1. Let’s start simple. Who is Lucy Lee in your own words?

Lucy Lee is a collaborative partnership of two sisters who bring backgrounds in design, photography, writing, and scientific writing. We have always wanted to share a creative outlet blending our love of media, pop culture, and science. 

2. You co-authored Liar Liar with your sister. 

How did this collaboration come about? 

We grew up very close, both in age and in interests. Many summers and late evenings were spent reading books together underneath the covers or laying on the beach reading. We also watched tons of movies and rewatched our favorites over and over. We are both true “fan girls” through and through. Our family ran an advertising agency, and we all had input into the family business.  Creativity and the entrepreneurial spirit runs in the family! 

3. How did your backgrounds in photography, digital design, and medical writing influence the writing process?

Lee has been writing scientific materials or ghostwriting for a variety of health, business, and social topics. She was inspired by her background in medicine to take a deep dive into interpersonal connections and explore characters in a fictional dating world. Lucy brings a background in photography, design, and writing as well. She has previously published a children’s  book. 

It was a childhood dream to make this sister’s project come to life. When Lee started writing, she’d send Lucy chapters to review and edit, bringing her own ideas into the story. Lucy used a cover model and designed the photoshoot for the cover of the book and is also responsible for the author website, while Lee enjoys doing the social media posts and contributing to blogs. 

4. Liar Liar is your debut book together. What inspired the story? 

Both of us are voracious consumers of all things media; TV, movies, books, music, advertising, and art. A favorite genre is “coming of age” and of course, “romance.” When Lee set out to start writing, she knew she wanted messy, flawed characters and a big conflict. She decided to use two characters who both have past trauma and psychopathy that would make a romantic relationship challenging. However, she felt strongly, if it works… the pay off is big because readers really resonate with an “against all odds” story. 

5. The tagline is “Two liars. One love story. Zero chance it ends the way they planned.” How did you come up with this concept?

Once the character’s  backstories were developed, the setting was in place, and that the main characters would meet at Liars Anonymous, the title was clear: Liar Liar. This is where our marketing brains worked as a sister duo with lots of ideas. We really liked the word repetition of Liar Liar for an unlikely love story, along with the alliteration to Lucy Lee. Once the story was written, we crafted a synopsis. Next, we played with numbers; two, one, zero. It felt like a catchy hook. 

6. Which character in Liar Liar surprised you most while writing? 

We find so many romance novels contain “black cat x golden retriever,” or “grumpy x sunshine” main characters. We wanted both our main characters to be real, raw, and flawed. However, you can’t make your main characters without any redeeming features when you need readers to root for them. So, we tried our best to make them funny, relatable, and not mean-spirited. We think you may be most surprised with the character arc of Mac. 

7. How did you balance the contemporary romance with romcom elements to keep readers laughing and swooning? 

Some of the best books we’ve read are contemporary romance with humor. The goal was to have an interesting setting and plot, deep character backstory and development with lots of banter and tension and enough spice to let the readers feel an emotional connection to the characters. These characters build an intellectual spark and bond over shared trauma (often where acerbic humor stems) first before a physical spark ignites. We believe good banter and tension are at the nexus of the perfectly crafted contemporary romance. We did lean into typical romcom tropes like enemies to lovers, fake dating, high stakes, and forced proximity but purposely crafted a timeline and format for their connections not to be romcom-formulaic. So, we played with the timing and set-up of the  typical romcom formula.  In Liar Liar, it doesn’t take the “enemies to become lovers” until seventy-five percent of the way through the book. They hook up rather early but realize it’s a mistake, pause and reset. Also, there is no “third act break-up” that is common in romcoms. Instead, the climax hinges on whether the two characters can risk it all for honesty, real connection, and love. 

8. How did working as a sister team shape character dynamics and plot development?

Lucy took a back seat to Lee when it came to the plot, but always interjecting ideas and edits throughout the development. Instead, her role was to focus on design and post production. 

