Mother is Watching by Karma Brown

A special thank you to Dutton/Simon & Schuster for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Mathilde “Tilly” Crewson, a thirty-nine-year-old mother and art conservator, is tasked with restoring The Mother. The painting, believed to be the work of a female surgeon-turned-artist after a personal tragedy, is the rumored fourth piece in a collection of only three known works. But this newly discovered painting, scarred by fire, holds more than meets the eye.

Soon after receiving the painting, Tilly discovers she’s unexpectedly pregnant. But almost immediately, strange, inexplicable things begin to terrifying insect swarms, eerie visits from her long-deceased mother, and sinister whispers that invade her mind. As these malevolent forces intensify, Tilly comes to a harrowing the only way to sever the perilous bond she shares with the painting is to destroy it. But The Mother has plans of her own—and they’re darker than Tilly could ever imagine…

Set in near-future Georgia, Mother is Watching is compulsive, deeply atmospheric, and is as sinister as it is smart. Brown's horror debut delves into themes of bodily autonomy, female agency, and fractured identity. With its canvas of horror, feminist fiction, and dystopia, this is a masterpiece!

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KARMA BROWN is an award-winning journalist and author of the bestsellers Come Away With Me, The Choices We Make, In This Moment, The Life Lucy Knew, and Recipe for a Perfect Wife. Her first non-fiction book, The 4% Fix, published in 2020. Karma's writing has appeared in publications such as Redbook, SELF, and Chatelaine. She’s also one half of the writing duo behind The Holiday Swap and All I Want for Christmas by Maggie Knox and writes under the pen name Kristine Winters (The Christmas Cure). 

Brown lives just outside Toronto, Canada with her husband, daughter, and their adorably handsome labradoodle, Fred.

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Q & A with Karma Brown*

GWR: Being a seasoned author, what is your favourite part of the publishing process? Is there anything that you still find difficult?

KB: I have two favourite parts, and two least favourite parts—balance! The hardest and most challenging aspects are the first draft, because I love editing and won’t let myself edit at that stage, and promotion. Meeting readers and having great conversations about the book are highlights, but as an 85/15 introvert/extrovert, I’m more comfortable behind my desk and laptop. The best stages are brainstorming the idea and gathering research, followed by editing, which is hands-down the phase I love the most. 


GWR: This is your first foray into horror. What attracted you to the genre? 

KB: I’m a lifelong horror fan—ghost stories by the cottage campfire, devouring Stephen King’s Pet Sematary when I was about 10, and watching iconic ‘80s movies like Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween and Poltergeist at sleepovers. Looking back, I realize the sensation of controlled fear—knowing it lived on the page or on the screen, but not in my real life—was as cathartic as it was entertaining. As an adult, horror is the genre I lean into when I need that catharsis, as well as escape, and it never fails me. It’s a safe way to work through fear. And creatively, I love the world-building in the horror genre. It pushes the boundaries of what you’re willing to accept and believe.

GWR: What’s are some of the key elements that are a must in a horror novel?

KB: I’m not sure there’s a right answer, so I’ll offer my personal ‘musts.’ First, a truly scary “monster in the house” (as Jamie Nash describes in Save the Cat! Writes Horror), though I’m flexible about what constitutes a “house.” As long as the premise fills me with dread, I’m in. Second, a protagonist I’m deeply invested in and am rooting for. Horror is full of emotional depth, which can be overlooked by readers who dismiss the genre as simply “scary.” Finally, I love an ambiguous ending. Our imaginations can be far scarier than anything resolved neatly on the page. 


GWR: The conservation of a painting is a unique take on the “spooky painting” horror trope. Can you talk about the research that you did?

KB: I was incredibly lucky to connect with a conservator at the Art Gallery of Ontario who specializes in paintings and was willing to talk with me. She prefers to stay backstage, so I won’t name her here, but she generously answered endless questions and emails, and even read an early draft of the book. She also took me behind the scenes on several occasions, giving me a first-hand look at how the work is done, and the scope of the job. We had many conversations over coffee about art, conservation, and being a young woman in the field. It was an unprecedented level of access, and I truly couldn’t have written this book without her. She helped me bring Tilly—and The Mother—to life, and it’s the most fascinating research I’ve ever done for a book.

GWR: How do you balance genuine fear with plot?

KB: For me, fear has to serve the story. If something is scary but doesn’t move the plot forward or deepen the characters, it loses its impact. A well-placed scare can absolutely ratchet up the tension, but it has to feel earned, otherwise it risks pulling the reader out of the story.  


GWR: Mother is Watching straddles the line between sci-fi and horror, with a utopian/dystopian overlay—how did this come about? 

KB: Initially I felt like a kid in a candy store. It was my first foray into writing horror, and I had so many beloved horror tropes and world-building ideas that it took time to whittle them down into a cohesive vision. I wanted the world to feel both utopian and dystopian, with feminist themes threading through the story, a protagonist with a fascinating job, and a unique “monster.” I also wanted to explore horror that feels plausible—where the terror comes not just from something supernatural, but from systems, technology, and ideas we already live with. I’m endlessly curious about what the future holds, and I have a healthy dose of fear about the unknown. This novel gave me space to explore all of that.    


GWR: Did you use any real-life fears as inspiration?

KB: Absolutely. The idea of possession has always terrified me. What would you do if someone was trying to take over your body and life, but no one else noticed? Losing my mind is right up there as well. And metaphorically, when I first became a mother I feared losing myself—and my ambition—to the label. Society places enormous pressure on women through the concept of the “good mother,” and some of those fears found their way into the story.


GWR: What questions did you ask yourself in the work? 

KB: One question I kept returning to was a simple one: Does this scare me?

GWR: If your book was a beverage, what would it be? 

KB: A Long Black. It’s made by pouring a double shot of espresso over hot water—unlike an Americano, where hot water is added to the espresso. The crema stays intact on top, but beneath that creamy, silky layer is something strong and dark. 


GWR: What are you working on now?

KB: More horror. Stay tuned!

*A version of this post was published on STYLE Canada.

Loves of Our Lives: Poems for Hopeful Hearts by Josie Balka

A special thank you to the publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada, for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

From the coziness of lifelong friendship to the aching intensity of lost love, Loves of Our Lives is a poetic journey through the heartfelt relationships that make us human.

In her highly anticipated second collection, social media sensation Josie Balka masterfully puts words to the indescribable, weaving her signature blend of raw emotion and vivid imagery into poems that speak straight to the soul.

Featuring eighty poems, some already beloved by her followers and others exclusive to this collection, Loves of Our Lives spotlights six types of love—familial, toxic, romantic, friendship, self-love, and lost love—and invites reflection, offering solace and celebration in equal measure in this love letter to love itself. 

Loves of Our Lives is an exploration of love in all of its forms. Balka's beautiful words stitch together the exciting and exhilarating parts of love with the more complex and heartbreaking moments. The themes—friendship, loss, grief, aging, acceptance, love in its various forms—are not only relatable, but they allow readers to take away what resonates with them. 

This book makes the perfect gift to celebrate those that have touched your heart.

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JOSIE BALKA is a voiceover artist, poet, and New York Times bestselling author of I Hope You Remember. She holds a diploma in radio, television, and film from Niagara College and has worked for some of the largest media companies in North America as an on-air personality. She can often be caught recording viral poetry in her sound-proof closet. 

