“I really like to dive into each scene, put myself into the middle of it”

TM Logan has another bestseller on his hands with The Dream Home and the successful author has revealed the processes he goes through to bring his riveting thrillers to life, as his new novel storms The Sunday Times Top Ten.

Speaking to The Book Insider, Tim said that he likes to inhabit the spaces he creates in the edge-of-your-seat thrill rides, so that he can get a real feel for how it would be for his characters in his books.

When asked whether he is living the story as he develops it on the page, Tim said: “I try to, yes. When I’m writing a first draft I really want to dive into each scene, put myself in the middle of it as if I’m there, seeing what my characters see, smelling the smells, hearing the sounds of what’s going on.

“So I like to block out everything in the outside world for a few hours each day while I’m doing that. Noise-cancelling headphones and a long ambient music playlist are a big help in that regard. When the writing is going well, it feels amazing – an hour can go by like ten minutes.”

With The Dream Home being Tim’s eighth nerve-jangling thriller and over two million copies of his novels sold so far, it would seem that he has the recipe for a good story off to a tee. But how quickly does a story idea come to him? It would seem that the ideas have to germinate and grow inside before he takes it and runs with it.

Tim said: “Stories tend to start small for me. So I might have a single idea, just one scene from a story, or a situation, and then I build it out from there. So with The Dream Home, for example, it was just that scene of a new homeowner discovering a hidden room in his house.

“With The Mother, it’s a woman standing in court and being found guilty of a crime she didn’t commit. And then from there, I’ll build it out, spend a few weeks thinking about it, making notes, planning some of the broad arcs of story and character.”

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Tim added about this process: “So while the initial idea might take only a minute to write down, I normally spend four to six weeks on the overall planning and developing stage before I start writing.”

With the story beginning to take shape, what are the ingredients of a good thriller? Tim explained all that he needs in his books to give him the best chance of being well received by readers and to ensure that he stays on top pf his game.

TM Logan revealed: “I love reading thrillers, it’s my go-to genre. For me, a good thriller needs a good, compelling hook that grabs you early on, ideally in the first few chapters, a relatable story and interesting characters that I want to spend time with – whichever side they’re on. I also like stories that have pace, that move things forward quite quickly, and stories that surprise me. Whether that surprise is in the form of character, or story, or place – an interesting twist is always to be savoured.”

With a well-earned reputation as a story maker of high repute, there is now a level which Tim must reach so as to not let himself down. For a while, the story might not feel like it is his.

Tim told The Book Insider: “Whenever I’m writing a first draft it always feels very raw, very new, very unvarnished compared to the previous books that are out there, published already.

“But that’s natural, I think. Because a first draft is normally quite rough and ready at the beginning, before it goes through two or three rounds of edits. Imposter syndrome is real! At least it is for me.”

With an imposing back catalogue of work, and a number of bestsellers among them as well as TV adaptations, is Tim now at a point in which there is pressure to produce another blockbuster novel? He admits there is some pressure but there comes a point when it is fingers crossed and hope readers will buy it in their droves and love, once again, the story he has told.

Tim revealed: “The pressure tends to build around publication time, as you don’t have any more opportunities to work on the book and improve it. For a few months beforehand there’s a sense of build-up and of course you want to write a book that people will enjoy.

“I know I have a great team at my publisher and that really helps, as they are doing a lot of work behind the scenes in terms of retailers, promotion, positioning etc. But yes, there is a certain amount of hope and expectation and crossed fingers every time that it might make the bestseller chart.”

The Dream Home is out now in hardback from Zaffre – buy it HERE.