We chat with author Emma Grey about Pictures of You, which is the story of a young woman struggling to piece her life back together in the wake of a tragic accident, and the man who gives up everything to help her.
Hi, Emma! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’m an Australian novelist, photographer and mum of three. I’ve written memoir, non-fiction and two YA novels, one of which I adapted into a musical with my composer friend Sally Whitwell. The Last Love Note was my debut adult novel, written in the wake of my husband’s death. It was followed by Pictures of You in November 2024. I’m currently working on a third adult novel, Start at the End, for 2026.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
Like so many other authors, I blame this on Anne of Green Gables. I was introduced to Anne via the 1980s TV miniseries and inevitably fell for Gilbert Blythe, but also identified with Anne’s dream to write. I walked to the local newsagent while on a family holiday at my grandparents’ house and bought a notebook and pen (no laptops back in the 80s) and started drafting my first (terrible) novel. The feeling of that blank page, and all of that promise of a fresh story was simply intoxicating, and I still love it several decades later.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: I have beautiful memories of my sister and I curling up in bed beside my late Mum as she read us the Beatrix Potter books.
- The one that made you want to become an author: Definitely Anne. But also, somehow, Twilight.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Most recently, Sophie Kinsella’s What Does it Feel Like. I can’t wrap my mind around the courage it took to write something so personal while having to first conquer the rehabilitation of your vocabulary after the impact of brain surgery. Extraordinary.
Your latest novel, Pictures of You, is out November 12th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Complex, twisty, thought-provoking, relatable and romantic.
What can readers expect?
Pictures of You is romantic suspense, for readers who love to explore deeper issues through fiction. After The Last Love Note, which was such a personal and emotional story for me, I wanted to challenge myself to write something more complex and ambitious, and quite different. Evie and Drew picked me up and pulled me into the whirlwind of their lives, in directions that surprised me – even as the author. I think the novel will offer book clubs some weighty topics for discussion, some nostalgia about first love and a lot of hope for second-chance love, even when the circumstances are against you.
Where did the inspiration for Pictures of You come from?
Without realising it at the time, this story was decades in the making. It was pieced together from conversations with friends around the lockers in high school, debriefs with colleagues in the work cafeteria in my 20s and 30s and discussions with friends in midlife. It’s a story many women will recognise, if they’ve ever been in a controlling relationship or helped a friend out of one. I tend to find inspiration in the passions of those closest me (that’s how I found myself writing a boy band YA novel for my Harry-Styles loving teenager a few years ago). This time, it’s influenced by the work of my 26-year-old daughter who is completing a doctorate in criminology, focused on crimes against women in relationships.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Alongside a toxic relationship in Pictures of You, there’s the evolution of a slow-burn, friends-to-lovers story between the two who should have been together all along. I loved writing the character of Drew, who was steadfast in his support of Evie right from the start, and who never gave up on her, even when she gave up on herself.
Pictures of You dives into domestic abuse and coercive control. What was your process in learning about this topics and approaching them within your novel?
I think it’s crucial to present these topics sensitively, and in a way that neither glamorises the topic nor further traumatises readers. The fine line between obsession and passion can sometimes lead to depictions of coercive control and abuse in fiction that are romanticised, and I was determined to avoid that. In addition to having the support of my daughter with her criminology expertise, I wrote the book under the professional guidance of Kat Berney, who is the Executive Director of the National Women’s Safety Alliance – advising the Australian government on policy direction in these matters and supporting victim survivors. I also leant heavily on my experience as the close friend supporting several women in these relationships, over many years (and to this day).
What do you hope readers take away from Pictures of You?
As with The Last Love Note, Pictures of You is filled with hope. I hope readers will find comfort in its pages, that those who understand from experience may feel validated, that others will learn a new perspective on what friends or family might be going through, and that we can “walk each other home” through this. Fiction plays such an important role, culturally, for helping generate discussions on important issues.
The novel is fast-paced and twisty, and the healthy romantic storyline threaded through the toxic plot gives readers hope that Evie will find her feet and enjoy her Plan B life beyond the story. I’m always looking for ways to balance the light and shade in a book, and to take readers deep into a topic while being right there to pull them to the surface again.
What’s next for you?
I’m thrilled to have signed a contract with Zibby Books for a third adult novel, Start at the End, for publication in 2026. This story has my heart already – and the plot is so deliciously tangled I’ve had to buy an enormous stick-on whiteboard for my kitchen wall to keep track of it!
On the personal front, I dream of finding a retro caravan and parking it beside one of Australia’s beautiful beaches, so I can write to the soundtrack of the ocean.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on in 2025?
Shoutout to the Aussie authors – I’ve loved Kerryn Mayne’s Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder and Anna Johnstone’s The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife. I’m eagerly anticipating the US release of Jane Tara’s Tilda Is Visible.
