Gillian McAllister: On What Happens After the Meet-Cute
Gillian McAllister is the New York Times bestselling author of Reese’s Book Club Pick Wrong Place Wrong Time, Just Another Missing Person, Everything but the Truth, The Choice, The Good Sister, The Evidence Against You, How to Disappear, and the Richard & Judy Book Club pick That Night. She graduated with an English degree before working as a lawyer. She lives in Birmingham, England, where she now writes full-time. She is also the creator and co-host of the popular Honest Authors podcast. Follow her on X (Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.
Photo by Bill Waters
In this interview, Gillian discusses the question at the center of her new thriller novel, Famous Last Words, her hope for readers, and more.
Name: Gillian McAllister
Literary agent: Felicity Blunt, Lucy Morris
Book title: Famous Last Words
Publisher: William Morrow
Release date: February 25, 2025
Genre/category: Thriller
Previous titles: Wrong Place Wrong Time, Just Another Missing Person
Elevator pitch: What would you do if your seemingly normal husband took three hostages?
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What prompted you to write this book?
I love writing about long marriages—I think in fiction sometimes we are very focused on the meet-cute, but what happens afterwards, and how do you navigate that relationship where there a huge, crime-shaped betrayal at the center of it?
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
For me, usually, the entire process takes a year, but I work a year ahead, so from the initial idea to the publication tends to be two years. My process is that while in the final drafts of one book, I have an idea for another. Then when I have delivered that book, I start to think about the next. Sometime during the edit process for the first, I begin a draft of the second. For me, a novel changes a lot during this process, often during my own drafting and self-editing, and sometimes during edits with my publisher. The core idea rarely changes, but the explanations behind it often do!
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
I always say in publishing that you never know what will happen with any given book—Wrong Place Wrong Time surprised everyone. Who knows what the public response will be to any given book—I’m excited to see!
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
It’s a conceptual novel that hinges on the question: Why would a normal, loving husband commit a crime? And finding that answer took a long time!
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
An immersive reading experience is what I aim for, always. The kind where you drop all plans, read while walking…
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Finish the draft. You can’t edit a blank page.
