In Episode 54, Sarah Pekkanen and Greer Hendricks (authors of You Are Not Alone) go behind-the-scenes of their writing process, how they decided to write psychological thrillers, and share where their next novel is set (it’s not in New York City!).
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Highlights
- The themes Sarah & Greer try to base every book around.
- The Sarah & Greer co-writing team origin story.
- How Sarah’s and Greer’s personalities are similar and different.
- The good, the bad, and the ugly about Sarah & Greer’s writing process…and how their process is different from many other co-writing teams.
- Sarah’s and Greer’s thoughts on whether writing together is more or less efficient than writing alone.
- How they decided to write psychological thrillers (vs. some other genre).
- How they work through their plot twists (and keep them from becoming outlandish).
- How they threw out the original first third of You Are Not Alone.
- The book they’re working on now.
- The screenplay for The Wife Between Us that they’re currently working on.
- A bonus recommendation co-signed by all three of us.
- Where their next book is set…and it’s not New York City.
Sarah and Greer’s Book Recommendations [25:59]
Two OLD Books They Love
- Greer: Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson | Buy from Amazon [26:18]
- Sarah: Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon | Buy from Amazon [29:36]
Two NEW Books They Love
- Greer: Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano (My Review) | Buy from Amazon [31:47]
- Sarah: My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing | Buy from Amazon
[36:18]
Two NEW RELEASES They’re Excited About
- Greer: The Lies That Bind by Emily Giffin (Release Date: June 2, 2020) | Buy from Amazon [39:03]
- Sarah: Good Morning, Monster by Catherine Gildiner (Release Date: September 22, 2020) | Buy from Amazon
Rate It Game [44:27]
Other Books Mentioned
- The Nanny Diaries
by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus | Buy from Amazon
- An Anonymous Girl
- The Wife Between Us
- You Are Not Alone
- Bridget Jones’s Diary
- Wonder
- The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon | Buy from Amazon [31:11]
- Something Borrowed
- Babyproof by Emily Giffin | Buy from Amazon [41:02]
- All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin | Buy from Amazon [41:11]
- Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb | Buy from Amazon [43:08]
- The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides | Buy from Amazon [50:10]
About Sarah
Author Website | Instagram | Twitter
Sarah Pekkanen is also the co-author of the New York Times bestseller THE WIFE BETWEEN US and the upcoming AN ANONYMOUS GIRL, both cowritten with Greer Hendricks.
AN ANONYMOUS GIRL has been optioned for a television series by eOne, with Sarah and Greer executive producing. THE WIFE BETWEEN US has been optioned for film by Amblin Entertainment, with Sarah and Greer screenwriting the adaptation.
Her prior solo novels are: THE EVER AFTER, THE PERFECT NEIGHBORS, THINGS YOU WON’T SAY, CATCHING AIR, THE BEST OF US, THE OPPOSITE OF ME, SKIPPING A BEAT, and THESE GIRLS.
Sarah’s linked free short e-stories, published by Simon & Schuster exclusively for e-readers, are titled “All is Bright,” and “Love, Accidentally.”
Sarah is the mother of three young boys, which explains why she writes part of her novels at Chuck E. Cheese. Sarah penned her first book, Miscellaneous Tales and Poems, at the age of 10.
About Greer
Author Website | Instagram | Twitter
GREER HENDRICKS is the #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of An Anonymous Girl and The Wife Between Us. The Wife Between Us has been optioned for film by Amblin Entertainment, with Greer and her co-author, Sarah Pekkanen, hired to write the screenplay. An Anonymous Girl has been optioned for television, with Greer and Sarah tapped to executive produce. Prior to becoming a novelist, Greer served as Vice President and Senior Editor at Simon & Schuster. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Allure, and Publishers Weekly. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and two children.
Next Episode
Mini Episode featuring Sarah Saba Cetra (@bookedinadvance)…airing April 22.
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This is the best podcast. I love the ease of seeing the pertinent points covered in the episodes in your online blogs Sarah, you have a lovely way of interviewing. I hear your soft Virginia accent and I am from that area. I have gotten tons of great TBRs. You topics are broad reaching. I am a 65 year old serious book lover, Your podcasts have gotten me through daily 6 miles walks!