Balka was born and raised in Toronto and currently lives in Calgary, Canada. 

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Q & A with Josie Balka*

GWR: How did you start writing/become a poet?

JB: I’ve always been really into writing. Before this most of my writing was done in the form of songs rather than poems. I’ve played piano my whole life and picked up guitar the first year of high school and have always been really interested in putting my words to music. I’d write the occasional poem here and there, but never with the intention to show anyone I the way I would post my music. Then one day, I decided to video me recording a poem I’d written in my voiceover studio in our basement, and people seemed to resonate with that style even more than they did with the music I’d been posting for many years, so I went with it. It is such an amazing outlet, whether it’s to music or not. 

GWR: What does your process looks like?       

JB: My writing process doesn’t really have any rhyme or reason. Often, I’ll come up with a concept or a line at a time when I am not able to write, so I’ll jot it down in my notes app. The next time I have a few minutes I sit down and read over all my first lines I’ve written down over the last little while and expand on the ones that are inspiring to me at the moment. The inspiration kind of comes out of nowhere, and any time I’ve tried to force it it never comes out properly. 

GWR: The themes of this book—friendship, loss, grief, aging, acceptance, love in various forms—are not only relatable, but they allow your reader to take away what resonates with them. Do you use writing as a way of coping/an opportunity for healing, or do you write situationally? 

JB: I only ever write about things that I’ve been through personally, so every time I write it is definitely a form of coping and healing from things I have already been through. I find the most healing part of it to be when I put it online and find out that the thing I went through that felt very unique to me at the time, isn’t unique at all. It’s in those moments that the loneliness starts to dissipate, and I really can cope knowing that I’ve never been as alone as I’ve felt. I also write situationally, depending on what I’m going through at the time. 

GWR: How did the structure come about? Did you write poems to put in these buckets—romantic love, lost love, family love, toxic love, friendship love, and self love—or did the categories present themselves?

JB: My team and I had a bit of a brainstorm about all the types of love you experience in your life and decided on the names of the chapters. Then I went through a bunch of my unpublished work and divided them up to fit in the columns, and then continued writing based on what was still needed to fill the chapters. In my first book, we came up with the chapter idea after I had handed in the manuscript, so having these categories to write about kind of simplified the process for me and helped me not lean too heavily into one specific topic. 

GWR: Where do you draw inspiration from?

JB: I always draw inspiration from my own life. I haven’t tried to write about things I haven’t been through in some capacity. Sometimes I will ask for poem requests online, but I will only pick the ones that I also resonate with. I find it to be the most authentic that way in my particular case! 

GWR: When did you realize that your words were sparking connection and community? 

JB: Honestly, it happened fast. Probably after the first poem I ever posted back in late 2023. It really did motivate me to keep going, and I’m so glad I did. 

GWR: What do you hope readers will take away from Loves of Our Lives? 

JB: I hope readers walk away with the realization that pretty much everything we do is rooted in love, and how important it is. The way you love your people, your daily routine, your pets, yourself. All of it matters so much in everything we do. I hope that, if forgotten, it reminds them that there is so much love all around them all the time, including the love they give themselves. That they’re not alone in their hurt and their losses, but are also not alone in their joy. 

GWR: If your book was a beverage, what would it be? 

JB: Ooooohhhh good one, um, maybe a glass of cold white wine, in a nice wine glass though, not an ugly one. The glass really matters here, haha. 

GWR: What are you working on now?

JB: I’ve had a huge shift in my life as of recently. I lost my dream job of 11 years this past month so as I navigate this major change and take on writing full time, things are looking a little different. Right now I’m working on a new routine and lots and lots of writing. I have a few ideas tucked away, and a ton of time to work on them. I’m excited for what comes in 2026! 

*A version of this post was published on STYLE Canada.

Heart on My Sleeve by Jeanne Beker

A special thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jeanne Beker’s name is synonymous with style and grace in fashion. Recognized by many as the beloved host of Fashion Television and the The NewMusic, Jeanne has spent an entire career interviewing celebrities and uncovering their most private selves. Now, in Heart on My Sleeve, Jeanne reveals who she is in an all-new way.

This is not just a memoir but a wardrobe of memory. Jeanne walks us through her recollections of specific pieces of clothing and jewelry, precious items that have made an indelible impact on her. She invites readers to think more deeply about how what we wear—whether it’s a thrift-store find or high-end couture—acts as a touchstone to our most treasured recollections, reminding us of who we once were or of loved ones we hold dear.

With Jeanne as our style guide, we get up-close and personal with a star-studded cast, including Paul McCartney, Madonna, Karl Lagerfeld, Kate Moss, Oscar de la Renta, Beyoncé, and Keith Richards. But equally important, Jeanne introduces us to the family members and loved ones who form her closest entourage—including her wise Yiddish mother and her industrious father, both Holocaust survivors; her childhood neighbour Mrs. Jaskolka, a style maven ahead of her time; her two trailblazing daughters; and her many warm and exuberant friends who have seen her through the best and worst of times.

Jeanne proves that a life lived with style and substance is always in fashion. Bold, colourful, and authentic, this is Jeanne Beker at her very best and brightest. 

Style maven Jeanne Beker delivers an uplifting and inspiring memoir that is a love letter to fashion as well as a chronicle of not only some of her incredible pieces, but of her experiences and wisdom. Beker's writing is candid, engaging, and authentic. 

Heart on my Sleeve is more than an account of Jeanne's many successes and accolades. It is also a testament to her perseverance, resilience, and spirit. You will enjoy her company immensely—it is as much of a treasure as she is.

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JEANNE BEKER was the host of the hit show Fashion Television, which aired in over 130 countries for twenty-seven years and was one of the most successful shows in Canadian TV history. Prior to that, she hosted the groundbreaking show The NewMusic and was a founding member of MuchMusic. A seasoned newspaper and magazine columnist, Jeanne was editor-in-chief of FQ and SIR magazines from 2003 to 2009. Currently, she is a frequent keynote speaker and style editor for TSC, where she hosts her eponymous show Style Matters. 

Beker has received honorary doctorates from St. Mary’s University and OCAD University. She was named to the Order of Canada in 2013, inducted into the American Marketing Association’s Hall of Legends in 2015, and received a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2016. 

Jeanne lives in Toronto, Canada. 

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Q & A with Jeanne Beker*

GWR: You were a pioneer in music and fashion journalism—what was this like to be such a trailblazer in Canadian television? 

JB: We were flying by the seat of our pants, no question, making it up as we went along. We didn’t really think of it as trail blazing at the time—we were just hell bent on being original and making great TV. We had no role models, of course, and it certainly was liberating to be able to be that unconventional. But it wasn’t always easy because not everyone understood what we were doing—or trying to do. 

GWR: When it comes to fashion, you have covered the gamut. What was your favourite trend? Do you have a least favourite? 

