From dream to reality: Emma Pignatiello on Writing Last Shot

Where did the idea for Last Shot come from?

A few things sparked the idea.

The first was a vision or dream I had about a woman running. I didn’t know where she was running or who she was running to, but she was screaming ‘There’s going to be a murder!’ That was the first seed for Max’s character and the moment that kicks the story into motion.

The second thing was coming across a picture of a celebrity and their bodyguard. There was something about the photo or the expression on the bodyguard’s face that made me stop and wonder what his story was.

I thought it would be interesting to write about a character who lived in the shadows of a famous or mega-rich family: the bodyguard or driver or something, and that's where Grey's character came from.

The Barbarani family and their wine empire came from standing in my nonno’s suburban backyard and looking at the barrel he used to make his wine in. It was terrible, no one except him drank it!) but it made me think about what would have happened if the wine had actually tasted good.

I was also desperate to read a book that was a bit different – I didn’t feel in the mood for something exclusively crime or romance, but I love both genres, so I decided to write something that bridged both!

Who was your favourite character to write?

Definitely Luca Barbarani – the womanising youngest son who is the catalyst for Max and Grey (the main characters) meeting at the start of the book.

I enjoyed writing Luca’s dialogue and banter with the other characters so much that I don’t think I’m done with him yet!

What kind of research did you do for the book?

Unfortunately, not as much wine tasting as everyone thinks!

I did enjoy the excuse to visit Margaret River a few times (including wineries) mainly for setting inspiration.

I spoke to a few ex-cops to get Max as accurate as possible but all mistakes and fictionalisation in the novel are mine alone.

Are there any books/authors/artworks that influenced your writing?

Meg Cabot was a huge influence on me when I was younger.

Some of my favourite books were The Mediator series (because what kind of teenager DOESN’T want to fall in love with the ghost that haunts their bedroom??).

I always admired the strength of voice in her work and her ability to seamlessly move between fiction, paranormal romance and crime.

Sally Thorne’s The Hating Game was the first romance book I read that made me think, ‘Ok, wow, how do I do that?’. I love how she and Emily Henry both use similes and excellent banter between their characters.

What’s your #1 tip for aspiring authors?

Insert yourself into the industry. Make a website and an Instagram page and start calling yourself an author.

Enter competitions and get feedback from industry professionals. The year I did all of these things was the year I got my agent and finally started making progress. Oh, and back up your work.

A fact or tidbit you think might help readers understand your book better?

I’m half Italian and this is the first time I’ve written Italian characters in a book. I never really embraced this heritage when I was younger but writing Last Shot has made me feel more connected to that part of me.

What surprised you most about the publishing process?

Before I got published, I was always told that as a new author, I would have no say and would have to do as I was told.

(I didn’t care in the slightest, I would have sold a kidney to get a book deal . . . I didn’t though, just to be clear.)

What surprised me the most was how far from the truth this was in my experience with Penguin. The editing and cover design processes were collaborations.

I never felt pressured to do anything that didn’t feel right for me or the book, and editing actually became FUN whereas before it had felt like sticking rusted nails into my eyes.

What advice would you give to someone who’s currently working on their own debut novel?

Keep going but also, accept that this might not be ‘The One’ (I know, I hated this advice too!).

Listen to advice from professionals whose careers you admire and/or who are recommended by authors whose careers you admire.

Some people spend fifteen years on their first manuscript and eventually get it published, unfortunately, I did not have the patience to do this so I wrote as many manuscripts as I could until I was good enough or until I wrote something that found a fit with the right person.

Last Shot was my fifth manuscript – it doesn’t mean that your first manuscript won’t succeed after one year (it does happen) but if you really want this, you have to be prepared to write because you love writing, regardless of outside validation. Because when it comes down to it, it’s always about the writing.