We chat with author Megan Lally about No Place Left To Hide, which is a twisty new thriller where some secrets just won’t stay hidden!
Hi, Megan! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello! I’d love to! I’m Megan, I live in the spooky PNW and I write dark and twisted young adult books set in and around my home. My debut novel THAT’S NOT MY NAME came out at the very end of last year, and my next book, NO PLACE LEFT TO HIDE releases early next year. I’m originally from the East Coast (New Hampshire) but I moved West during high school and have been here ever since. I love the rain, and the Oregon coast. In fact, most of my books have been written at writing retreats at the coast. Most likely in my lucky Twilight sweatpants.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I was a bit of a late bloomer there. I always loved English classes in school, but I didn’t start writing anything outside of school assignments until a couple years after I left school. A family friend was obsessed with the Twilight series and insisted I read it, and that was the first time I ever got REALLY sucked into a book in years. It lead to me reading every young adult novel I could get my hands on for months and before long I was rewriting endings that weren’t my favorite in my head, or imagining new threads in sequels that didn’t exist.
Eventually someone very condescendingly said “If you think you can do any better, why don’t YOU write a book.” I’m motivated by nothing if not spite, so that’s exactly what I did. I’ve written something like ten books since, though the early ones will never see the light of day.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Oh wow, probably one of the Little Golden Book picture books when I was little. I read The Poky Little Puppy and another one about a lion? I think? Probably every day for years.
- The one that made you want to become an author: Twilight! That series really started me down a path I never left.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Oh easily The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. I think about that book all the time. It’s a work of art.
Your latest novel, No Place Left to Hide, is out January 7th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Mean girls doing bad things.
What can readers expect?
This one is very Regina George coded. Readers can expect a lot of unlikeable characters, bad decisions, and adrenaline. At its core No Place Left to Hide is a car chase thriller, with two girls being tailed by an unknown attacker in a white bronco who wants the driver (main character, Brooke Goodwin) to admit to something she may or may not have done at a party at the beginning of the year. The story bounces back and forth between this car chase and the notorious party in the past, slowly revealing what really happened that fateful night. This one will leave people wondering who’s side they’re supposed to be on until the very end.
Where did the inspiration for No Place Left to Hide come from?
It actually started as my very real paranoia of being followed home. I remember being in my car one day and seeing a big SUV take the same five or six turns that I made while I watched them in the rearview mirror, and while they eventually disappeared and weren’t actually following me it sparked a cascade of what ifs— which is what my book ideas typically grow from.
This time it was: What if this happened to a teen, but they really were being followed. What if she had no service and couldn’t call for help? What if she was on an isolated road in the middle of nowhere? No Place Left to Hide blossomed from there.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
The car chase scenes were really fun, because so much can go wrong at ninety miles an hour on a curvy, desolate highway. There’s also a section where they’re forced to stop for… reasons, and those scenes were really fun too. I love an excuse to send people running terrified through the woods at night.
Did you face any challenges? How did you overcome them?
It was sometimes challenging to be in Brooke Goodwin’s head. She can be… difficult. I really wanted to explore a thriller where the POV character was a bit more unlikeable than in my debut, and I wanted to play with creating empathy for someone who sort of sucks sometimes. Brooke is very privileged and she knows she is, but she’s also under way too much pressure. She’s from a prominent public facing family who value achievement over love, and constantly feels like a disappointment to them. So while she’s quick to defend her friends and show up for those who need her, she’s also quick to lie, and manipulate any person or situation that threatens her image. Which is very different from anyone I know in real life so it was really interesting, but also difficult, to be in her mind sometimes.
What did you learn from writing and publishing your debut?
Oh, so much. I learned that there is so much out of your hands. I learned that nothing is more valuable than a publishing team that gets what you’re trying to do and believes in you. I learned that reading reviews is a real quick path to insanity. I learned that indie booksellers and librarians are literal rockstars and some of the best people on the planet.
But more than anything, I learned the value of figuring out who your people are and keeping them as close as possible. Putting out a book for the first time is terrifyingly stressful and having friends going through the same thing and friends who have already done it is so incredibly helpful during all the up and downs. It’s an industry that friends and family outside the publishing world don’t always understand, and having your people close by that “get it” is invaluable.
What’s next for you?
Right now I’m working on my 2026 YA thriller, and it’s a little different than the last two. I like to keep readers on their toes, so you’ll never get the same kind of book from me twice. This one is more of a survival story, and while the characters are from the PNW, it’s set somewhere a little warmer (definitely more palm trees than mossy evergreens) which is a fun change! Though no less dangerous. In fact, this might be my most devastating book yet. I’m really excited about it, and I can’t wait to share more in a few months!
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up in 2025?
I’ve been on an Elsie Silver kick lately, so I’m really looking forward to Wild Side in March. I’m also really excited for Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins, Wings of Starlight by Allison Saft, and To Steal from Thieves by M.K. Lobb!
