‘Dark and twisty’ debut thriller from L.V. Hay, THE OTHER TWIN, published by Orenda today

L V Hay’s debut psychological thriller, THE OTHER TWIN, is published today in paperback by Orenda Books.

When India falls to her death from a bridge over a railway, her sister, Poppy, returns home to Brighton for the first time in years. Unconvinced by official explanations, Poppy begins her own investigation into India's death. But the deeper she digs, the closer she comes to uncovering deeply buried secrets. Could Matthew Temple, the boyfriend she abandoned, be involved? And what of his powerful and wealthy parents and his twin sister, Ana? Enter the mysterious and ethereal Jenny: the girl Poppy discovers after hacking in to India's laptop. What is exactly is she hiding, and what did India find out about her?

Taking the listener on a breathless ride through the winding lanes of Brighton, into its vibrant party scene and inside the homes of its well-heeled families, THE OTHER TWIN is a startling and up-to-the-minute thriller about the social media world, where resentments and accusations are played out online, where identities are made and remade and where there is no such thing as truth....

The novel is already receiving raving reviews from authors and bloggers alike. Peter James, author of the Roy Grace series, praises Hay’s “sharp, confident writing, as dark and twisty as the Brighton Lanes.” Pail Finch, author of the DS Heckenburg series, describes the novel as a “superb, up-to-the-minute thriller. Prepare to be seriously disturbed.”

Lucy V. Hay is a novelist, script editor and blogger who helps writers via her Bang2write consultancy. She is the associate producer of Brit Thrillers Deviation (2012) and Assassin(2015), both starring Danny Dyer. Lucy is also head reader for the London Screenwriters’ Festival and has written two non-fiction books, Writing & Selling Thriller Screenplaysplus its follow-up about Drama Screenplays. Her next book, WRITING DIVERSE CHARACTERS FOR FICTION, TV OR FILM will be published in August by Kamera books.

Praise for THE OTHER TWIN:

'This chilling, claustrophobic tale set in Brighton introduces an original, fresh new voice in crime fiction.' — Cal Moriarty, author of THE KILLING OF BOBBI LOMAX

‘If your sister died under suspicious circumstances, how far would you go to uncover the truth? L V Hay's THE OTHER TWIN crackles with tension as Poppy's search for answers leads only to more questions, her grief palpable and real as she learns her sister India's deepest secrets. Hays' impressive debut is a complex, twisty, disorienting tale that truly keeps readers guessing until the very end.’ — Karen Dionne, author of THE MARSH KING'S DAUGHTER.

‘Wonderfully layered and gripping, I had to take breaks just to catch my breath.’ — Jendella Benson, writer and filmmaker

‘A cracker of a debut! I couldn’t put it down,’ – Paula Daly, author of JUST WHAT KIND OF MOTHER ARE YOU

‘The writing shines from every page of this twisted tale … debuts don’t come sharper than this’ — Ruth Dugdall, author of THE WOMAN BEFORE ME

 

Bang2Write a finalist in the UK Blog Awards

Lucy V Hay’s blog Bang2Write is one of only eight finalists in the UK Blog Awards in the PR, Media, Marketing and Communications category. The finalists were chosen by popular vote and the overall winners will be selected by expert judges Heather Fell and Dan Holt. The winner will be announced at an award ceremony in April.

Bang2write is a blog by a script editor and writer, FOR writers. Lucy Hay has been a script editor for five years and a script reader for nearly fifteen. She’s also a scriptwriter and novelist herself, so knows what it's like to be on BOTH sides of the table. B2W is also the place to find advice on genre; novel writing; grammar, spelling and punctuation mistakes; writing careers; taking meetings; dealing with feedback; using social media and much much more.