JB: I’m not really a big fan of the notion of “trends” to begin with, though I realize they often dictate the way people choose to dress. But in the early 90’s, the idea of “doing your own thing” came on strong again—the way it did in the ‘70s—and it was wonderful to see so many fashion enthusiasts break rules, and not worry about what everybody else was wearing. Once upon a time, fashion was definitely about doing what everybody else was doing—but self expression came into play in a big way, and that, to me, was the absolute healthiest direction to take. We saw a lot of exuberance in fashion in the ‘90s because of that mindset—and happily, it’s a kind of “trend” that never did really go away. I’ve also always loved the vintage vibe, and vintage dressing is certainly a wonderfully sustainable way to go. 

In terms of “least favourite” trend—well, that’s a tough one because I’m one of those people who never says never. Certain things are jarring when they’re first introduced, but our eye gets very used to some of these things very quickly, so I’m good with all of it!!! 

GWR: What are some of your wardrobe staples?

JB: Several pair of great fitting black pants, in a variety of fabrics, that can be dressed up or down; a well tailored black jacket; a few colourful silk shirts; a few little black cocktail dresses (sorry for all the black! LOL); as many cashmere sweaters as I can get my hands on; a great fitting pair of blue jeans; a leather moto jacket; a handful of silk scarves; high heels that are relatively comfy to wear (because nothing makes me feel as sexy as a pair of heels!); and empowering accessories—whether they’re bold, or sentimental, or whimsical, or just beautifully designed.  

GWR: In Heart on my Sleeve, you thread together moments from your life by writing about pieces from your wardrobe that have special meaning, weaving in life lessons and experiences. How did you come up with the concept of telling your story through the lens of fashion?

JB: Although I appreciate being known for many things, I guess “fashion” is what most people associate me with, because SO many people grew up watching me on Fashion Television! But I was thinking of a way to get into my story-telling, and I thought about how my own wardrobe was so rife with so many memories. For some crazy reason, I almost always remember exactly what I was wearing on any adventure. Maybe it’s because I often look at what we wear as “costume”—the way we dress can help us feel our best, most authentic selves, and communicate so much about who we are to both others, and ourselves. I thought that by reminiscing about my cherished wardrobe pieces, I might encourage others to do the same. At any rate, all these pieces served as great springboards for my story telling, and gave me—and hopefully will give my readers—some fun insights into past eras, and the role fashion often played. 

GWR: How did you decide on which items to feature? 

JB: Well I felt I had to have a pretty good story to offer with each piece. There have been untold cherished pieces in my wardrobe over the years, but not all were worthy of featuring because they didn’t have a particularly compelling story to go along with them. Many of the pieces I wrote about I still actually own! Some are relegated to mere memories….and some I still have photos of. My talented daughter Bekky O’Neil did the illustrations in the book, so you’ll at least get an idea of what all these wonderful pieces looked like. And there are several old photos in the book as well, to really take you back. 

GWR: Heart on my Sleeve is not a chronicling of your successes but rather a testament to your resilience, your spirit, and your perseverance. Why did you choose to write it this way? 

JB: I feel that at this time in my life it’s really important to share as many life lessons as possible. The stories in this memoir, which are not in any chronological order, hopefully all offer some kind of lesson— from having faith, confidence, and compassion, to dreaming big, fearlessness, and the power of positivity. 

GWR: What is the best piece of advice you’ve received? 

JB: The advice my dad always gave me, which was his personal motto:  Don’t be afraid.  And never give up. 

GWR: What do you hope readers take away from Heart on my Sleeve?  

JB: I hope they understand how a little girl with stars in her eyes, who always kept an open mind and an open heart—and worked extremely hard—managed to realize countless fantasies during a brilliantly exciting era in pop culture. I hope readers will understand the role authenticity has played in my life, and how fashion, as superficial as it often is, can be a catalyst for self discovery and great communication.   

GWR: If your book was a beverage, what would it be?

JB: A cross between hot ginger tea and a vodka martini, straight up, with olives!

GWR: Can you share what you are working on next?

JB: I’m co-curating a huge, fashion-themed exhibit with Canadian designer Paul Hardy which will be presented at Calgary’s Glenbow Museum (currently under renovation) when it re-opens in 2026. Incredibly exciting for sure! Details will be announced in the next few weeks.  

*A version of this post was published on STYLE Canada. 

The Lightening Bottles by Marissa Stapley

A special thank you to the publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

He was the troubled face of rock ‘n’ roll…until he suddenly disappeared without a trace.

Jane Pyre was once half of the famous rock ‘n’ roll duo, the Lightning Bottles. Years later, she’s perhaps the most hated—and least understood—woman in music. She was never as popular with fans as her bandmate (and soulmate), Elijah Hart—even if Jane was the one who wrote the songs that catapulted the Lightning Bottles to instant, dizzying fame, first in the Seattle grunge scene, then around the world.

But ever since Elijah disappeared five years earlier and the band’s meteoric rise to fame came crashing down, the public hatred of Jane has taken on new levels, and all she wants to do is retreat. What she doesn’t anticipate is the bombshell that awaits her at her new home in the German countryside: the sullen teenaged girl next door—a Lightning Bottles superfan—who claims to have proof that not only is Elijah still alive, he’s also been leaving secret messages for Jane. And they need to find them right away.

Told in both the past and the present, Stapley's latest is a gritty account of a famous band torn apart by addiction and fame. Her writing is complex, as are her characters, and she hits all the right notes in this atmospheric ode to the 90s. The Lightening Bottles is a visceral and searing portrait of addiction, love, loss, and the price of fame.

Part mystery, part romance, and part love letter to one of rock music's most influential decades, The Lightening Bottles is a smash. 

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MARISSA STAPLEY is a journalist and the bestselling author of Mating for Life, Things to Do When It's Raining, The Last Resort, and Lucky which has been optioned for television. 

Stapley lives in Toronto with her family.

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Q & A with Marissa Stapley*

GWR: How did you start writing/become a writer?    

MS: I was a journalist for many years, writing in-house and freelance for several newspapers and magazines—but I always knew I wanted to write creatively. The key to starting to write is to just…start! It’s that simple, and that impossible. I finally sat down and started working on a novel which would eventually become my first. I managed to get an agent and sell it to a small Canadian publisher, but sadly that publisher went out of business before the book came out. There were a few years of false starts and challenges but I kept at it, and eventually wrote Mating for Life, my debut novel which truly kickstarted my career as an author. 

GWR: You have written nine books (Marissa is also the author of: Lucky, The Last Resort, Things to Do When It’s Raining, and Mating for Life; co-authored as Maggie Knox All I Want for Christmas and The Holiday Swap with Karma Brown; co-authored Three Holidays and a Wedding with Uzma Jalaluddin; and has a new holiday novel, The Holiday Honeymoon Switch, writing as Julia McKay). Do you approach each the same way, or does your process differ based on genre?

MS: My process is only different now because of how many deadlines I have. I used to “pants” my way through a fairly lean first draft of each book, and then go back and do a sort of retroactive outline. That may be a slightly more fun and exciting way to work, but it’s not entirely predictable. Meaning that now I have become a plotter, and I’ll probably never go back. (Then again, never say never!) I tend to come up with an idea, write a one page pitch that I’ll share with my agent. We’ll discuss it, I’ll think about it for  a while, and then I’ll come up with a detailed outline. I actually adore outlining. Uzma always used to tell me when we were writing together that outlining is my super power. I do think I’m very good at taking ideas and running with them, and creating detailed road maps are now one of my favourite parts of the writing process. I do this with every novel, whether it’s one of the novels I publish under my own name, or a holiday rom-com. 

