From rising star Jessica Goodman, author of They Wish They Were Us, comes a new fast-paced thriller about two sisters vying for the top spot on their cross-country team—until a teammate’s disappearance throws their lives off course.
We chat with author Jessica Goodman about her new release They’ll Never Catch Us, along with writing, book recommendations, and more.
Find out more about Jessica’s events here.
Hi, Jessica! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello!! I’m a YA author and journalist (I’ve been an editor at Cosmopolitan and Entertainment Weekly), and I live in Brooklyn with my partner and a whole bunch of very cool plants that he keeps alive while I do nothing. In my non-writerly life, I love cooking enormous plates of food for friends and family, who I can actually see now thanks to vaccines (bless). My happy place is sitting by a lake with a book, a very cold seltzer, and a bag of BBQ potato chips.
When did you first discover your love for writing?
I was definitely one of those kids who self-published my own stories when I was little. And by “self-publish,” I mean writing and drawing stories on pieces of paper and stapling them together so they’d match the real books on my shelves. I knew I wanted to be a writer for real since first grade, when I fell in love with reading. Making up stories and sharing them with people seemed like the best job in the world. Now that I do it for a living, I can confirm it is.
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
First book I remember reading: The Berenstain Bears series. I was obsessed with these books and asked for them for Hanukkah every year. I’m pretty sure my parents still have my childhood set in their home.
The book that made me want to become an author: Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty. Reading this book was the first time I saw something similar to my inner life reflected on the page.
The book I can’t stop thinking about: Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll. This is the book I come back to over and over again, and the one that continues to surprise me every time I read it. It’s a masterclass in tension, flashbacks, character development, and writing messy, imperfect female protagonists (my favorite kind).
Your latest novel, They’ll Never Catch Us, is out July 27th 2021! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Dark secrets exist between sisters.
What can readers expect?
A twisty story set in a decaying small mountain town where all the young women are fighting for something. Though the story is told through our main characters, sisters Stella and Ellie, every girl in this book is full of rage and strength, looking for a way out and agency over their own lives. Readers can expect these girls to surprise and scare them, hopefully until the very last page.
Where did the inspiration for They’ll Never Catch Us come from?
After reading about a series of female runners who disappeared while jogging, I wanted to write a story where that happened because I was so disturbed by the idea that doing something you love, something that can make you feel free and strong, might also be the thing that gets you hurt or even killed. It feels so unfair to me that young women often fear for their lives while doing something as simple and empowering as running. I also wanted to explore the complex, competitive nature that exists between sisters who are so close in age and who are so often pitted against one another. I have a sister who is only 18 months older than me and being a sister is one of a defining part of my identity. That relationship is so strong and multi-layered that it seemed like ripe fodder for this kind of story.
Can you tell us about any challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?
I revised most of this book during the pandemic, which was, uh, not great. I felt lethargic and uncreative and had such a hard time connecting with the story. Combined with the fact that second books are just plain hard—there are so many expectations and fears of letting readers down!—I spent a lot of this past year afraid for this book to come out. The best thing I did to overcome these challenges was to start a new project. Working on something fresh (my third book!) helped me see all the good stuff I created in They’ll Never Catch Us. It helped me see the book with fresh eyes and understand the characters in ways I hadn’t before. Now, I look at this book with pride. It’s a miracle I finished it during a pandemic. It’s a miracle it’s out in the world.
Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I loved exploring the sisterly relationship between Stella and Ellie. There is so much tension but also so much love and loyalty there. I wanted to create a sisterly bond that felt authentic—for better or worse. These girls may want to rip each other’s throat out one minute but at the end of the day they know that there is no one else in the world who would die—or kill—for them like their sister.
They’ll Never Catch Us is your second published novel! Were there any lessons learned between writing your two novels?
I spent nearly seven years thinking about and writing the first draft of They Wish They Were Us but I had to finish the first draft of They’ll Never Catch Us in four months. At the beginning I thought was no way in hell I’d get there. I was terrified to turn in the draft because I knew it wasn’t as polished as the first version of They Wish They Were Us. There was no way it could be! But the editing process taught me that sometimes finished is better than perfect. This book got so much better and stronger while we revised but if I had waited to get it perfect on my own, I never would have turned it in at all.
What’s the best and the worst writing advice you have received?
Best advice: finish the draft!!!! Completing something will give you the confidence you need to revise. Plus, no one ever published a half-book.
Worst advice: Chase a publishing trend. That’ll never work because your heart won’t be in it.
What’s next for you?
They Wish They Were Us is currently in development for a limited series at HBO Max, with Sydney Sweeney and Halsey set to star, and I’m hard at work on my next YA thriller, which will come out next summer. I can’t say much more about that novel, but I’ll let my publisher’s tweet tease it a bit…
YEEESSS! @jessgood is back with another summer blockbuster. A Goodman classic mix of privilege and wealth meets murder and secrets with location perfect setting! pic.twitter.com/0bWmlpEi3R
— Penguin Teen (@PenguinTeen) June 8, 2021
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
So many! Some of my recent favorites include That Weekend by Kara Thomas, The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris, The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz, We Were Never Here by Andi Bartz, and Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé.
Great interview!