Known best for its critique of female characterisation, B2W leads the way on SENSIBLE and REALISTIC breakdowns of characters. B2W stands for inclusivity and the 'alternative view', writing about diversity and representation wherever possible. B2W boasts members from all communities, marginalised and not, and tries to make ALL feel welcome and their voice heard. B2W also provides moral and emotional support via a huge network of highly engaged, positive and approachable 'Bang2writers', especially in the dedicated Facebook group. There are also lots of FREE resources available, including PDF downloads, ebooks, reference guidelines, cheat sheets and checklists.  You can join the community here.

Lucy Hay’s thriller debut, THE OTHER TWIN, will be published by Orenda Books in July 2017, as well as in audiobook by Audible. Her young adult novels, THE DECISION series, are also available on Amazon Kindle and Lizzie’s story was published in Germany by Rowohlt.

Follow Lucy on Twitter.

Orenda Books signs THE OTHER TWIN, a dark, sexy debut psychological thriller

Lucy V. Hay's debut thriller THE OTHER TWIN has been acquired by Karen Sullivan of Orenda Books in a two-book World English Language deal negotiated with Hattie Grünewald. Orenda is delighted to publish in early 2018.

Karen says: ‘This is a book whose premise grabbed me from the outset, and the writing, sublime and complex plotting, and very contemporary setting and storyline made it stand out from the rest. THE OTHER TWIN focuses on twenty-something Poppy and her quest to find out the truth behind the death of her sister India, who has fallen to her death from a bridge over the London to Brighton railway. Taking the reader into the lanes of Brighton, into the city’s gay scene and well-heeled families, THE OTHER TWIN is not just a fabulously layered, dark and twisty psychological thriller, but also an expose of the social media generation, where resentments, attachments and accusations are all played out online and identities are made and remade according to what is convenient or expedient at the time. This is an exceptionally relevant thriller, with an unforgettable cast of characters, a relentless tension and a chilling denouement, and Lucy is an unbelievably talented writer. I am looking forward to see her soar in the Orenda stable, and could not be more excited to welcome her to the team.'

Hattie says: ‘Lucy and Karen make a dynamic team and THE OTHER TWIN is a wonderful debut – dark, sexy and with twists you won’t see coming. I’m very excited to see Orenda publish.'

Lucy says: ‘I'm delighted to be working with Karen. As a crime fiction fan I've loved Orenda's output, so feel THE OTHER TWIN couldn't be in better hands.’

THE OTHER TWIN will be published in early 2018. For more information, please contact Karen@orendabooks.co.uk.

Read more about Lucy and follow her on Twitter.

What is Transmedia?

Lucy Hay from Bang2Write explains...

Do you have a project to build a following for, but you're bored of crowd funding spam and authors shouting BUY MY BOOK! every five seconds on Twitter and Facebook? You're not alone … but in a sea of ideas, films, scripts, submissions, novels AND other writers, what can you do to stand out?

What if I told you the answer is transmedia --- and it's free? Transmedia is just "multi platform writing" … It's just using additional methods to get your message out. In the case of my debut YA novel, THE DECISION: LIZZIE'S STORY, I have been utilising free social media (Twitter & FB) to build an audience, as well as help teens access information & services related to the issue behind the story.

Many people groan when they hear the word, "transmedia": they believe it's something made up to "sell" yet more products and services writers don't need. But transmedia is just multi platform writing; it can empower you as a social media marketeer to reach and build your audience, even if you have very little money. In this edition of the B2W newsletter, I am putting my transmedia project LIZZIE'S DIARY under the spotlight and offering loads of tips so you can see how I did it and built an audience in a matter of weeks to support the distribution strategy of my novel.

On March 1st, 2014 I launched LIZZIE'S DIARY -- this is the backstory to the events in my novel, detailing the choices Lizzie made in falling pregnant in the first place, as well as introducing the audience to the storyworld of Winby, Exmorton and Linwood, as well as other characters who appear in the novel. You can view all 4 instalments HERE.

So if you're wondering how to stand out in a sea of projects online, then why not launch your own transmedia project?

Originally published on Bang2Write 01.04.2013