And I certainly take all my books seriously, no matter the genre. The rom-coms may be more fun, but it is just as important to me to get everything about them right.I always say easy reading is absolutely NOT easy writing. In fact, it can often be the opposite. And just because I'm always heading towards a happy ending with those books doesn’t mean I can’t delve into serious topics or take my characters to interesting, thought-provoking places.  I look forward to doing so much more of that in the future. 

GWR: What was the inspiration for The Lightning Bottles?

MS: I’ve been calling this novel the book of my heart. It is inspired by who I was as a teenager: music obsessed, and especially fixated on the world of grunge and alternative music. But that music scene had so much tragedy—not to mention a lot of misogyny.  Far too many artists were lost  too young, and far too many female artists did not get the credit they deserved.  I started to wonder what it would feel like to rewrite the history I lived through--and the idea for this book was born. 

GWR: Jane is a strong female and is perceived as being difficult and not overly liked by her peers and higher ups in the industry. Why do you think that women in music, especially during that time, were thought of as such, rather than as influential and/or creative? 

MS: I really don’t understand why any of this happens. Why was Yoko Ono seen as less than, when in truth she was integral to John Lennon’s art, so much so that the words to ‘Imagine’ came from  her poetry, and this was only acknowledged later—and still not really talked about? Why did she bear the blame for the Beatles break up? Why was Courtney Love accused of everything from killing her husband when he clearly took his own life, to not writing her own music when she is clearly a talented musician herself? Why have rockstars historically been able to get away with heinous acts (such as staggering amounts of statutory rape, casually detailed in a sickening number of rock memoirs) but Sinead O’Connor stood up against child abuse and was erased for it? I think there is still a fight to be had when it comes to equality and that we need to keep doing the hard work. Which means, for example, that when a female artist like Chappell Roan stands up and asks for boundaries and refuses to smile and be nice when she’s being treated horribly by the paparazzi we need to allow that, not vilify it. We cannot allow “the way things have always been” to dictate what our future looks like or we will always be stuck in the dark ages. 

GWR: This book takes a deep dive into other issues—mental health, addiction, toxic relationships—why was it important to include these elements in the story?

MS: I could not possibly have been true to the realities of the grunge music era without delving into those issues.  I did so much research on addiction and mental health and also drew from personal experience, as I have supported family members and friends through both. These are not easy topics. I remember thinking as I did my research that for addicts—such as Kurt Cobain—and those dealing with mental health issues—such as Jeff Buckley—fame just made it all so much worse. I started thinking that escape would have been the only option for them to ever get to a place where recovery was possible. This really informed the story. As far as toxic relationships, I wanted to try to see what would happen, fictionally, at least, if the characters in such toxic relationships were perhaps able to grow and learn from their experiences and hardships. So again, this informed the course of the story greatly. 

GWR: Tell me about the research you did for the novel?

MS: I’ve said many times that the books I read as research for this novel would stack all the way up to my office ceiling—and I have a high ceiling! I thought I knew the grunge and alternative music world inside and out, having come of age during that time. But there was so much research I needed to do to understand the inner workings of the music world, as well as song-writing—not to mention the harsh realities of addiction and mental health. I read endlessly. Music memoirs, addiction memoirs, books about songwriting, books about music. I also spoke with many industry experts, such as the great Alan Cross, to really get the story right. 

GWR: Why did you choose a third person perspective and a dual timeline?

MS: The dual timeline was really the only way to tell this story. We had to start at the beginning—which was also sort of the end—and work back. As far as third person, I don’t think Jane is the type of character who would have allowed first person, if that makes sense. She is far too closed and self-protective, and it would have been really challenging as an author to try to get in as close as first person writing requires. I don’t know that there’s ever a conscious, 'I am going to sit down and write this story in this exact way’ moment, at least not for me. I have my idea, and once I get past the conceptualizing stage and sit down to write, it just begins when it does and comes out the way it comes out. I might get a few chapters in and realize the story needs to be first person but I’m writing in third, or that I need to tell the story in a linear way when I’ve started it as dual timeline, but that’s usually the sort of thing I figure out pretty early. 

GWR: If your book was a beverage, what would it be? 

MS: A shot of Chartreuse, straight from the bottle. 

GWR: What are you working on now?

MS: My second holiday rom com, writing as Julia McKay, which is out next fall and I’ll have more news on soon. And two screen adaptation projects. 

*A version of this post was published on STYLE Canada. 

A Death at the Party by Amy Stuart

A special thank you to the publishers, Simon & Schuster Canada, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Nadine Walsh’s summer garden party is in full swing. The neighbours all have cocktails, the catered food is exquisite—everything’s going according to plan.

But Nadine—devoted wife, loving mother, and doting daughter—finds herself standing over a dead body in her basement while her guests clink glasses upstairs. What happened? How did it come to this?

Rewind to that morning, when Nadine is in her kitchen, making last-minute preparations before she welcomes more than a hundred guests to her home to celebrate her mother’s birthday. But her husband is of little help to her, her two grown children are consumed with their own concerns, and her mother—only her mother knows that today isn’t just a birthday party. It marks another anniversary as well.

Still, Nadine will focus just on tonight. Everyone deserves a celebration after the year they’ve had. A chance for fun. A chance to forget. But it’s hard to forget when Nadine’s head is swirling with secrets, haunting memories, and concerns about what might happen when her guests unite.

Stuart's first standalone novel is a modern twist on Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway. Taking place over a single day, A Death at the Party is a tense and clever domestic thriller. She turns the classic whodunit on its head—we know who the murderer is—but we don't know which partygoer ends up dead, or why.

Nadine is a complex character—a perfectionist who is brilliantly imperfect. She may look together and polished on the outside, but is struggling with memories that threaten to crack her perfect exterior. It is easy to assume that Nadine is an unreliable narrator, especially because she is taking medication that can cloud her judgement, but there is an insidiousness dark side to her.  

With its instant hook and short, punchy chapters, A Death at the Party is perfectly executed. It is a taut and riveting thriller that's chock full of secrets. A must read!

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AMY STUART is the author of the Still series: Still Mine, Still Water, and Still Here, which have been optioned for television by Lark/NBC Universal. 

She has a MFA in Creative Writing through the University of British Columbia and worked for many years as a high school educator with the bulk of her career spent teaching guidance and English. Amy's other love is ice hockey—she is one of only four women head coaches in the GTHL, the world’s largest youth competitive hockey league. 

Stuart resides in Toronto with her husband and their three sons. They also spend much of their time on Prince Edward Island, where Amy’s family is originally from. 

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Q & A with Amy Stuart*

GWR: Was there a particular author/work that inspired you to become a writer or the way that you write? 

AS: Early in my writing career I was always reading Alice Munro short stories, and I think she really taught me what attention to craft could do. Once I settled in to becoming a thriller writer, I turned to writers like Dennis Lehane, PD James, and Louise Erdrich, who are masters of plotting and the crumb dropping required in thrillers.

GWR: What is the best advice you have received as an author?

