With a grounding in Oklahoma-based storytelling, author Lisa Courtaway fills her intriguing books with troubled characters, dysfunctional relationships, and the inevitability of dark secrets coming to life. Join us for a follow-up Q&A with the author of RED WATER, DEEP WATER, MUDDY WATER, NOVA AND THE GHOST, and BLIGHTED. 

What’s new in your world? When we last chatted, you were in the process of releasing your second novel.

Since releasing my second novel, which was the second book in the Shadows of Camelot Crossing series, I completed that series with the third and final story and released a middle-grade paranormal mystery, Nova and the Ghost, A Haunted Hallways Mystery. In March 2026, I released my fifth novel, Blighted. This book is a departure from my typical paranormal mystery genre.

How has your writing and revising process evolved? Is there anything you’ve changed with more writing experience under your belt?

Surprisingly, very little has changed! I’ve tried to hone my outline skills a bit, and I’ve tried to break one of my worst habits, which is editing as I go.

For Blighted, I took a deep dive into working with Two Birds Author Services on developmental editing. I’m a very solitary person, and I don’t have a large beta team, so working with Michele as I wrote really helped me develop my characters and story arcs in ways I’d never explored before. Since this book is a new genre for me, I wanted to make sure I was on the right track and that wanted to elevate the reading experience for my readers.

I am very pleased I took the time to do so. Working with Michele on the developmental edit really opened my eyes. Michele was easy to work with and had so many excellent ideas. It was so helpful and eased some of the self-doubt that plagues this (possibly all) author. The support was tremendous. Knowing I had someone who was familiar with my goals and the story was a comfort.

There are things that get easier with each release. Knowing what to expect makes the process easier. But indie publishing is an ever-changing market, so there is so much to learn from each release.

You’ve worked on a few different series now. What are the most important things you keep in mind as you write (and finish) a series?

Knowing and understanding your own capabilities is crucial. As a reader, I am not really drawn to series, and that is reflected in the way I chose to create the Shadows of Camelot Crossing books. I was aware that I would become bored if I focused on the same characters, but I also wanted to get the series under my belt, as a series can boost an author’s readership and following. With that in mind, my stories focus on a neighborhood and the families that live there rather than a set group of characters. In doing so, I was able to categorize the books as a series without limiting myself.

This strategy played to my strengths and weaknesses. I prefer closure at the end of my reads, so structuring the books around each family allowed me to complete a story and walk away. I am not the most organized person, so I wasn’t chained to timelines and histories, which would require constant continuity verification. There are characters from one story who show up in other books, so I did create a giant spreadsheet with information regarding every single character throughout the series. While I like closure, I do like to see how others are faring, so this allowed me the chance to reconnect with old characters while developing fresh stories.

On the flip side, I have not continued my middle-grade series and am not sure if I will. The Haunted Hallways book came to life for me out of two things. One was my wish to feature a main character with celiac disease, and the other was to provide good ghost stories for the kids I worked with in education. The age group’s quest for good stories was a huge inspiration for me. Plus, I knew it was a great audience to introduce a character who had different health needs. I used it as a chance to educate young readers about celiac disease in an effort to destigmatize the autoimmune disease.

Middle-grade is a tough genre, though. It is hard to connect directly with the reader, and you are trying to appease the purchaser (parents) as well as the reader. I haven’t completely written off the chances of a second or even third Haunted Hallways Mystery, but they have been pushed to the back burner. So maybe I shouldn’t be advising authors on series!

Do you prefer writing series or standalone? Why?

I prefer standalone books. Knowing that the story is over when I am done writing is calming for me. Having said that, I did enjoy writing the Shadows of Camelot Crossing series as it allowed me to explore different types of haunts and really immerse myself in the world I’d created for the characters.

Interestingly, Blighted is meant to be a standalone, but as I was writing it, I knew other books could spawn from the story. There are so many levels of interest that readers could explore with the characters and their histories, so I haven’t written off the idea of returning to Alice White’s world and expanding on its complexities.

Where do you find inspiration for your story ideas?

Inspiration is everywhere, but I do have a need to find a common thread between my characters and me. There is way too much of me in every book I’ve written. Once a story really starts to gel in my mind, my natural tendency is to connect with it and the characters. By bringing my own life experience into my books, I believe I bring a true authenticity to what I write. Inspiration is a funny thing because it changes so much from day-to-day, your mood, life events. My brain is full of “What about?” ideas. It’s when that question keeps me up at night and intrudes on my daily life that I know it is strong enough to evolve into a book.

Share a little bit about your current release, Blighted. What’s it about?

Blighted tells the story of two women, Alice White and Nancy Ellington. The story starts in the late 1980s when the two women unite after meeting each other at a fertility clinic operated by Dr. Addison. They are both struggling to become mothers. The two are polar opposites, but are drawn together through the shared experience of fertility treatments. Happily, they both succeed in the goal, Alice giving birth to a daughter named Lauren, and Nancy has a son named Jennings.

Alice is the main character, and we really get to know her and quickly realize that there is something a little off about her. She is a deeply flawed and complex woman who is emotionally stunted due to her upbringing.

As Lauren and Jennings are about to embark on adulthood, shocking secrets regarding the fertility clinic and Dr. Addison are exposed. The resulting chaos threatens to destroy relationships and lay bare long-hidden secrets. We see early on that Alice will resort to less than scrupulous measures to obtain her goals, but the shocking finale will leave readers reeling and questioning everything they believed about Alice White.

Many of your stories feature family dynamics that are troubled, tense or dysfunctional. What draws you to write about characters like this?

The short answer would be ‘write what you know.’ Things are more interesting when there is strife. I use my writing as a tool to process some of the trauma I’ve experienced, so it is cathartic for me. And I tend to gravitate toward darker subject matter in what I read and watch.

One aspect I enjoy when reading a story about a troubled individual is trying to gain an understanding of that person and their motives. It enhances the experience for me, and I hope that it does for my readers. Dysfunction is fascinating, family relationships are intriguing … and as someone who loves a shocking, didn’t-see-that-coming twist, well, tension lends itself to those moments as well.

Is there anything else you’d like to add that we haven’t covered yet?

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Two Birds Author Services for all they’ve done for me as an author. Two Birds’ insight is invaluable, and it is so comforting to have a team you can trust. I applaud Andrea and Michele for their dedication to the business and to their authors. I really enjoyed the developmental assistance I got with this book and can’t stress enough how important it is to have someone in your corner whose advice and expertise you trust. Aside from your cover, editing is one of the biggest factors in determining a book’s success or failure. Don’t skimp on the editing!