Q&A with Benjamin Stevenson, Author of Fool Me Twice

Briefly tell us about your book.

Fool Me Twice is two novellas with big mysteries and even bigger twists! The first sees a mother frantically racing to find out who kidnapped her two children, the second is a Big-Brother-esque reality competition with possibly lethal stakes. The reason these are novellas is that they are designed to just be the good stuff in mysteries – the hook, then the reveal: in and out with such speed you’ll feel shaken. For those who’ve read my ‘Ernest Cunningham Mysteries’ these are also a little bit darker. I can’t wait for people to find out the secrets.

What are you hoping the reader will take away from reading your book?

My books are games, and I am inviting the readers to play. Can you solve the mysteries before I reveal them to you? I hope that readers get that fantastic satisfaction of being hoodwinked by an earth-shaking twist – that of ‘whoa, I see exactly how it pieces together, how did I miss it? – and not, ‘where in the world did that come from?’. That’s my challenge as a writer.

Does the creative process get easier for you with each book? 

Definitely not! I think, for one thing, each book needs to be better than the last. So while an author doesn’t need to reinvent themselves each time, they also can’t do the same thing over and over, and it can be challenging finding ways to be fresh and dynamic with each book (not only so I entertain the readers, but so I can entertain myself!). Also, you need to make sure readers don’t figure out your tricks as a crime author – otherwise they might solve the mysteries too easily – so I need to make sure it’s not like watching a magic trick twice, and you don’t inadvertently see through the book and find what’s up my sleeve.

What was the most challenging part of writing this book?

Twists are always hard. It’s like a house of cards – you move one thing and the whole structure can come tumbling down. So getting that twist perfect is tough. Does every sentence in the book hold up through the lens of both before and after the reveal? My books are designed to be reread so making everything work twice (with knowledge of the ending and without) is always fiddly.

If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring writers, what would it be? 

What you are working on right now is the best thing you’ve ever written, but won’t be the best thing you ever write.

Buy a copy of Fool Me Twice here.