Scared Yet?

Scared Yet?

When Livia Prescott fights off a terrifying assault in a deserted car park, the media hail her bravery. And after a difficult year it felt good to strike back for once.

But as the police widen their search for her attacker, menacing notes start arriving. And brave is not what she feels any longer ... Someone has decided to rip her life apart, then kick her when she's down. But is it a stranger or someone much closer to home? In fact, is there anyone she can now trust?

When her family and friends are drawn into the stalker's focus-with terrifying consequences -the choice becomes simple. Fight back, or lose the people she loves the most...

Jaye Ford's first novel, Beyond Fear, has sold internationally and will be translated into seven languages this year. Scared Yet? is her second psychological thriller. Jaye is a former print, radio and television journalist, who became Australia's first female presenter of a live national sports show when she hosted Sport Report on SBS in 1988-89. She also fronted evening news on regional television and ran her own public relations business. She now lives at Lake Macquarie in the NSW Hunter Valley and writes full-time.

Scared Yet?
Random House Australia
Author: Jaye Ford
ISBN: 9781864712001
Price: $32.95

Interview with Jaye Ford

Question: What do you enjoy most about writing psychological thrillers?

Jaye Ford: I think that I enjoy the fact that the story can go anywhere mostly, it's completely up to my wild imagination; as long as I write it in a way that is believable I can turn myself into the character and imagine that I am living through that and do what I like with it.


Question: What is the best thing about creating a character like Livia Prescott?

Jaye Ford: I really like creating strong female characters, its fun to think about what's going to make them strong and I throw as much at them, as I can and see if they can dig deep enough to get through it.


Question: How much of your inspiration comes from real life and real people?

Jaye Ford: Like most writers I am always on the lookout for things that happen whether it's something that happens to my friends or a 'what if' thing. With Scared Yet? the inspiration came when I was still writing Beyond Fear and I went along to a Partners In Crime meeting, which is a readers and writers of crime network, where they had a Forensic Psychologist talking about her stalking research. There were about 50 people at the meeting and everyone had a story to tell regarding stalking and I found the research on stalking both horrifying and fascinating and I went away thinking 'there has to be a story in this'.

I tend to do a little bit of research at the start of a book where I try and work out the environment that the particular crime might take place in. I also research when developing the character as I ensure they have a back story attached to them and I research the psychological effects to those back stories such as post-traumatic stress. Then, I gather all that information and put it to one side and let it sit in the back of my brain and try and write from there; I try and not get too lost in research, facts and figures because I find that I get a little uptight about getting it right if I keep all the information in my head. Putting aside the research allows me to write from my imagination including what I have read up on - that works best for me.


Question: Can you tell us about your writing schedules and when you prefer to write?

Jaye Ford: I ran a business from home, for quite a few years and I got into the good habit of working in business hours and before that I did shift work and I vowed to myself that I would never work those crazy hours again. I tend to write, like an office job, I start at about 9 or 10am and I try and get all the non-writing jobs in my life done, in the morning and then get down into my office and work true for the rest of the day.


Question: Are you currently working on another novel?

Jaye Ford: I am, I am starting that at the moment. I have been signed by Random House to write another two thrillers which is very exciting. My new book is called Blood Secret and I am starting work on that, at the moment, actually.