9. Were there any challenges in collaborating on your debut? How did you overcome them?

The challenge of collaboration is that we both have full time jobs so getting together to prioritize timelines with the book could be tough. Lee is in medicine and Lucy owns a design and photography business. We also have five kids and two husbands between us. However, our whole lives we have juggled many interests creatively and with a entrepreneurial spirit. 

10. Is there a favorite scene you are particularly proud of?

The book’s main setting is Jacksonville, Florida and we wanted to invite readers into coastal Northeast Florida. Many of the locations are real places or were inspired by real places. The scene where Lena shops for a ball gown at the St. John’s Town Center was the most fun to write. We hope readers feel the humidity and tension in the scene. It’s the point where Lena and Mac’s personalities, playfulness, and real feelings shine. 

⚡ Rapid Fire (Quick Vibes)

11. Coffee, tea, or something else keeping you going?

We have been drinking coffee since we were ten! 

12. Writing early morning, late night, or in bursts whenever inspiration hits?

In typical sister fashion, we’re opposites. Lee is an early riser, and Lucy stays up late. Creativity keeps us both up at night sometimes though. 

13. Music, silence, or ambient noise while writing? 

Music fanatics! We both are part of the 20% that get frisson— goosebumps and chills from music. Music plays a big part of the book and all the songs mentioned are on a Spotify Playlist. 

14. Pantser, plotter, or somewhere in between?

Somewhere in between. 

15. One word you hope readers use to describe your book.

Satisfying. 

💌 The Author Journey

16. What moment made you think, “We are really doing this author thing”?

Lee has been writing ideas and book synopses for decades and her youngest son really encouraged her to go for it. It took some convincing that Lucy would be part of the  collaboration. This book was written, designed, and produced by us both. Neither contribution is less than the other’s. Lee felt like she could write a good book but it would never sell without a beautiful cover, design,  marketing, and website. 

17. What has surprised you most about writing and releasing your debut book?

The most surprising thing is how fun it is. It is truly a dream come true to write a book when reading is literally one of your favorite obsessions. 

18. What advice would you give to aspiring co-authors working together for the first time? 

Lean into each other’s strengths and be aware of the weaknesses. Attempt to understand each other’s working styles. Lucy told Lee that she does better with a firm deadline than asking for her to finish something on her own timeline. 

19. How do you incorporate your love of media, art, and aesthetics into storytelling?

The characters also love media, art, books, movies, and travel and they are probably a little bit of us. 

20. Which character in Liar Liar do you hope readers fall in love with first and why?

We hope that readers will find Lena a quirky, smart, yet flawed character with a good heart and give her a chance to be their favorite FMC. And… the perfect foil for Mac.  

💌 Just for Fun

21. If one of your characters could step out of the book, who would it be and what would they do first? 

Lena would write and publish her own book one day.

22. Which scene was the most fun to write?

Lena’s maiden voyage on Mac’s yacht was a lot of fun to write. Hopefully readers will get an insight into sailing if they haven’t done it before. The scene introduces Lena into Mac’s world and some quirky side characters. The scene is a nice mix of deep conversation to propel the relationship forward, snarky double entendres, and lots of set-up to a spicy “losing your boat virginity” joke. 

23. If Liar Liar were adapted, would you prefer a movie or a series? 

The heyday for romcoms as full feature films was definitely the nineties. In recent years, some of our favorite romance movies had short runs on the big screen or were developed for streaming services. Romance TV series have become a personal favorite. Readers are used to lots of character development in a 300-400 page book and that sets up nicely for a limited edition TV series or show. Some of our recent favorites were “Normal People,” “The Summer I Turned Pretty,”  “Big Little Lies,” “We are Who We Are,” and “Forever” (the Judy Blume 2025 adaptation). However, a screen adaptation of any kind would be icing on the cake for Liar Liar. 

24. What is one fun or unexpected fact about you or your sister that readers might not guess?

We both danced most of our lives, as children, in college, and some professional work. 

25. When readers finish Liar Liar, what feeling or takeaway do you hope stays with them the longest?

A dopamine high! (Then “fangirl”obsess like us and share it with all their friends)!