Zibby Mag

Book jacket biographies don’t tell us nearly enough about the authors we love. That’s why Zibby Mag launched the Author Snapshot, giving readers an inside look at the lives and works of our favorite writers.

This week we are featuring Lucy Clarke whose novel, The Hike, comes out next week on 8/29!

It seems you often travel for research trips or write in a beach hut on the south coast of England. Where did you write your upcoming release, The Hike, and how do you choose the spots you research and write from?

I traveled to Norway for the research of The Hike, but I wrote the novel at home in the UK from our family beach hut. The hut sits on the sand, twenty paces from the sea’s edge. Think hot water bottles and blankets in winter, and sunshine and sea swim breaks in summer! It’s my favorite place on earth to write. There’s no wifi and therefore no Zoom meetings, no emails pinging, no social media notifications. There’s just the sea and my journal—and that’s how the words get written.

Where is the most exciting place you’ve traveled to for a book and why?

My recent visit to Norway was my favorite research trip. I went with my husband, who is always game for an adventure, and we hiked through beautiful forests, skirted glacial lakes, and climbed into the mountains. We experienced firsthand the fear that grips you when the fog rolls in and the visibility is reduced to almost nothing or the difficulty of making a river-crossing wearing a cumbersome backpack. En route, we slept in rustic DNT cabins perched in some of the most remote spots I can imagine, hugely grateful for the warmth of a wood stove and a bowl of steaming noodles enjoyed after a long day of walking. Those experiences shaped the novel in ways I couldn’t have predicted. The neat plans and outline I’d mapped for The Hike needed to be rescored.

It’s so exciting that three of your books have been or are being adapted for film. Have you been involved in these projects, and how do you feel about seeing your characters come to life on the screen?

Thank you—and yes, it has been ridiculously exciting! No Escape was released this year as a seven-part series for Paramount+. It’s been the most incredible experience to see my novel reimagined for screen. I’ve loved every moment of the journey from reading early scripts and watching dress rehearsals on Zoom, to visiting the set in Thailand with my family. I’m so thrilled with the series: it’s transportive, gripping, and thrilling from beginning to end. People often ask whether it’s hard to let go of the reins creatively and see your book adapted for TV, but for me, it’s been an absolute joy. The book will always remain intact as the book, but now I have the privilege of seeing it brought to life in an entirely fresh way for a new audience. The second book of mine to be adapted for screen is The Castaways. The shoot has just wrapped, and the show will be out later this year, again with Paramount+.

You’re now the author of eight destination thrillers! What made you decide to write within this niche genre, and how do you continue generating new, thrilling ideas?

I have a piece of paper pinned to my noticeboard that reads, “Write the type of book that you want to read.” That’s how I started as a novelist, and that’s how I still write now. I’ve always loved to travel, so it felt very natural for my novels to be set in places I’ve fallen in love with.

What is something readers would be surprised to learn about you?

I got a skateboard for my fortieth birthday.

If someone hasn’t read any of your books, which would you suggest starting with and why?

I would start with my most recent novel, The Hike, and then read the others in reverse order.