AS: Without a doubt, the best advice I’ve received is to focus as much as possible on the act of writing and not worry too much about other things you can’t control, like the publishing industry or the market or whether the book will be a bestseller or not. Whether you’re an aspiring writer or a long-published one, the fact remains that writing is the only part of the process that you solely control. It’s where all your power lies. So put most of your energy there! And in terms of the industry stuff, be a good student: Listen to the people who know what they’re talking about (agents, editors, publicists, etc) and learn from their wisdom.

GWR: A Death at the Party is your first standalone book, did your process differ from the way you approached the 'Still’ series?

AS: The process was definitely more confined, in the sense that I had to contain the entire story in one novel. I tried to lean into that sense of confinement instead of resisting it. I set the novel on a single day, limited the cast of characters and stuck to a handful of settings. Having less room to maneuver forced me to learn some new tricks as a writer. It was actually quite fun!

GWR: How did you come up with the concept—what sparked the idea?

AS: Years ago, I read Mrs. Dalloway, the 1925 classic novel by Virginia Woolf. It follows a woman—Clarissa Dalloway—over the course of a single day as she prepares for a party. Sound familiar? The premise of A Death at the Party is exactly the same, but with a dead body in the mix. I’ve always thought it would be great fun to take the structure of a classic novel and twist it into a thriller. So that’s what I did. 

GWR: Overall, what do you have more fun with, character development or plot?

AS: Yikes! I would say characters are more fun for me. Plotting is like a complex puzzle…when it’s working it’s wonderful, and when it’s not, it’s deeply frustrating. Characters are a little more pliable and forgiving, at least in the early stages of the process. I love layering in the quirks and characteristics that make them each their own person. 

GWR: What is the one element of a thriller that is a must?

AS: To me, the key element to a thriller is the question. In the case of A Death at the Party, the question isn’t “whodunit?” but instead “whydunit?” We know from the first pages who commits the murder, so the question becomes why she did (and also, who is dead). As thriller readers, we’re propelled forward because there’s a central question—or questions—we simply need answered. That’s what keeps us turning the pages.

GWR: Do your plot twists happen organically, or do you construct your books around them?

AS: That’s a tough question! I think it’s a combination of both. In A Death at the Party, a few of the major plot twists actually did come about organically; certain events made sense as I got to know the characters better. But I need the central twist to be known before I get too deep in the writing process, or else I’m apt to veer way off course.

GWR: Give your best Hollywood pitch for A Death at the Party and who would you cast?

AS: Hollywood pitch: Imagine a gorgeous party full of gorgeous people. A band playing, everyone dressed to the nines, drinks flowing. The speeches have just ended, with secrets revealed! All is perfect. Aside, of course, from the dead body in the basement. 

In terms of casting, I’ve always thought that Charlize Theron would make the perfect Nadine, and Michelle Pfeiffer, her mother Marilyn, because they’re only 20 years apart in age. From there, I’d give the Hollywood directors full liberties in choosing their cast. 

GWR: If your book was a beverage, what would it be? 

AS: A deliciously sweet cocktail with a hint of red in the colour and a flower for the garnish. 

GWR: What are you working on now?

AS: A lot of things! A screenplay, and a new novel. Too early for the Hollywood pitch, but I’m excited for it!

*A version of this post was published on STYLE Canada.

Please Join Us by Catherine McKenzie

A special thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

At thirty-nine, Nicole Muller’s life is on the rocks. Her once brilliant law career is falling apart. She and her husband are soon to be forced out of the apartment they love. After a warning from her firm’s senior partners, she receives an invitation from an exclusive women’s networking group, Panthera Leo. Membership is anonymous, but every member is a successful professional. It sounds like the perfect solution to help Nicole revive her career. So, despite her husband, Dan’s, concerns the group might be a cult, Nicole signs up for their retreat in Colorado.

Once there, she meets the other women who will make up her Pride. A CEO, an actress, a finance whiz, a congresswoman: Nicole can’t believe her luck. The founders of Panthera Leo are equally as impressive. They explain the group’s core philosophy: they’re a girl’s club in a boy’s club world.

Nicole is all in. And when she gets home, she soon sees dividends. Her new network quickly provides her with clients that help her relaunch her career, and a great new apartment too. The favors she has to provide in return seem benign. But then she’s called to the congresswoman’s apartment late at night where she’s pressed into helping her cover up a crime. And suddenly, Dan’s concerns that something more sinister is at play seem all too relevant. Can Nicole extricate herself from the group before it’s too late? Or will joining Panthera Leo be the biggest mistake of her life?

With its incredible premise—a group of women that are working the system like a boys' club—Please Join Us is a union of contemporary fiction and thriller through a feminist lens. And like Panthera Leo, this book has claws!

Struggling corporate lawyer, Nicole Mueller, is the narrator of Catherine McKenzie's thirteenth novel. Alternating between past and present, Please Join Us is an exploration of toxic relationships and the influence of power. Not without flaws, Nicole is a perceptive and intriguing character that readers will root for.  

McKenzie is a master storyteller—the plot is exceptionally clever and the pacing is spot on. She brilliantly explains the intricacies of the law into something palatable for her reader and weaves these threads into a brilliant and satisfying conclusion. 

Please Join Us is a feminist thriller about a secret organization, the challenges women face in the workplace, and just how far one woman will go to claim what is rightfully hers. 

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CATHERINE McKENZIE is the bestselling author of numerous bestsellers including Six Weeks to Live, You Can't Catch Me, Hidden, Fractured, The Good Liar, and I'll Never Tell. Her works have been translated into multiple languages and I'll Never Tell, The Good Liar, and You Can't Catch Me have all been optioned for development into television series.

McKenzie was born and raised in Montreal, Canada. A graduate of McGill in History and Law, Catherine practiced law for twenty years before leaving the practice to write full time.

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Q & A with Catherine McKenzie*

GWR: Is there a particular author/work that inspired you to become a writer or the way you write? 

CM: Such a hard question! I’ve definitely always been a big reader ever since I learned to read when I was three. When I was a girl I loved the Laura Ingalls Wilder books and then of course Anne of Green Gables and the entire Anne series. Later, I discovered Jane Austen, Nick Hornby, John Irving and books like The Time Traveller’s Wife and The Fault in Our Stars. A Million Little Pieces was a big influence right when I started writing. Hopefully I’ve stolen the best bits from all of those and added something of my own.

GWR: Are you a pantser/gardener or a plotter/architect? Have you approached each book the same way, or has your writing process changed/evolved?

CM: I am a panster for sure, though I do plot in my head. My process has evolved over the years, and I am TRYING to be a better plotter in advance. But I do love the spontaneity of writing without a fixed outline. That’s where the magic happens.

GWR: Being a seasoned author, what is your favourite part of the publishing process? Is there anything that you still find difficult? 

CM: A lot of it is still difficult! I love when it’s just me and the manuscript and it’s all working out the way I planned. And then when the book is out and people enjoy it—that’s always special.

GWR: Overall, what do you have more fun with, character development or plot?

CM: I’d say both, honestly. I hope what makes me stand out as an author is that I have lots of people and well developed characters.

GWR: What was the inspiration behind Please Join Us?

CM: I received an invitation to an anonymous women’s group—and did not go! But the idea stuck...

GWR: I love how the characters are feminist, intelligent, and fierce. Do you have a favourite? 

