In episode 4 of Trust the Process Podcast, I had the pleasure of interviewing psychotherapist, journalist and author Liz Evans.
Liz Evans is an award-winning British writer, journalist, author and novelist, currently based in lutruwita/Tasmania. In the 90s, she was a music journalist in London, interviewing the likes of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Courtney Love, Sonic Youth, and Bjork, and published two books on women and rock culture for Pandora/HarperCollins, before training as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist and opening a private clinical practice in Australia.
Her critically acclaimed debut novel, Catherine Wheel was published in 2024 by Ultimo Press.
In this episode:
Liz shares her journey from music journalism in London during the nineties to her transition into psychotherapy.
Hear about Liz’s pet peeve when it comes to the portrayal of women in psychological thrillers!
Liz talks about her debut novel ‘Catherine Wheel’ and its unique focus on coercive control, and the psychological and relational themes explored within.
Liz also talks about her academic background, her approach to writing psychological suspense, and the cultural differences in the perception of feminism.
“There was a lot of thinking and reading around anger and how anger is expressed in women… it made me think about how women are often so uncomfortable with feeling anger, let alone expressing it, and I’d seen so much of that in my clinical practice.”- Liz Evans
Have you caught up on past episodes of Trust the Process?
Ep 01: Writing crime fiction with Georgia Harper. Listen here.
Ep 02: Writing non-fiction with Dr. Ahona Guha. Listen here.
Ep 03: Writing Psychological Stories with Kylie Ladd. Listen here.
“ Nothing beats sitting at your desk and, you know, grappling with it. Just that’s sort of slightly, I dunno, like it’s, it’s a kind of painful pleasure. Isn’t it?” - Liz Evans
Catherine Wheel by Liz Evans
Five years ago, Kate’s partner, Max, abandoned her for his pregnant lover. The affair has long since crumbled, but Kate has become fixated with Vee, her ‘replacement’. In a bid to find out what compelled Max to leave, she moves to Bridgewell, which stands in the shadow of St Catherine’s Chapel, where Vee is now raising her four-year-old daughter, Iona.
Warm and trusting, Vee is juggling work, single parenthood and a controlling ex-partner, Max, with whom she is still secretly sexually involved. Glad of Kate’s friendship, she nevertheless wonders what has brought this glamorous but brittle woman to such a quiet corner of middle England.
When Vee meets charismatic artist Tom, she is hopeful of establishing her first meaningful attachment since Max. But Kate has her own plans...
Against a backdrop of ancient ghosts, mystical forces and long-buried tragedy, Vee unwittingly yields to Kate’s cruel agenda, until the past and present collide with devastating consequences.
Connect with Liz via Instagram or on her website.
Purchase Catherine Wheel.
