We chat with author Colleen McKeegan about Rip Tide, which is a heartfelt and suspenseful novel about two sisters returning to their childhood beachfront home who are forced to confront their traumatic past when a body washes ashore.
Hi, Colleen! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! I’m a former magazine editor who now writes fiction full-time. I live just outside of Manhattan with my husband, two boys, and our adorable mutt – and I’m the author of two novels. My first, The Wild One, came out in 2022 and my second, Rip Tide, came out this month.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
My grandmother was a fantastic storyteller; she was a stage actress and when she spoke, the entire room stopped to listen. My mom also has a great imagination and introduced me to countless classics growing up. They both instilled a loved of reading and writing – and were a very patient, encouraging audience whenever I performed a poem or limerick or short story for them as a kid.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The Land of Many Colors by the Klamath County YMCA Family Preschool and illustrated by Rita Pocock
- The one that made you want to become an author: The Awakening by Kate Chopin
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Currently? Sandwich by Catherine Newman
Your latest novel, Rip Tide, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Second chance romance gone awry.
What can readers expect?
Rip Tide follows sisters Kimmy and Erin Devine in their teens as they fall in love and fall apart, and in their 30s when they return to their Jersey Shore hometown and are forced to reckon with their complicated past. There’s slight suspense, but it’s really a coming-of-age story about girlhood in smalltown America during the aughts and viewing that time (and all its complicated judgments) through a new lens while searching for a fresh start. Millennials will love the references – think AIM, Juicy Couture, and Razr phones – and readers of all ages will love the sisters’ bond and the lengths the Devine family goes to protect one another.
Where did the inspiration for Rip Tide come from?
Growing up in a small town in the mid-2000s.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Bringing Kimmy and Erin’s dynamic to life. I have two sisters (I’m the middle); they’re my best friends and we’d do absolutely anything for one another – but that doesn’t mean we didn’t have screaming matches over stolen clothes and perceived grievances when we were teens. Sisterhood is so layered and I absolutely loved getting to explore all its intricacies on the page.
This is your second novel! What are some of the key lessons you learned between writing the two?
If you trust your gut and write from your heart, you will always be proud of the work.
What’s next for you?
I’m finishing the first draft of my third novel, which is due to my editor quite soon!
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
I recently read Our Kind of Game by Johanna Copeland and Such a Bad Influence by Olivia Muenter – both are thrillers centered on complicated mother-daughter dynamics and they were excellent. And I can’t wait to get my hands on Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo, which comes out in late September.