CM: Thank you! I really like Athena, and Nicole of course, the narrator, because I spend the most time with her.

GWR: Did you build Please Join Us around a twist/reveal, or did this happen organically?

CM: I always know the end before I start writing, though in this case, the end was going to happen earlier and I realized that I was missing a twist while I was writing. Thankfully, the answer was already in the manuscript as is often the case.

GWR: What’s the one element of a thriller that is a must?

CM: Secrets!

GWR: If your book was a beverage, what would it be?  

CM: A Moscow Mule.

GWR: Can you share what are you working on now?

CM: A book loosely based on the Gabbie Petito disappearance called Have You Seen Her. 

*A version of this post was published on STYLE Canada.

The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner

A special thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Simon & Schuster Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When her twenty-two-year-old stepdaughter announces her engagement to her pandemic boyfriend, Sarah Danhauser is shocked. But the wheels are in motion. Headstrong Ruby has already set a date (just three months away!) and spoken to her beloved safta, Sarah’s mother Veronica, about having the wedding at the family’s beach house in Cape Cod. Sarah might be worried, but Veronica is thrilled to be bringing the family together one last time before putting the big house on the market.

But the road to a wedding day usually comes with a few bumps. Ruby has always known exactly what she wants, but as the wedding date approaches, she finds herself grappling with the wounds left by the mother who walked out when she was a baby. Veronica ends up facing unexpected news, thanks to her meddling sister, and must revisit the choices she made long ago, when she was a bestselling novelist with a different life. Sarah’s twin brother, Sam, is recovering from a terrible loss, and confronting big questions about who he is—questions he hopes to resolve during his stay on the Cape. Sarah’s husband, Eli, who’s been inexplicably distant during the pandemic, confronts the consequences of a long ago lapse from his typical good-guy behavior. And Sarah, frustrated by her husband, concerned about her stepdaughter, and worn out by challenges of life during quarantine, faces the alluring reappearance of someone from her past and a life that could have been.

When the wedding day arrives, lovers are revealed as their true selves, misunderstandings take on a life of their own, and secrets come to light. There are confrontations and revelations that will touch each member of the extended family, ensuring that nothing will ever be the same.

With a house as the central character, Weiner's latest offering returns readers to the Cape for another binge-worthy summer read.

Through multiple points of view, The Summer Place explodes with its soapy secrets and exceptional characterizations. The multi-generational family is dynamic and complicated—Weiner is a master at creating authentic, witty, self-depreciating characters. And Shakespeare fans will love the nod to A Midsummer Night Dream. 

Riveting and unputdownable, The Summer Place is a testament to family, forgiveness, and sacrifice. 

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JENNIFER WEINER is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of sixteen books, including Good in Bed, In Her Shoes, and her memoir, Hungry Heart: Adventures in Life, Love, and Writing.

She is a graduate of Princeton University and a contributor to the New York Times Opinion section.

Weiner lives with her family in Philadelphia.

Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall

A special thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Tell them you’re looking for Jane.

2017

When Angela Creighton discovers a mysterious letter containing a life-shattering confession in a stack of forgotten mail, she is determined to find the intended recipient. Her search takes her back to the 1970s when a group of daring women operated an illegal underground abortion network in Toronto known only by its whispered code name: Jane...

1971

As a teenager, Dr. Evelyn Taylor was sent to a home for “fallen” women where she was forced to give up her baby for adoption—a trauma she has never recovered from. Despite harrowing police raids and the constant threat of arrest, she joins the Jane Network as an abortion provider, determined to give other women the choice she never had.

1980

After discovering a shocking secret about her family history, twenty-year-old Nancy Mitchell begins to question everything she has ever known. When she unexpectedly becomes pregnant, she feels like she has no one to turn to for help. Grappling with her decision, she locates “Jane” and finds a place of her own alongside Dr. Taylor within the network’s ranks, but she can never escape the lies that haunt her.

Weaving together the lives of three women, Looking for Jane is an unforgettable novel about the devastating consequences that come from a lack of choice—and the enduring power of a mother’s love.

Looking for Jane is a stunning debut that takes a deep dive into motherhood (the wanting and not wanting to be a mother), social expectations placed on women (that are still alive and well today, and women’s reproductive rights (and lack there of). 

Through the intertwined stories of Angela, Evelyn, and Nancy, Marshall shines a light on the heartbreaking reality faced by women of all generations and walks of life. It is so much more than a book about abortion and choice, it is a reflection on one of the blemishes in Canadian history and it speaks to the strength of women in their continued fight for their rights.  

This thought-provoking, searing, and still timely novel will stay with its reader long after the last page is turned. 

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HEATHER MARSHALL completed master’s degrees in Canadian history and political science, and has worked in politics and communications before turning her attention to her true passion: storytelling. Looking for Jane is her debut novel. 

Marshall lives near Toronto with her family. 

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Q & A with Heather Marshall*

GWR: What does your writing process look like? 

HM: I have such admiration and respect for writers who can plot out their entire project and—even more impressively—stick to that plot structure. But that's not me! I start with an idea, or sometimes two separate ideas that weave together into one story, and then just let my imagination run with it. For some reason I can't fully explain, I often know the ending of a story before I've written the rest of it, and I'll write the final scene or chapter first. I think it allows me to see the end of the story and then work backwards and fill in the rest. 

One of my favourite parts of my writing process, and what makes me such a terrible plotter, is when characters decide to run amok and take my story in a direction I hadn't planned. It can make for a lot of extra work, but I almost always end up loving the final result even more than my original plan. 

GWR: How did you come up with the idea for this novel? What was your inspiration or jumping off point? 

HM: Back in university I wrote a paper on the process leading up to the legalization of abortion in Canada in the 1980s, and I remember thinking it would make a great novel. Years later, I stumbled across a news article about the post-war era maternity homes and all the women who were forced to give their babies up for adoption, and I thought that would also make a great story. I was working on both of these ideas when one day it finally clicked that they were two threads of the same story: women's fight for control over their bodies and their lives. 

GWR: Tell me about the research you did for Looking for Jane? 

HM: The research process for this book was quite extensive, eye-opening, and completely heartbreaking. After I read that initial article about the homes for unwed mothers, I went down a rabbit hole and discovered several more that led me to other sources, including some academic research papers, books, and a documentary. 

For the reproductive rights storyline, I drew on a lot of my own research from that paper I wrote back in university, and I also had the pleasure of interviewing long-time feminist activist Judy Rebick, who told me all about her experience with the abortion rights movement and working alongside Dr. Henry Morgentaler in the years leading up to legalization. 

I also interviewed lots of women about all kinds of experiences related to motherhood, including conception/fertility struggles, unplanned pregnancy, abortion, childbirth, and adoption. 

GWR: What made you decide to write the book from multiple points of view? Was it easier or more challenging to explore the parallel storylines? 

HM: As a reader, I've always been drawn to novels that are structured with multiple points of view. Personally I find it makes for a more interesting and engaging read. As a writer, I know that there are always at least two sides to any story, and the multiple points of view allows me to tell these characters' stories from more angles that I would be able to if it were just one perspective. Right from the outset I knew I wanted Looking For Jane to be as sweeping as I could possibly make it, across timelines and experiences, so I created those three characters whose stories span the 1960s through present day in the hopes of really giving a full sense of how far we have come with regard to women's rights, and how far we still have to go. 

