PopHorror Let's Get Scared
I love to read. I’ve been a bookworm for as long as I can remember and I have more books than I have bookshelf space, plus my Kindle is jam packed with things I have yet to even touch. However, I had never experienced an audiobook before Lucinda Berry’s made-for-audio book read by Danielle Savre (Station 19), This is a Safe Space. I don’t have anything against audiobooks; I just had never ventured over to that side of the written word, and I have to admit, I kind of liked it. There’s been more audio-only books lately so if this is going to be the new norm, I need to be ready. And I am ready.
A therapist discovers an unnerving connection between one of her patients and her own family in this gripping audio thriller by the bestselling author of The Perfect Child and One of Our Own.
To celebrate the release of the audiobook, I chatted with Lucinda about crafting the story, her creative process, horror movies, and more!
PopHorror: What sparked the idea behind This Is a Safe Space, and was it always intended to be only available as an audiobook?
Lucinda Berry: The idea for This Is a Safe Space came from my fascination with online intimacy and how our phones have basically become extensions of ourselves. As a psychologist, I’ve always been curious about the parts of themselves people hide from the world, and today, lots of those hidden parts live inside our devices. Our phones hold our secrets, our confessions, our guilt, and our fantasy lives. They’re the modern equivalent of a diary. I knew This is a Safe Space was going to be a fully produced audiobook and since this was the second time I’ve created one, I wanted to take the things that worked the first time around and make this next book even better. So, I very much went into developing the story and characters around what I thought would work best in an audio format. It’s why I quickly landed on recorded therapy sessions. I chose to structure the plot around therapy sessions, because what better place is there to build on the already-confessional nature of audio storytelling? I wanted to craft a voice throughout the narrative that continually invited the listener in, and to create a character who always seems to be saying: I’m about to tell you something I shouldn’t.
PopHorror: Was there anything that you were adamant about keeping in the final draft, no matter what?
Lucinda Berry: The final twist and that’s all I can say about that.
PopHorror: If This Is a Safe Space was to be made into a movie, who would you cast as Jenna, Colton, Bodie, and Lexus Chardonnay/Kaitlyn?
Lucinda Berry: This is one of my favorite games to play with all of my books! Here you go:
Jenna: Emmy Rossum
Colton: Theo James
Bodie: Will Poulter
Lexus Chardonnay/Kaitlyn: Sydney Sweeney
PopHorror: You’re a former psychologist and have a background in childhood trauma. What made you want to become an author? Do you miss the work that you used to do and how do you feel it has helped shape you as a writer?
Lucinda Berry: Psychology and writing have always been intertwined on my journey. So has trauma. We’ve all been together since day one. I’ve been a writer since the moment I could hold a pen. As a kid, I was always scribbling stories or had my head buried in a book. I wrote my first book in fourth grade. Within my work as a psychologist, especially during all of my graduate training, my research focused on using writing as a tool to help people recover from traumatic events. It’s also when I wrote my first thriller. Up until then, my work since I was an adult, had all been nonfiction and largely academic. The same skill set that made me a good psychologist are the same ones that make me a good writer. Namely, the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and to see the world outside of your own lens. Psychologists are taught how to think outside of their own ideas and to examine their own biases, so they don’t interpret everything about their client through their experience. It’s the same way when it comes to writing characters and I write thrillers that are character driven. I get into my character’s psyches in the same way that I used to get into my clients. And yes, I miss it. Particularly, the kids.
PopHorror: When writing a new book, what is your creative process?
Lucinda Berry: Every single book is different and my creative process changes depending on the book. Well, kind of. The “how” of it never changes in that I use whiteboards, often write pen to paper first because it comes out best that way. Part of my creative process is whiteboards all over my house where I’m furiously scribbling notes, scenes, and ideas at all times. I’m obsessed with certain pens. But one week I can love a pen and everything about the way that it feels in my hand, to the next day not being able to stand it. When I’m working on a first draft, I often wear the same hoodie throughout the entire process and use the same mug. I wash them of course, but it feels similar to wearing the same socks and shirt at my favorite sports game. I’m just that kind of person. As for the ideas themselves? How I put the pieces together? It’s a chaotic mess while somehow always coming together in a coherent whole at the end. I don’t always write linear. Sometimes I start at the end and move backward. I often write books with multiple POVs so I might write one entire character first before anyone else. I write in different fonts. If I get stuck, I just write something else. I have word count goals that I make every day. That keeps me structured and focused. Plus, I’m a very goal motivated person
PopHorror: What is up next for you?
Lucinda Berry: Her First Lie is the prequel to my bestselling book The Perfect Child and it comes out April 21st. The Perfect Child was one of the books I had the most fun writing, and I think I might’ve had even more fun with Her First Lie. I just love writing about Janie. She’s one of my favorite characters. I just love a good child psychopath. I can’t help it. And writing her origin story was something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time. If you thought Janie was messed up, wait until you meet her mother!
PopHorror: One last question for you today. What is your favorite scary movie?
Lucinda Berry: The original Nightmare on Elm Street.
Thank you so much to Lucinda for taking the time to chat with us! This is a Safe Space is available now!
