We chat with author Leah Konen about her latest release You Should Have Told Me, which follows a new mother chases the secrets her partner left behind after his sudden disappearance.
Hi, Leah! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi, there! I’m a writer splitting my time between Brooklyn and upstate New York. I’m a mom (to one dog and one human), and I’m obsessed with both reading and writing thrillers, horror movies, and lately, playing World of Warcaft (my favorite winter hobby).
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I think it was always there. My parents read to me religiously and told me lots of stories, as well. It felt very natural for me to make up my own, and once we got our first computer (this was the mid-90s), I was in Word a lot, writing stories.
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!
My first chapter book was The Boxcar Children, which I read right before Kindergarten. Many thanks to my Great Aunt Alice for explaining to me that reading a book with that many words was no different than reading a picture book—it would just take me more time. Can’t point to a specific book, but the entire Nancy Drew series, at least all the ones I could get my hands on at the library in my small hometown, really made me want to be a storyteller. Currently, I can’t stop thinking about Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister. I adore the way she was able to weave time travel into a classic domestic thriller.
Your latest novel, You Should Have Told Me, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Motherhood Mysterious Woman Missing Husband
What can readers expect?
I think you’ll see the plot twists, pacing and classic mystery elements you’d find in all of my thrillers, but with an additional explortation of the pressures society puts on mothers.
Where did the inspiration for You Should Have Told Me come from?
Like so many, I never truly understood the dark side of motherhood until I went through it myself. After a complicated pregnancy and a traumatic birth, my daughter burst onto the scene just a few months ahead of a global pandemic. In those early weeks and months, like so many new mothers, I found myself struggling to adapt to sleepless nights and the trials of new motherhood, and was at a loss trying to feel all the feelings I knew I was “supposed” to have. A writer through and through, I was determined to turn these feelings into my next book.
Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I loved writing Liana. She’s a single, childfree woman who leads a semi-successful band, and she’s happy—not miserable. I really enjoyed trying to put a different spin on that trope.
Do you have any advice for those who may have set some writing resolutions for the new year?
I think it’s best to focus on frequency of writing sessions rather than actual output. Even trying to open your computer and draft for five minutes three-to-five times a week is a great way to get a routine going.
What’s next for you?
I’m currently revising a thriller about two moms who meet by chance—only one of them isn’t who she says she is. It’s a bit inspired by Strangers on a Train, only the “train” is a playground in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
Lastly, are there any 2023 releases our readers should look out for?
I can’t wait for The Writing Retreat, by Julia Bartz, releasing in February. It’s a thriller about a woman who enters a writing put on by a famous novelist, only to get far more horrors than she ever bargained for. And this summer, I’m super excited for Delicate Condition by Danielle Valentine—a horror novel about pregnancy and the way the medical establishment fails women.
