A Final Draft & A New Idea
- Apr 29
- 3 min read
Friends, hello!
I'm coming to you today as a writer who has recently turned in the almost final draft of my next book, A Girl to Kill - cue a chorus of angels and trumpets!! Actually, if I'm being honest (and if you can't be honest in a newsletter that goes out to every single person you've ever met and a few you haven't, then when can you??) the first feeling I had when I sent the edited manuscript to my editor was sheer terror. For almost two years, I've been able to make changes to the book. The prospect of etching it in stone has me a little panicky.
My second feeling upon turning in the book was that I wanted to start another. Thank god! I thought, deeply relieved. My well of creativity isn't bone dry! Somehow, magically, I have another story I want to tell. I've since fallen into a dreamy vortex of research, plotting, and general vibe setting, which I've dubbed "ghosty gothic." For inspiration, I've rewatched The Haunting, Get Out, and The Others, the last of which literally kept me up for two nights in a row because apparently I'm the biggest scaredy-cat mystery/thriller writer to ever exist.
What's really been an inspiration home run for me is the song "House featuring John Cale" by Charli xcx from the Wuthering Heights soundtrack. It's DARK and whenever my husband catches me singing it, it feels like he's catching me in the act of negotiating a soul sale with the devil.
Meanwhile, A Girl to Kill is chugging along. Soon, it'll go to copy edits, then what's called typeset when the Word doc I've been scribbling in is turned into what looks like a real live book. It's that part in the process where all the first exciting things are right on the horizon - preorders, giveaways, the cover reveal (spoiler: she's GORGEOUS)! So stay tuned!
In other news, The Missing Half is officially out in paperback! Same cover, new cover blurb by the The Queen herself, Gillian Flynn, who called it "a propulsive mystery with excellent writing". (Reading that for the first time remains one of the most thrilling moments of this thriller writer's career.) The release is just in time for Mother's Day too. And honestly, what better way to show your mom you love her than a dark, gritty murder mystery?? Comparatively, flowers really do feel a little banal.
In event news, next week I'll be moderating the launch for my friend Andrew Forrester and his upcoming debut, How the Story Goes! I can vouch that both Andrew and his novel are perfectly charming, so if you're looking for a fun, bookish evening, come join us! The event is free and open to the public.
Speaking of events, if you're a writer in Austin, can I interest you in the next quarterly ATX Write-in on Wednesday, May 13th? Organized by Hembree Bell Law and hosted by yours truly, this event is for writers of all stripes - published, unpublished, in every part of the process - and is a great way to make writer friends, learn about the industry, and actually get some writing done. We're going on four years now and it's fun every time!
xo,
Alex
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