Alafair Burke: Writing Is a Team Effort From Beginning to End

Alafair Burke is the Edgar-nominated, New York Times bestselling author of 15 novels of suspense, including The Ex, The Wife, and Find Me, and coauthor of the bestselling Under Suspicion series. A series adaptation of her novel The Better Sister, starring Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks, was recently greenlit by Amazon Prime Video and will begin filming in June. A former prosecutor, Burke is now a professor of criminal law. She recently served as president of the Mystery Writers of America and was the first woman of color to be elected to that position. She lives in Manhattan and East Hampton. Follow her on X (Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.

In this interview, Alafair discusses how a frustrated moment with friends inspired her new suspense novel, The Note, her advice for other writers, and more.

Name: Alafair Burke
Literary agent: Sloan Harris, CAA
Book title: The Note
Publisher: Knopf
Release date: January 7, 2025
Genre/category: Fiction/Suspense
Previous titles: Find Me, The Better Sister, The Wife, The Ex, and more
Elevator pitch: Three lifelong friends—May, Lauren, and Kelsey—reunite for a weekend in the Hamptons. When a practical joke lands them in the middle of a high-stakes police investigation, they’re not sure whom to trust—even when it comes to each other.

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What prompted you to write this book?

On a vacation with two girlfriends, a stranger stole a parking spot from us, and in our frustration, we started imagining the things we might do to even the score. And I somehow turned that into a crime novel.

How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?

The book was done about a year and half after the first kernel of an idea. The central idea didn’t change, but I got to know the characters better along the way. Most of the editing and massaging had to do with getting the relationships between and among May, Kelsey, and Lauren just right. I think most of us have friends we’d ride and (maybe) die for, but who also frustrate us. These are those friends while the limits are being tested.

Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?

Inside baseball here, but I moved to a new publisher with this book. I followed my longtime editor when she made a change. It was a nice reminder that writing is a team effort from beginning to end—designing the jacket, placing the book in stores, trying to bring it to the world. In some ways, it’s like a debut all over again with the same excitement and jitters.

Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?

Definitely. When I began the book, May, Lauren, and Kelsey were recent and fast friends. As I wrote, I realized I wanted them to have longer and more complicated entanglements, carrying the potential for secrets that even they may have forgotten about. I love books where the past comes back to catch the characters by surprise in the present. And giving them a childhood connection definitely changed the nature of the friendship at the heart of the novel.

What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

Hard to say without spoiling it, but I think a lot of us show various faces situationally. A badass at work; a caretaker at home; the funny, confident friend at happy hour; and someone else entirely on social media—not to mention the persona people conjure up when they imagine us on our worst day. Over the course of a novel, May, Kelsey, and Lauren realize they might find happiness if they live a genuine life 24/7.

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

Write a book you’d love to read. Work on it every day, which is probably impossible—but try not to skip two days in a row, and never three, and most definitely never four or five. And once you’re done, listen to and value the voices of others, but also remember that you are your best first reader.