Lisa Thompson
About Author
Lisa Thompson was born in Essex and as a child spent many hours in the local library reading and dreaming about becoming a writer one day.
She worked in radio production at BBC Radio 2, and then as a freelancer, making plays and comedy shows for Radio 4.
It was only after moving to Suffolk and the milestone of turning 40 when she decided to take writing more seriously. The Goldfish Boy is her debut novel.
Interview
THE GOLDFISH BOY
JANUARY 2017
SCHOLASTIC CHILDREN'S BOOKS
LISA THOMPSON's debut novel, THE GOLDFISH BOY, is an engaging story that follows 12 year old Matthew as he and his family battle with his developing OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) condition.
It is a story about differences, friendship, and hope that will have lots of appeal to readers aged ten years plus.
After developing OCD, Matthew, dubbed the 'Goldfish Boy' by local children, refuses to leave his bedroom. From his window he observes his neighbourhood, taking notes of the comings and goings of the people on his street. So when a young toddler goes missing, Matthew is perfectly placed to help solve the child's disappearance. But how can he help if he struggles to even leave his room?
We asked author LISA THOMPSON to tell us more about THE GOLDFISH BOY:
Q: Your background is in radio production, how did you get into that and how has it helped you with your writing?
A: I started in radio when I was 18 with an administration job but managed to get a role as a production assistant working on live music, breakfast shows etc. I loved it and I got to work with people like Terry Wogan and met a variety of people including Billy Joel, Jools Holland, Ronnie Corbett - I even made a cup of tea for Benedict Cumberbatch!
I am really passionate about radio, especially for children, because you can absorb so much while you're listening to radio and, like reading, you build pictures in your head.
I have also learned so much about writing from working on radio and listening to programmes. You pick up speech patterns, so it really helps with dialogue, and you can get lots of ideas for stories. I now listen to a range of different channels and podcasts.
Q: What has brought you into writing?
A: I always loved writing and knew I wanted to write - I wrote my first novel when I was seven or eight because I passionately wanted a horse but wasn't allowed to have one, so I wrote a story about it instead.
I didn't have the confidence to take it any further and I knew it was hard to get into publishing but when I turned 40 I thought, it's now or never! I started by writing short stories and then one of those stories became The Goldfish Boy.
Q: Why did you decide to develop The Goldfish Boy short story into a novel?
A: I had written 12 short stories with twists, aimed at teenagers, because I loved things like Tales of the Unexpected at that age.
In the original story, a boy is at a window and sees a neighbour's child pushing another one into the pond. The boy wants to intervene but for some reason he can't leave the house. It was the strongest story to develop into a novel.
Q: Why did you decide the boy would have OCD?
A: I always thought the boy might have OCD, that is the reason why he couldn't leave the house, so I set up a meeting with a doctor and talked through some ideas with her. I knew that people with OCD are often concerned about germs but I wasn't aware how complex a condition it can be and how many young people are affected by it.
I had many more conversations with the doctor and researched the condition online. It is heartbreaking to find out how young people are affected by it, the rituals and compulsions they have, and how they cope with it.
Q: How difficult was it to set the book in, essentially, a single room?
A: I love the idea of big things being made from really small things. I loved Emma Donahue's book, The Room, and the film, Cast Away, where the character is alone and the things around him become real to him.
I wanted to pick up Matthew's observations of the things around his room, like the chips in the paintwork that become the Lion, another character who he can talk to and who helps to draw in the reader.
But it was also hard having such a restricted setting and being unable to take Matthew out of his house at the start, so I have characters like his friend Melody to be active with the detecting work outside.
Matthew also leaves the house when his parents take him to the doctor and, as the story goes on, there are scenes where we can see that he is starting on the road to recovery.
Q: You also tackle bullying in the story, through the character of Jake, but why do you choose to make him a sympathetic character?
A: I wanted Jake to be a sympathetic character so although he is a bully, we recognise why when we learn about his eczema. I remember a girl who was bullied at school because of her eczema; no one wanted to touch her hand in case they caught eczema, and I have a relative who suffers from it, and that becomes the background to Jake's bullying.
I think children are very open to learning about things like mental health and bullying; they learn how other children are different.
Q: Did you find any of the other characters became more interesting as you wrote them?
A: I think that Matthew's friend, Melody, would be a lovely main character in a book so I might like to write another story from Melody's point of view.
She has a good heart and knocks on Matthew's door trying to be friends with him; she has self respect and a confidence I like. She would need to have a different storyline but I think there are secrets she hasn't yet told...
Q: Why did you decide to add a detective element to The Goldfish Boy?
A: I needed to drive the story forward and it couldn't just be about Matthew. I could see him using his issues to solve things, like they do in the film Rear Window.
I loved the idea of exploring where the toddler had gone, with everyone trying to guess where he could be.
Q: Did you want to know what the ending would be before you started writing the story?
A: I didn't know what the ending would be. I had a couple of ideas but it wasn't until I got quite far with the story that I realised where it could go. It couldn't be too obvious but there needed to be clues, although those stood out for me like a sore thumb once I'd written them in.
But it's not just a 'who dunnit', it's also about Matthew's observations and his friendships with Melody and Jake, and how he learns about himself. It's about not judging other people and Matthew realising his complicity in how Jake is today.
Q: What is the main thing you learned about writing as you wrote this novel?
A: I think it's that you don't need to know the ending. I always thought you needed to know the whole book before you could start to write it but I found that even if you did know an ending, it was likely to change half way through. So it doesn't matter.
I also think you should try to write a little bit of your story every day, it's so easy to lose the thread otherwise, and that makes it more exciting. And if you write a little bit every day, before you know it you'll have a book!
Q: What are you writing now?
A: I'm writing a completely different novel about imaginary friends, where a boy rediscovers his imaginary friend.
Q: You've mentioned a few films during this interview, is that another interest of yours?
A: I actually wanted to write films or work in the film industry in some way, I even thought my job in radio could be a step into film until I realised how lovely working in radio was and so I stayed there. One day I'd love to write a book that becomes a film!
Q: What do you enjoy reading?
A: I have teenaged children and I've really enjoyed finding out about books through them, so I've enjoyed Charlie Higson's The Enemy series; Patrick Ness's The Knife of Never Letting Go; and I loved Time Travelling with a Hamster.
Q: What is your favourite way to spend a free day?
A: If I had a free day (and they are rare!) I would probably go for lunch at the coast in Suffolk, take a long walk and then watch a film in the evening. My favourites are films with twists, like Sixth Sense or The Others, but also things like It's a Wonderful Life.
The Goldfish Boy
