Stuck in the lockdown of the pandemic, Freya Sampson started watching her neighbors, and came up with an idea for a book, "Nosy Neighbors."

What was the inspiration behind your most recent book?

The idea for “Nosy Neighbors” came to me during the pandemic. Like many millions of people, during lockdown I found myself stuck in my house all day, not seeing anyone except the faces of my neighbors in their windows. I’d never paid them much attention before, but suddenly I started watching my neighbors and wondering about their lives. It was at this point I got the idea for Dorothy Darling, a woman who’s been a self-imposed prisoner in her own home for more than 30 years, and whose only connection with the outside world is the neighbors she watches every day.

When it comes to the literary world, why do you think supporting diverse stories and featuring different types of characters with different backgrounds in novels is so important?

Reading is an exercise in empathy: while we’re reading a story, we temporarily inhabit the life of a character, however different they may be to us. So diversity in stories allows us to see the world through someone else’s eyes, to feel compassion for those with different experiences, and even to change our perception of the world.

What does representation in books mean to you?

One of the joys of reading a good book is that we see something of ourselves within the pages of the story, and yet for far too long, literature has predominantly been straight, cis, white authors writing about straight, cis, white characters. So for me, representation is not just about having a wide range of characters in books, but also that those stories are told authentically by authors with the lived-experience of those characters. Publishing has made some progress on this in recent years, but I still think there’s a lot more that needs to be done by the industry to publish and promote a much wider range of voices.

Tell us a little more about the book and why you decided to write it, or how the story came to you?

“Nosy Neighbors” is about two neighbors at war, 77-year-old Dorothy Darling and 25-year-old Kat Bennett, who become unlikely allies when their homes are threatened with demolition, and even more unlikely amateur sleuths when one of their fellow residents is violently attacked in his home. I wanted to write a story about how we can allow the secrets in our pasts to define us, and the power that can come from opening ourselves up to others and letting go of those secrets.

What can fans expect from your book and its story?

I hope my story will make readers laugh, cry, and ultimately be left feeling positive about the world we live in. And I also hope it might make people think twice about judging someone without knowing what’s going on behind closed doors.

What's up next for you in the bookish world?

I’m currently working on a story about a dysfunctional book club who have to turn detectives when one of their members goes missing. It’s a love letter to books and the power they have to change people’s lives.