Me, dad, and the teen novel I wrote by accident

Books were Lucy Ivison and her father’s love language. He read to her every night, took her to the library each week, and passed on a belief in reading not as a route to achievement, but as a source of joy and escape. In her 20s, as Lucy was establishing a high-flying career in film casting in London, her father was diagnosed with dementia. Lucy was soon juggling her demanding career alongside caring for her dad. Eventually, she quit her job and moved back home as his condition worsened. It was during this intense and uncertain period that Lucy began writing. An ex‑boyfriend suggested they try to write a novel together about two teens in love, drawing on their own high school diaries as inspiration. What began as an unplanned distraction became their debut novel, Lobsters. Their book deal came just a day before Lucy’s father died – a moment she was able to share with him before he passed away. Lucy now works as a writer, librarian and teacher.

Presenter: Asya Fouks
Producer: Hannah Dean

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(Photo: A photo of Lucy Ivison with her father. They are both smiling at the camera. Credit: Courtesy of Lucy Ivison)