Today’s featured author is Cayce Osborne, whose debut novel, I Know What You Did, is a tantalizing thriller about a woman accused, via a book dedication, of the murder of her childhood best friend.
In the interview below, Cayce and I talk about finding inspiration, writing thrillers, and finding your own path to publishing.
Connect with Cayce on Instagram, Facebook, and her website. Sign up for her newsletter here. Grab a copy of I Know What You Did here.
Hi Cayce, thank you for joining! Your debut novel, I Know What You Did is a thriller starring Petal Woznewski, whose past comes back to haunt her after an anonymously written thriller accuses her of a decades-old crime. What was your inspiration for this story, and for Petal’s character?
I love reading books about books and have always wanted to write one. I read Anthony Horowitz’s Magpie Murders and was captivated by how he integrated a fictional book into the narrative. I wanted to do that! What I ended up writing is nothing like his novel, but that’s the great thing about reading as a writer. It gets your brain going in all sorts of interesting directions.
For Petal, reading novels like Sara Gran’s Claire DeWitt series and Kevin Wilson’s Nothing to See Here got me thinking about writing a rough-edged female character—someone who sometimes rubs people the wrong way but doesn’t waste time worrying about whether people like her or not. That’s where Petal came from.
How do you approach writing a thriller? What are your favorite elements of this genre, and what aspects do you find the most challenging to write?
I’ve found that “thriller” is a tough label to live up to because different readers will expect different types of thrills. Some want non-stop action. Others want a breathtaking twist. Thrillers set up certain expectations as far as pace, and because I write character-driven stories, sometimes my books don’t fit neatly into the genre. I think psychological suspense probably most accurately describes my book. But my favorite ingredient in any crime/mystery subgenre is that elusive un-put-downable quality—whatever magic that keeps people turning pages, desperate to figure out whodunnit and solve the mystery. That’s my kind of thrill.
You have a background in other types of writing, such as news, feature writing, and editing. How does writing fiction compare to other work you have done?
I suppose I wanted to start writing fiction because of the constraints of that type of writing. I wanted to write for me—not on assignment, not to please an editor or a news audience. I wanted to bring more creativity into the writing than news or science writing (I currently work in science communication) allow. So far there haven’t been too many crossovers. I have written short stories with science elements. But I have a journalism degree from the University of Wisconsin, and that background has certainly helped me with story structure.
I’d love to hear about your publishing experience, especially since this is your debut novel. Can you share any insights into your publishing path, and/or anything you’ve learned as you’ve navigated this process? Do you have any advice for authors looking to publish?
It’s been a six-year journey of ups and downs and everything in between. I’ve had two different agents, went on submission with several manuscripts, and in the end it was the wonderful Sara J. Henry at Crooked Lane Books who pulled my debut novel out of the slush pile, unagented. I’ve learned way more than I could ever put into a single answer, but when I’m giving advice to people looking to publish, I say: Don’t give up.
There are so many different paths to publication, but rarely are any of them quick and easy (and if they are, maybe make sure you’re not being scammed). It takes hard work, yes, but you also need the luck of good timing—sending the right book to the right agent/publisher at the right time. When in doubt, keep writing, and keep reading.
Lastly, what’s on the horizon for you? Do you have other novels in the works, or anything else you’re excited about?
I have one novel finished, and one in the works. They are both Wisconsin-set mystery novels that are heavy on character and voice. I think that’s my sweet spot. I love writing characters who solve a mystery, yes, but also figure something out about themselves in the process.
Thanks so much to Cayce for the interview. Sleuths, I hope you enjoyed it! If you aren’t already subscribed, please be sure to sign up for the Cluesletter and get author features like this alongside other mystery goodies, delivered to your inbox every other Tuesday.