Author interview: Striking first line eventually leads to an extraordinary twist

Famous for explosive openings, Liz Nugent tells Sue Leonard about her writing process, her latest novel, and what led her to create the lead character, Ruby Cooper, as an alcoholic

Liz Nugent: ‘The blank page is terrifying. But I don’t stress because I know, if I keep at it, it will come. It always has. It has never let me down, but the beginning is hardest.’ Picture: Steve Humphreys

Since Liz Nugent burst onto the literary scene in 2014 with Unravelling Oliver, she’s been famous for her explosive first lines. 

And the opening of her sixth novel is no exception. The preface of The Truth About Ruby Cooper starts with, ‘For the second time in six weeks I woke up with the wrong husband.’