Heather’s Bookshelf: Author Interview with Peter Bailey
Book Title: One of Them is Lying
Released: 06/27/25
Genre: Adult Psychological Thriller
Interview by Heather L. Barksdale
What inspired you to write “One of Them is Lying”?
Bailey: I wanted to explore the balance of power between Sebastian and the rest of the cast. At the start of the book Sebastian is riding high, but then he gradually sinks – and then he really hits the skids
How did you come up with the names of your main characters?
Bailey: I wanted names that reflected the characters status. So we have Sebastian, which already sounds posh and entitled. And then you have DCI Riley, which sounds working class (and may remind older readers of a defunct car maker), and Miss Fleming which I think of as a neutral name because she is the axis on which the book turns
Is there anything that you want readers to know about you, your writing process, or your book?
Bailey: I try and write every day because you get into a rhythm, and when the book starts to come alive, there’s a real need’ to move the story forward
If "One of Them is Lying" was adapted into a movie, who would you like to see cast to play your lead characters?
Bailey: DCI Riley would have to be played by Warren Clarke (He played Andy Dalziel in the tv serial Dalziel and Pascoe). He’s blunt, grumpy but damn good at his job. Sebastian would have to be played by Joe Alwyn , with an edge of menace. And then I think Miss Fleming would be played by Dawn French, a great comedian, but also great in serious roles (such as ‘Delicious’)
When you encounter writer’s block, what do you do to break yourself out of it?
Bailey: Read! Read something I’ve read a hundred times before. Read something I picked up on a whim. Seeing someone else’s finished product is fuel to carry on
What is your favorite book, genre, and/or author?
Bailey: I have more favourite books and authors than I care to think about. Terry Pratchett is there of course, as is Joe R. Lansdale (Hap and Leonard) and Stephen King (loved Dreamcatchers) and then we could be here all week, try the veal
Are there any tips that you would like to share with other aspiring authors?
Bailey: To misquote ‘the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy’ The secret is to keeping banging those keys
What are you working on next?
Bailey: A child and a blackmailer, and then another child is kidnapped, except it’s the blackmailers child
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