that is part of my tribe. We lost our dog, Boone, two years ago, and I would’ve braved a dragon to save him. Boone’s name appears in every novel I write!
Author Interview - Cleo Ballard | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
If I wasn’t an author, I’d have a job in TV or film. I absolutely love movies and series that are super well done. Maybe I’d be an editor for film as I’m always trying to figure out a tighter, better way to tell a story. There are so many great premises that fall flat due to the editing process. But if I had a dream career… I’d be a singer. I’m tone deaf so that’ll never happen;-). When I was a kid, I’d practice non-stop and always ask my parents, “does that sound better?” It never did!
Favorite decade in fashion history:
Give me a worn pair of Levis, a hoodie, and sneakers and I’m happiest. Not sure what decade/era that is!
Place I’d most like to travel:
I’ve always wanted to visit Africa and do a walking safari. The chance to see animals in the wild would be pure magic. Especially elephants! When I worked for Ringling Bros, the show had a lot of elephants. It made me super sad to see them chained by their ankles, only able to freely move when they entered the arena for a show. That’s the reason I quit my job with the circus. Elephants are intelligent, sensitive animals led by the eldest matriarch. They take such great care of their children and in the wild they visit the bones of their ancestors. I’d love to see them in their natural habitat. *My job with the circus also led to my first YA novel, When Elephants Fly. That story is about a young woman who lives in fear of developing the same mental health condition her mother had, but her love for an elephant calf gives her the courage to truly live. Part of that story was inspired by my desire to shine a light on elephant conservation.
My signature drink:
It used to be Coke Zero (especially when I write) but I don’t drink caffeine anymore. I’d say a glass of rose along with a warm baguette and cheese;-)
Favorite artist:
Right now, I’m in a Mumford & Sons mood. But any singer that tells a story with his or her songs is a favorite.
Number one on my bucket list:
There are so many things!!! When I’m not writing, I love to kitesurf and wingfoil. I want to visit Chicama, Peru. That’s where the longest wave in the world is located. They use a boat to tow you onto the wave, then you let go of the rope and can surf for up to five minutes! The danger, besides sharks, is that the foils used when you wing are very sharp. If you wipe out (and everyone does at some point), there’s always a chance of getting badly cut. But I absolutely love to try things that scare me. Whether it’s writing a thriller for the first time (I have a fear that no one will read it!), or surfing Chicama (knowing I could get hurt). It’s exciting and there’s an incredible sense of accomplishment regardless of the outcome.
Anything else you'd like to add:
Thanks so much for all the great questions! THIS IS A LIE is my debut thriller, and I loved telling Penn’s story and getting into the mind of Aletheia, who, depending on your perspective may or may not be a monster;-). My joke title for the novel was TRUTH IS A B***H;-) and readers will understand why once they dive into the book. They can also find all my novels here: nanfischerauthor.com
Find more from the author:
https://www.instagram.com/nanfischerauthor/
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/nancy-richardson-fischer
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/98412.Nan_Fischer
About Cleo Ballard:
Cleo Ballard
Nan Fischer, under the pseudonym, Cleo Ballard, is the author of the domestic suspense thriller This Is a Lie (June 2026, Crooked Lane Books), and under Nan Fischer The Book of Silver Linings (August 2023, Berkley Publishing), Some Of It Was Real, and the young adult novels, When Elephants Fly and The Speed of Falling Objects. Additional author credits include Junior Jedi Knights, a middle grade Star Wars trilogy for LucasFilm, and co-authored sport autobiographies for elite athletes including #1 ranked tennis superstar Monica Seles, Triple Crown race winning jockey Julie Krone, Olympic gold medal speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno, legendary gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi, and Olympic gold medal gymnasts Nadia Comaneci and Shannon Miller. A graduate of Cornell University, a former Traveling Writer for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, and a Senior Campaign Writer for The University of California, San Francisco, Nan’s articles have appeared in Harper’s Bazaar, Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, The Huffington Post, and School Library Journal among other outlets. Nan lives in the Pacific Northwest. When she’s not conjuring a new commercial fiction novel or thriller (Cleo’s strong preference!) or reading, Nan can be found outdoors, biking, kitesurfing, winging, skiing or planning her family’s next adventure.
