Q&A With Jo Morey 

I’m happy to be doing this Q&A with Jo Morey whose debut novel Lime Juice Money will be out on August 12^th wherever you get your books! 

Q: Welcome to Book Notions Jo! For those who haven’t read the book would you like to give a brief description? Where did the idea for Lime Juice Money come from? 

A: Lime Juice Money is a literary suspense about a hearing-impaired woman, Laelia Wylde who gets trapped in an increasingly volatile relationship in her father’s jungle lodge in Belize. When she uncovers long-buried secrets that threaten this newfound paradise, Laelia must decide whether to stay silent or surface dangerous truths from which there is no return. It’s been described as The White Lotus meets The Paper Palace or Where the Crawdads Sing.  

The initial seed of an idea came to me as an image of a woman in a jungle somewhere, lonely but not alone. I scribbled down a page of thoughts on who she was, what she was doing there, why she was so fearful, and then I put it to one side. It wasn’t until many years later, I found that piece of paper. Re-reading it, I knew she was in Belize, a country that had captured my heart when I’d travelled there a decade or so before. It’s such a beautiful country, rich with culture, food, amazing people, and dangerous animals – jaguars, snakes, scorpions. I couldn’t help but be drawn to its thriller potential, especially for a woman who’s hard of hearing with screaming tinnitus. Are those gunshots she hears ringing through the jungle real, or just her hearing playing tricks on her again? 

Q: How long did it take you to write Lime Juice Money? Are there any messages & emotions you hope readers learn & feel after reading the book? 

A: I don’t plot much as I find it too constraining, so for me, writing a novel is an iterative and slow-burning process. It probably took me about eighteen months or so of writing most days. I had a few key scenes I knew I wanted to get to, but apart from that I was led by the characters and found the story on the page. There was a lot of research involved, both in Belize but also at my desk. I spoke to Mayan healers and ornithologists and botanists. I also read a lot of academic papers, to really immerse myself in Laelia’s father’s story since we also follow him studying the orchids in the jungle in the 1980s.

I’d love readers to leave understanding what life can be like for a hearing-impaired person –– the detachment, the miscommunication, the isolation they encounter plus how the dependency they then feel on other people can be exploited and abused. Since I’ve been talking about hearing loss at younger ages, quite a few fellow authors and friends have mentioned they’ve had their own hearing tested and started to wear hearing aids themselves. It’s a stigma which doesn’t exist for eyesight, and something that needs breaking down so if I can somehow encourage people who are struggling to get their ears tested, then that’s a brilliant bonus. And I’d also love readers to leave the novel feeling like they’ve been to Belize (or they want to go!), exploring its beaches, its lush jungle, its Mayan ruins, and the Blue Hole. It’s such an incredible country. 

Q: Where are your favorite places in Belize? 

A: Ooh, so many. The jungle, of course! The incredible vines and bromeliads and orchids everywhere. One time I went, we were lucky enough to see a black orchid, the national flower, which was just beautiful. The Caribbean beaches, the islands. Maya Beach and Placencia are among my favorite stretches of sand. The Mayan temples especially Cahal Pech, which features in the novel. The Blue Hole which I was lucky enough to SCUBA dive years ago and see dozens of incredible sharks. It’s like diving through space, so dark with the plankton floating before your eyes. 

Q: Are you allowed to reveal details for book 2? Will it take place in Belize again? 

A: My next book is about a woman with postnatal depression who goes missing from her home on the North Island of New Zealand and her estranged, wayward sister who flies out to look for her. It’s about grief and obsession and searching for oneself in the onslaught of motherhood. It’s very different from Lime Juice Money but still reflects on the wildness of nature and our relationship with it. I cannot wait until the title is announced. 

Q: On Amazon your bio said you traveled the world after taking a break from your executive career. What are other places you’ve been besides Belize that are your favorite? Feel free to describe them as though they were in a novel you are writing. 

A: My husband and I saved up and took ourselves off travelling around the world for two years before we decided to try to have children. We were fortunate enough to visit so many incredible places and meet so many wonderful people. I think that’s what I took away most from the whole experience – that wherever you go, most people in the world are fundamentally good people, just trying to get on and enjoy life. Highlights were definitely New Zealand (where we ended up settling for a bit), Japan, Myanmar, and of course, Belize. 

Q: What’s it like living in West Sussex England? Is it more of a city area like London or more countryside?

A: I live in a small village on the edge of the South Downs National Park so it’s definitely countryside. There are lots of thatched roofs, hills, and cows all around. It’s blissful and I love walking my dogs (two Portuguese Water Dogs, Woody and Attie) up on the Downs, thinking through my characters while the rest of the world feels miles away. From where I live it’s also only twenty minutes to the beach or just over an hour to London, so for me, it’s perfect.