Q&A: Michele Campbell, Author of ‘The Wife Who Knew Too Much’

Michele Campbell’s exciting new thriller, The Wife Who Knew Too Much, takes the reader to the glamorous and glitzy world of the Hamptons where things are not always what they seem and there are dark secrets hidden under the glittering jewels.

Michele has generously given us some of her time to talk about this much-anticipated new release. We talk about how her writing process has changed as her confidence as an author has grown, as well as how authors communicate with readers in a world dealing with a pandemic. She even gives us a sneak peek at what’s coming next!

For readers that are new to you, tell us a little about yourself.

I’m a former federal prosecutor, a wife, a mom and a lifelong reader. My background prosecuting serious crime in New York City made for a natural segue to writing thrillers. I’ve also lived in many different places, and have a love of both the glitzy, bright-lights-big-city and small-town settings of my books. All of my life experience goes into my writing. My books combine suspense, love, sex, money, the haves and have-nots, with a deep knowledge of crime and criminal investigations.

From your first novel up to The Wife Who Knew Too Much, is there a difference in how you approach the story or the writing process?

I trust my writing process more now. I know that inspiration will come if I just let my characters show me the way. I have confidence that I will manage somehow to shape my meandering first draft into something twisty and propulsive. Because I’m more confident and less anxious, I can relax and enjoy the craft. I’ve hit my stride, and I’m loving writing more than ever.

For the criminal elements of your stories, do you find yourself looking back to your prosecutor days for details or plot points?

Yes, though not so much for specific plots, but more for authenticity and atmosphere. I know how crimes unfold, how perpetrators behave, what they do to cover their tracks, how the police investigate. And I know that crime is all around us, even though it might not be visible. I’m fascinated by the dark side of everyday life, by normal people doing terrible things. That’s a legacy of my years as a prosecutor and influences my writing to this day.

Tell us little about The Wife Who Knew Too Much and its inspiration!

The Wife Who Knew Too Much is a decadent summer thriller set against the glittering backdrop of the Hamptons. It explores how far people will go for love and money and is inspired by the classic psychological thrillers. It has an everywoman heroine who gets in over her head because of love – the second wife, Tabitha. And a glamorous, sophisticated, possibly evil first wife, Nina, who’s dead by chapter two. Do you love Nina or hate her? And who killed her? If you enjoy classic domestic noir, like Rebecca, Gone Girl, and The Girl on the Train, this book belongs on your summer TBR.

Do you have a favorite character or aspect of the story, or was there an element that was the most difficult to get ‘just right’?

Nina is my favorite character in this book, and she was also the most challenging to write. Nina was the first Mrs. Connor Ford, twenty years older than her boy-toy husband, wealthy, educated, glamorous, and –spoiler –now dead. Did Connor kill her for the money? Did the second Mrs. Ford, the earnest, small-town waitress Tabitha, do it, to be with Connor? For those questions to matter, the reader needs to care about Nina. It would’ve been easy to render her as a caricature, as shrewish or spoiled. I had to get her just right, so that her death would resonates and drive the plot.

How did you decide to tell the story the way you did, dividing it into sections focusing on one character’s point of view at a time?

This book is about the two wives of Connor Ford, Nina and Tabitha, who are so different from one another. Nina is experienced, cynical and difficult, but also beautiful and rich. Tabitha is the earnest, naïve small-town waitress. I felt strongly that, for this story to work, they both needed to have a voice, and their own POV chapters. The use of multiple viewpoints not only builds suspense but also intensifies the reader’s relationship with the characters, raising the stakes.

Do you have a tradition or specific celebration for after your books are released into the world?

I spend time on social media thanking all the people who helped make the book possible — agent, editor, publisher, publicist, book reviewers and bloggers, and, of course, readers! After that, I have a glass of champagne.

With the changes to the world, (lockdowns, quarantines, etc.) how do you approach (or replace) the traditional book tour?  Are there some positives and some negatives to that?

Instead of an in-person tour for The Wife Who Knew Too Much, I’ll be doing a bunch of fun virtual events open to readers everywhere. I’ll also be doing Skype or Zoom chats with book clubs. (Visit my website, MicheleCampbellBooks.com, or connect with me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, to book a chat.) The upside of touring online is that more readers can attend my events. No travel necessary! The downside is interacting through screens rather than in person. But it’s still a ton of fun!

Now that The Wife Who Knew Too Much has come out, what are some of your most anticipated books for the rest of 2020?

My two most anticipated reads for this fall are Don’t Look for Me by Wendy Walker and And Now She’s Gone by Rachel Howzell Hall. These are wildly talented suspense writers at the top of their games. And these books are not to be missed.

Time for my favorite thing to find out … What’s next for you?!

I’m going back to my roots – in more ways than one. My new book, The Housesitter, is about a young Latina law student at Harvard who’s drawn into the web of a glamorous female professor when she’s offered a position as her housesitter. This book is a combination of a modern, female-driven psychological suspense and a classic legal thriller in the vein of John Grisham or Scott Turow. I love the law school environment and – as a former law student, lawyer and law prof – I know it like the back of my hand. On a more personal level, I’m of Puerto Rican heritage, from a modest background, and had the often-difficult experience of attending Harvard coming from that background. So, there’s a lot of my life in this book. The Housesitter is coming from St. Martin’s Press in 2022.

Will you be picking up The Wife Who Knew Too Much? Tell us in the comments below!