It was definitely a challenge to write a novel with three points of view spanning that amount of time with a mystery and a twist thrown in! Every time my agent or editor wanted to make a tweak I had to go over the entire novel and make sure that that one change didn't have a domino effect on the whole thing. I don't think I had any idea how ambitious this novel was when I first started writing it, but it was such a labour of love, and I'm so proud of the final result and the impact it might have. 

GWR: How did you balance crafting a good story against historical accuracy in terms of character development and plot? 

HM: I think this is such a big challenge for historical fiction writers. We of course want to tell the best story we can to entertain our readers, but most of us who read and write historical fiction do so because we love learning real facts about the past in an accessible and entertaining way, so there is always that drive to be as accurate as possible. Personally, I try not to veer too far off course or take too many liberties with historical fact or timelines, because I find it makes for a more authentic read. I talk about this a bit more in the Author's Note at the end of the book, but in shedding light on the maternity homes tragedy, I felt an incredible responsibility to tell these women's stories as accurately as I could. I made a very deliberate decision to not exaggerate—or minimize—the trauma they endured, so that storyline is heavily based on first-hand accounts of their experiences, which were appalling. 

Committing to historical accuracy also lets me really sink my teeth into the era I'm writing about, and put myself in my characters' shoes more deeply. For instance, I get to research fun things like slang and language of a particular place and time, fashion trends, hair and makeup styles, logos and advertising, architectural trends, popular household brands and products, etc, and then use those to colour my characters' lives and the setting. One of the best compliments I keep hearing about this book is that it's quite evocative of the era, that readers really feel transported, and that makes me feel so thrilled, because I think it's the addition of all those little historical details that really brings the era and characters to life. 

When it comes to timeline, I will definitely take some liberty if an event I'm mentioning or focusing on happened a year or two 'off' from my story, but in Looking for Jane, I wanted to explore the history of abortion access in a very real way, so I was pretty precise about dates in this book. 

GWR: Looking for Jane takes a deep dive into motherhood (the wanting and not wanting to be a mother), social expectations placed on women (that are still alive and well today, and women’s reproductive rights (and lack there of). Why was it important to include all of these elements int the story? 

HM: As I mentioned above, from the outset I wanted this book to feel quite expansive, and to try to capture the breadth and depth of motherhood and how that's evolved for Canadians over the past several decades; how things have changed, stayed the same, gotten better or worse or just more complicated. I like to have one or two central themes threading through each of my novels, and I wanted to dedicate an entire book to this exploration of motherhood and choices. I know I could have explored some of these elements in future novels, but it just felt right to me to include them in this particular story.

GWR: What was the hardest scene to write? 

HM: Oh, there were a few that were very difficult for me emotionally. I think when Evelyn says goodbye to her baby was a particularly tough one, even though it just poured out of me when I was writing it. It wasn't a challenge at all to get it down, but it was heartbreaking to read every time I came back to it during the editing process, and that was before I even had a baby of my own! Interestingly, I'm glad I wrote this novel before I had my first child. I think it's almost too much of a punch in the gut for me to have written it now. I'm not sure I could have handled it, emotionally. 

GWR: Is there a topic you wish more authors would write about? 

HM: I like to tell a funny little anecdote when I get questions like this. Back in my grade eight history class, we were learning about all the men involved in Confederation, and I quite innocently put up my hand and asked my teacher "What were the women doing?". I was twelve, not yet identifying as a feminist, but I was wondering what all these men's wives were up to while they were off doing these Very Important Things at work. In response, I got sent to the principal's office for my seeming insubordination. I was reprimanded for daring to ask what the women were doing. Needless to say, I didn't get in trouble with my parents and I'm sure I made them quite proud that day, actually. But I think that experience planted the seed for what I do. I write about what the women were doing, and a lot of other authors do now, too. So to answer your question, I think authors are doing just great! In the past decade or so, there's been this explosion of writing about women, by women, unearthing their contributions to humanity. I just want to see as much of that as possible, and I'm honoured to be among those writing this type of fiction. 

GWR: Was there a particular author/work that inspired you to become a writer or the way that you write? 

HM: I read fairly widely, but I'm a big fan of both Kate Morton and Jodi Picoult—they're two of my literary idols, even though they write quite differently from one another. But I do remember very clearly, when I finished Anthony Doerr's complete masterpiece All the Light We Cannot See back when it was first released, I thought "if I can be even one tenth of that calibre, I'll have accomplished something as a writer." I'm not sure I've achieved that yet, ha! But it's good to have goals!

GWR: What are you working on now? 

HM: I can't share too much just yet, but it's another historical fiction that takes place in Germany in the 1940s, and the North of England in the present day. It explores a few key themes including survivor's guilt, and the polished versions of ourselves that we sometimes present to others when we're unhappy with our true, messy selves. One of the characters is inspired by a woman named Mona Parsons, a little-known Canadian heroine who was the only Canadian civilian woman to be sentenced to death and imprisoned by the Nazis during WWII. I'm really excited to draw some much-deserved attention to her!

*A version of this post was published on STYLE Canada.

Watch Out for Her: A Novel by Samantha M. Bailey

A special thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Wherever you go…she’ll be watching.

Sarah Goldman, mother to six-year-old Jacob, is relieved to move across the country. She has a lot she wants to leave behind, especially Holly Monroe, the pretty twenty-two-year-old babysitter she and her husband, Daniel, hired to take care of their young son last summer. It started out as a perfect arrangement—Sarah had a childminder her son adored, and Holly found the mother figure she’d always wanted. But Sarah’s never been one to trust very easily, so she kept a close eye on Holly, maybe too close at times. What she saw raised some questions, not only about who Holly really was but what she was hiding. The more Sarah watched, the more she learned—until one day, she saw something she couldn’t unsee, something so shocking that all she could do was flee.

Sarah has put it all behind her and is starting over in a different city with her husband and son. They’ve settled into a friendly suburb where the neighbors, a tight clique of good citizens, are always on the lookout for danger. But when Sarah finds hidden cameras in her new home, she has to wonder: Has her past caught up to her, and worse yet, who’s watching her now?

Samantha M. Bailey's latest is a tense, acerbic psychological thriller. 

Set in Toronto and Vancouver, Watch Our for Her is smart, suspenseful, and full of shocking twists. It is intricately plotted—Bailey reveals just enough to create frenzy and momentum. Her characters are well-developed and propel the expertly paced story. She deftly employs a dual timeline and alternating perspectives, writing from both Sarah's and Holly's viewpoints. The leading ladies are compelling and complex.

Bailey is a master at manipulating her reader. With short and punchy chapters, she cleverly delivers on so many levels. 

Watch Out for Her is a deep dive into obsession, trust, toxic relationships and the lengths one woman will go to in order to keep her family safe. A must read!  

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SAMANTHA M. BAILEY is the USA TODAY and #1 nationally bestselling author of Woman on the Edge, which has sold in eleven countries to date. She is also a journalist and freelance editor; her work has appeared in NOW Magazine, The Village Post, The Thrill Begins, and The Crime Hub, among other publications. 

Bailey lives in Toronto with her family.

