Lottie is Dottie: If it were possible to live inside a world from a book, which world would you chose and why?

Becca Fitzpatrick: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, because James Fraser. That is all.

Of your characters, main and secondary, which do you think resembles you the most?

I think I’d choose Stella. My senior year of high school, my family moved to a different state. I was ripped away from the only friends I’d ever known and was forced to reinvent myself in a town I wanted nothing to do with. I was bitter, angry and hurt. With this move came a lot of upheaval in my family. My parents divorced, and due to a change in our financial situation, I was forced to attend a college I had not planned on going to. It was a rough time for me. While writing Dangerous Lies, I felt Stella’s pain. I acknowledged and channeled my own grief and heartache from my teen years; I let Stella go through a range of emotions before finding peace. There are readers who will find Stella incredibly unlikeable. To this I would say, I was a pretty unlikeable at eighteen too.

If you could invite any of your characters (dead or alive) to a dinner party who would you invite?

Chet. He’d go easy on me – no drama, lots of manners and charm.

Which of your characters would you “team up” with in a zombie apocalypse? (Personally, I think I’d go with Patch because he’s immortal... and I don’t think there would ever be a boring moment.)

I’m with you on this one – Patch for sure! He knows how to fight. He’s tough and conniving and smart, and he also knows how to provide humor in dark times.

How do you come up with the titles for your books?

I spend a lot of time in the dictionary. Some of the titles I came up with (Hush, Hush and Crescendo). Others went through several titles before editorial and marketing were satisfied. Silence was originally titled Tempest. Did you know that Dangerous Lies was originally titled That Dark Summer? After that it became Sapphire Skies. Finally, we settled on Dangerous Lies.

Do you have any quirky habits or rituals when writing?

I like writing in silence. I do most of my writing in my home office. I always have Peanut M&M’s close at hand.

How do you inspire yourself to write?

I often read the journals I kept in high school. All of my books were inspired by events that happened to me as a teen.

What advice would you give a teenager looking to become an author?

Keep a journal. Writing in a journal is good practice at tapping emotions and discovering voice.

What is your favourite genre to write?

Romance.

Which authors do you admire? (For me, I’m inspired by you, George Orwell, James Dawson, Harper Lee and Emily Bronte - coming from the Bronte area, there is a lot of inspiration from her.)

Oh, the moors! Do you live near Yorkshire? I dreamed of the moors when I was a teen reading Wuthering Heights. I’m inspired by Victoria Holt, Sandra Brown, Nora Roberts, Karen Joy Fowler and Emily Bronte.

What is your favourite genre to read?

Romance.

If you had to pick a favourite book, which would it be? (Mine is Hush, Hush by someone called Becca Fitzpatrick, maybe you’ve heard of her?)

I am honoured. Like, I’m sitting here grinning. Thank you for that. My favorite book is always changing, depending on where I’m at in life and what problems I’m dealing with. Right now my favorite book is The Dark by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Jon Klassen. It’s a picture book about a boy who learns to not fear the dark. This book recently helped my son deal with his own anxiety of the dark. I love books that help me reach my children.

What is your favourite classical book? (I love Animal Farm and To Kill A Mockingbird - pieces of classical gold).

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. As a teen, I was completely in love with Heathcliff. As an adult, he terrifies me.

And, slightly off topic but what is your favourite television show? (I really love Doctor Who and Reign.)

Oh, I love Reign! My favorite show is Modern Family. Seriously, it’s like the writers are scripting my life. I am totally Claire Dunphy. My other favorite show is Longmire. It’s about a sheriff in Wyoming who solves crimes. I’ve always lived in the west (I even spent six years in Wyoming), so I relate to the wild, untamed setting and the small-town characters.

Okay. I also have a few “quick fire questions”, so try and answer as quickly as possible!:

Dracula or Frankenstien?
Frankenstein.

Gryffindor or Slytherin?
I took a quiz that pinned me as Slytherin, but I’m totally Gryffindor.

JK Rowling or JRR Tolkien?
JK Rowling.

Laptop or typewriter?
Laptop.

Reed or Chet?
Chet, hands down!

Bronte or Austen?
Depends on my mood. Today? Austen.

TV or films?
Film.

The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?
Maybe The Rolling Stones. I might change my mind tomorrow.

Nora or Stella?
Stella.

Becca Fitzpatrick’s latest book Dangerous Lies is available at the Guardian bookshop.

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