STAR INTERVIEW

Psychological thriller author C.L. Taylor talks to Tina Jackson about stalking, relatable fears and how she keeps readers turning pages in her propulsive bestselling novels

Cally Taylor proves that crime writers who explore the darkest, murkiest areas of human existence can be amongst the nicest writers you’re likely to meet. ‘Yes! I know! The darkness that looms!’ she laughs.

She’s a gregarious livewire to talk to – generous, witty and warm, and evidently tickled pink that WM has spent haunted hours compulsively turning the pages of her newest book.

Cally is C.L. Taylor, the bestselling author of truly terrifying psychological thrillers that twist the knife as they interrogate fears made all the more relatable because they could – and often do – play out in real lives. Bearing this out, Cally’s most recent novel Every Move You Make is rooted in her own experience of being stalked.

‘Before I was stalked, I was in a coercive, controlling relationship for four years,’ says Cally. ‘If it hasn’t happened to you, you think, why didn’t she walk away? And it’s a devious web you find yourself caught in, and hard to get out. It’s such a pressing issue for women, it’s one of the things I find fascinating. So I was inspired to write Every Move You Make because I was tired of writing novels about people who are victims and had no control. I wanted to write about victims fighting back. Having been a victim of stalking myself, there was something quite empowering, writing about people who take control.’

In Every Move You Make, Alex, Lucy, River and Bridget band together in the face of a death threat to track each others’ stalkers. ‘It started with the premise, what if victims of stalking fought back?’ says Cally. ‘And then I created my cast of characters – I wanted to explore different types of stalking: River stalked by his ex-girlfriend; Lucy stalked by an ex-boyfriend; Alex stalked by someone unknown, which I find, particularly terrifying, and Bridget, stalked by an ex-colleague. With four different scenarios, I could build quite a picture of stalking, the similarities and differences.’