Susanna Beard Explores the Shadows of the Mind in Her Gripping Psychological Thrillers
A Deep Dive Into Trauma, Morality, and the Secrets That Haunt Us
Award-winning author Susanna Beard shares how real-life experiences, research, and a background in PR shape her powerful psychological thrillers and unforgettable characters.
Susanna Beard brings a rare blend of professional insight, lived adventure and empathetic storytelling to the world of psychological thrillers. Her novels, steeped in the complexities of human behaviour, are shaped by her earlier life in PR and marketing—an arena that gave her unparalleled access to the full spectrum of human interaction. Now, with eight novels to her name, including her compelling latest, The Wonder Drug, Susanna continues to captivate readers with gripping plots and nuanced characters. From windswept Lithuanian beaches to the ethical maelstrom of biotech innovation, her stories are grounded in research, real-world relevance and a deep understanding of what makes people tick. In this revealing conversation, Susanna opens up about her sources of inspiration, the discipline behind her writing, and the darker corners of the human psyche that fuel her chilling narratives.
Beard masterfully crafts emotional, intelligent thrillers that explore trauma, resilience, and the fine line between light and dark.
Your novels often explore the complexities of human relationships. How has your background in PR and marketing influenced your understanding of these dynamics, and how does this experience shape your storytelling?
One of the many things I enjoyed about my experience in PR and marketing was the sheer range of businesses and types of people that I connected with. From a veterinary laboratory to cosmetics, from schools to risotto rice, these businesses introduced me to people with so many different skills and interests. Secondly, I collaborated very closely with a great team of people, who put their all into their work. I learned a lot about group dynamics and the changing nature of relationships over my many years running a PR agency.
“I learned a lot about group dynamics and the changing nature of relationships over my many years running a PR agency.” – Susanna Beard
Your adventurous experiences, such as swimming with whale sharks and trekking in Nepal, are fascinating. How have these adventures informed the themes or characters in your psychological thrillers?
If you don’t do anything or go anywhere, it’s hard to be creative, even with the benefit of today’s technologies. I’m thrilled by new, real-life experiences, small or large. It’s fascinating to glimpse the lives of other people, to gaze at strange and wonderful vistas, to see wild animals in their natural habitat. All these things open my mind to new ideas, concepts and themes. As an example, I set The Girl on the Beach in Lithuania. There I found a long, windswept beach with no signs of human interference, huge skies and deep grey seas. It was the perfect setting for my story, a psychological thriller that touches on the darker side of life in the Baltic states.
In your debut novel, What Happened That Night, you delve into the aftermath of trauma. What inspired you to explore this subject, and what research did you undertake to authentically portray post-traumatic stress disorder?
Actually the story was triggered by a chance meeting with an acquaintance who had suffered a similar trauma to my protagonist. Despite a terrible tragedy happening in the night, she was out as usual the next morning, walking her dog, and this triggered a train of thought in my mind about recovery from trauma and the ways that people get their lives back on track. I read widely about PSTD, interviewed a professional psychotherapist and had another expert check the therapy scenes for authenticity. I met with Victim Support and the Restorative Justice Council, too, as part of my research for this story.
Your latest thriller, The Wonder Drug, involves a secretive pharmaceutical company and a life-altering drug. What drew you to this premise, and did your research uncover any real-world parallels that influenced the narrative?
I’m naturally interested in health and wellness. Rejuvenation is a hot topic, for obvious reasons, and it’s no secret that many of the world’s richest people – the tech billionaires, for instance – are investing huge amounts in biotechnology right now, in the search for the secret to longer life. I didn’t have to dig too deep to find this out. I began to think what would really happen if a drug were created that reliably extended the human lifespan, guaranteeing good health and youthful looks for decades more than we expect now. What would people do — what would they risk? — to get their hands on it? The implications are colossal, and provided the perfect background for a psychological thriller.
How do you get inside the mind of your characters, especially the more sinister ones?
I start by thinking what I need that character to do, and what she/he needs to be like to live like that or do those things. Then I put myself in their shoes, imagine how it would be in that situation, and try to put it into words.
It’s a bit like being an actor — it’s not me I’m writing about, it’s a completely different person, who behaves in a way that I wouldn’t, has a different background, other life experiences. They might have values, assumptions and expectations that would be the opposite of mine: I have to imagine what that would be like (not that easy!).
As regards the more sinister ones, I believe we all have a dark side to our characters — we all have a killer in us, if we’re pushed to the brink. Perhaps I’m accessing my dark side when I create the more malevolent of my characters!