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Q & A with Samantha M. Bailey*

GWR: Describe your ideal writing/reading experience (when, where, what, how).

SB: My ideal writing/reading experience includes solitude, so for the last two years, that's only been a dream. I've learned to write and read in chaos, wherever I am, but if I had the opportunity, I'd love to have a whole day, starting at around 5 am, when it's dark and quiet, at a cottage on a lake. I imagine that it's summer, and I can see the water from a cozy couch in front of a large bay window. There's no one else around, and I have a cup of hot coffee and my words keeping me company as the sun rises and sets.

GWR: What is it that draws you to darker themes? 

SB: Motherhood. I've always been fascinated by the dark side of life, how far people will go to get what they want, but it's having children that compels me to write about it. Being a woman responsible for the care and well-being of people I love more than anything in the world evokes fear, an almost anguished feeling of love, and a fierce need to protect them. I know I can't control much of what happens around them, but I want to try to understand what drives people to dark thoughts and behaviors.

GWR: Is there a particular author/work that inspired you to become a writer or the way you write? 

SB: So many authors have and do inspire me. As a teenager and in my early twenties, it was Ernest Hemingway, Milan Kundera, Margaret Atwood, and so many others. When I began seriously writing novels at the age of twenty-nine, it was Jennifer Weiner. As a thriller author, it is my entire community of talented, fearless fellow writers who unflinchingly delve deep to explore all the complexities of life, love, and desire. 

GWR: How do you decide what point to start the story at and how much detail you’re going to provide?

SB: I usually begin my story immediately after an inciting incident that changes my main character's life. That single moment that shifts their perspective, and in my books, their safety. How much detail depends on what drives the scene and moves it forward the most.

GWR: What comes first for you—the overall idea or the characters?

SB: The premise generally comes to me first, then the themes I want to explore. Once I have an idea that I feel in my bones, and I need to feel that flutter of excitement and anticipation, I turn to the characters then the structure.

GWR: The themes of this book—toxic relationships, voyeurism, trust—are popular in thrillers, yet your take on them was exciting and fresh. Where did you draw inspiration from?

SB: Ever since I can remember, I've been intrigued by what goes on behind closed doors. On walks, as I pass by the different houses, I glance—not peer—into the windows. Most of the time I'm actually looking at the decor and layout of people's spaces, and I’ve never taken photos, because I'm not a voyeur like Sarah. But I do think we all like to people watch. Were I not a writer, I probably would have been a psychologist because I'm fascinated by our minds, how complex and complicated we all are: likeable, unlikeable, moral, and messy all at once. So, I think I'd say I take inspiration from how real and flawed we all are. 

GWR: What made you decide to write Watch Out for Her from a dual point of view? Was it easier or more challenging to explore the parallel storyline?

SB: It was never a question. From the moment I started writing, I knew I had to tell both Sarah and Holly's stories, separately, yet also together in their scenes. I love the concept of perspective: how we see things is often not how other people see them. Our views tend to be based on our experiences, traumas, hopes, and dreams. No matter what structure an author chooses, I think it's always challenging. What was difficult with the structure of Watch Out for Her was making sure the past tense story propelled the present tense story forward so organizing the chapters was tricky. 

GWR: Did you build your story around a twist/reveal, or did that happen organically as you wrote it?

SB: I knew my major twists before I started, but there were a few that knocked me off my chair, as the characters led me to them organically. So, they were both built and just happened as I wrote the story piece by piece.

GWR: If your book was a beverage, what would it be? 

SB: The beverage that would be Watch Out for Her is a collaboration with me and Blair of the wonderful Instagram account: books.and.bevies. We decided the perfect drink would be a Caesar: Canadian for the setting, spicy, sharp, and blood red.

GWR: Can you share what you’re working on now?

SB: I'd love to because I'm very excited about it, but it's only at the beginning stages. That's a magical time for an author when much of the writing process is deep thoughts, notes, middle-of-the-night brainstorms. I'm currently working on a thriller about women seeking a fresh start that might end in murder.

*A version of this post was published on STYLE Canada.

The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman

A special thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and Edelweiss for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Owens family has been cursed in matters of love for over three-hundred years but all of that is about to change. The novel begins in a library, the best place for a story to be conjured, when beloved aunt Jet Owens hears the deathwatch beetle and knows she has only seven days to live. Jet is not the only one in danger—the curse is already at work.

A frantic attempt to save a young man’s life spurs three generations of the Owens women, and one long-lost brother, to use their unusual gifts to break the curse as they travel from Paris to London to the English countryside where their ancestor Maria Owens first practiced the Unnamed Art. The younger generation discovers secrets that have been hidden from them in matters of both magic and love by Sally, their fiercely protective mother. As Kylie Owens uncovers the truth about who she is and what her own dark powers are, her aunt Franny comes to understand that she is ready to sacrifice everything for her family, and Sally Owens realizes that she is willing to give up everything for love.

Master storyteller Alice Hoffman revisits the Owens family in her spellbinding conclusion to the Practical Magic series. Hoffman's writing is bewitching and unforgettable, as are her characters—they are vivid, incredibly crafted, and fully fleshed out. 

Magical. Beautiful. Mesmerizing. Steeped in the history of witchcraft, The Book of Magic is a stunning celebration of mothers and daughters, sisters and brothers, and anyone who has ever been in love. 

Complete with magical recipes, conflict, and witchcraft, this gift of a novel can be read as a standalone, but you will want to devour all of the books in the series. Hoffman is at her finest and you will be under her spell. 

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ALICE HOFFMAN has a BA from Adelphi University and an MA in creative writing from Stanford University.

Hoffman's first novel, Property Of, was written at the age of twenty-one, while she was studying at Stanford, and published shortly thereafter by Farrar Straus and Giroux. Since that remarkable beginning, Alice Hoffman has become one of our most distinguished novelists. She has published over thirty novels, three books of short fiction, and eight books for children and young adults.

Her novel, Here on Earth, an Oprah Book Club choice, was a modern reworking of some of the themes of Emily Bronte’s masterpiece Wuthering Heights. Practical Magic was made into a Warner film starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. Her novel, At Risk, which concerns a family dealing with AIDS, can be found on the reading lists of many universities, colleges and secondary schools. Hoffman’s advance from Local Girls, a collection of inter-related fictions about love and loss on Long Island, was donated to help create the Hoffman Breast Center at Mt. Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, MA.

Hoffman has written a number of novels for young adults, including Aquamarine, Green Angel, and the New York Times bestseller The Ice Queen. In 2007 Little Brown published the teen novel Incantation, a story about hidden Jews during the Spanish Inquisition, which Publishers Weekly has chosen as one of the best books of the year.

Her works have been published in more than twenty translations and more than one hundred foreign editions. Hoffman's novels have received mention as notable books of the year by The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, The Los Angeles Times, Library Journal, and People Magazine. She has also worked as a screenwriter and is the author of the original screenplay “Independence Day,” a film starring Kathleen Quinlan and Diane Wiest. Her teen novel Aquamarine was made into a film starring Emma Roberts. Her short fiction and non-fiction have appeared in The New York Times, The Boston Globe Magazine, Kenyon Review, The Los Angeles Times, Architectural Digest, Harvard Review, Ploughshares and other magazines.

She currently lives in Boston and New York.