We chat with author Monica Arya about The Favorite Girl, which is a twisting, riveting psychological thriller about a young woman who lands the job of her dreams, only to become trapped in a nightmare of dangerous secrets, perfect for fans of Freida McFadden, Jeneva Rose, Ruth Ware, and Mary Kubica.
Hi, Monica! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! I’m Monica Arya, a bestselling author of dark psychological thrillers. I’m married with two kids, ages six and nine, and we call Charlotte, North Carolina, home.
When I’m not writing, you can usually find me spending time with my family, enjoying the outdoors, exploring to new places, or finding any excuse to wear a pretty dress. I absolutely love fashion, traveling and dancing. I will never say no to spicy food, dark chocolate or a sparkling flavored water.
One of my favorite ironies about being a thriller author is the contrast between what I write and who I am in everyday life. I have an entirely pink home office, where I sit in sundresses surrounded by pretty things while dreaming up some of the darkest, most disturbing stories imaginable.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I was just five years old when I first discovered my love for writing and storytelling. Even at that age, I had such a vivid imagination and loved creating characters, dreaming up different worlds, and bringing stories to life. There was something so magical about being able to escape into a world entirely of my own making.
Funny enough, I even have a few of my former teachers in my Facebook reader group, Monica Arya’s Misfits, who still remember my love for writing and, of course, my dresses. Apparently, some things never change. I think that’s one of the sweetest parts of this journey, having people who knew me as a little girl now cheering me on as an author.
I often think about how proud that five-year-old girl would be to know that the stories she loved dreaming up would one day become actual books sitting on shelves around the world. It’s such a full-circle moment, and one I’ll never take for granted.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The Henry and Mudge and Junie B. Jones books.
- The one that made you want to become an author: I knew I wanted to be an author when I was around five years old. But I’ve long admired authors like Karin Slaughter and Gillian Flynn, and it was through reading Slaughter’s Pretty Girls and Flynn’s Sharp Objects that I truly discovered my fascination with darker, more disturbing stories. In a way, I found it almost comforting to realize that there was room in the thriller genre to explore those darker, more unsettling corners of human nature without holding back. Their stories showed me that it was okay to push boundaries, embrace the uncomfortable, and write the kinds of dark, twisted stories I had always been drawn to.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter
Your latest novel, The Favorite Girl, is out November 10th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Dark. Disturbing. Twisted. Unsettling. Unforgettable.
What can readers expect?
Readers can expect a dark, disturbing, and deeply twisted psychological thriller. One of my biggest hopes as a woman of color writing in the thriller genre is that readers embrace a female main character of color and the entire troubling world, I’ve built around her. Representation has always been incredibly important to me, and I hope my stories contribute to bringing more diversity to the thriller genre. I want readers to escape into a uniquely twisted world, become completely immersed in it, and find themselves shocked by just how far the darkness goes. I want them to turn the final page and think, What on earth did I just read? In the best possible way, of course.
Where did the inspiration for The Favorite Girl come from?
Growing up in the South as a minority female wasn’t always easy, and I think a part of me felt deeply connected to Demi because we both shared this desire to fit in, to belong, and to be accepted. When you grow up feeling different from those around you, there’s often this unspoken longing to be chosen, to be seen, and to feel like you have a place in the world.
I wanted to take those very real, personal emotions and weave them into something much darker with a twisted house of horrors unlike anything I had encountered in the thriller genre. As a reader, I had always craved something unique, disturbing, and completely unpredictable, and I wanted to create that experience for others.
I’ll admit, I was a little nervous about just how pitch-black I was willing to take The Favorite Girl. I wasn’t sure how readers would respond to such a dark and unsettling world, especially one centered around a female protagonist of color. But the response was beyond anything I could have imagined. Readers embraced Demi and her story, and their enthusiasm is ultimately what transformed The Favorite Girl from a standalone novel into a three-book series. That will always mean so much to me.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I would have to say Demi and the entire world of The Favorite Girl, because of how much of a risk it felt like to write it. Creating Demi as a resilient, strong female main character of color in such a disturbing world was incredibly meaningful to me. I wanted her to be complex, flawed, vulnerable, and yet extraordinarily strong in ways she might not even recognize herself.
There was something incredibly rewarding about taking Demi through unimaginable darkness while allowing her strength and resilience to shine through.
Writing The Favorite Girl pushed me outside my comfort zone as an author, and I think that’s part of why it holds such a special place in my heart. Demi became so much more than a character to me. She represents the strength it takes to survive no matter what the situation is.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
Absolutely! I think it’s often easier to conform to what we’re told will sell in the publishing industry rather than take a chance on the stories we know in our hearts we want to tell. For me, writing The Favorite Girl felt like a tremendous creative risk. I was nervous about creating a female main character of color whose experiences and struggles might not be immediately relatable to most readers. But I also believed that readers don’t necessarily need to share a character’s background or experiences to connect with their humanity, resilience, and desire to belong.
I wanted to write the kind of thriller I had always craved as a reader while creating a strong, complex female protagonist who didn’t necessarily fit the traditional mold. I didn’t want to compromise Demi’s identity or soften the darkness of her world simply to make the story more commercially appealing.
Ultimately, I decided to trust my instincts and write the book that was in my heart. Seeing readers embrace Demi and The Favorite Girl has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. It reminded me that sometimes the stories we’re most afraid to tell are the very ones that deserve to be told. With that being said, I went through an emotional roller coaster of doubt and fear but ultimately found the courage to overcome it by taking a chance not only on Demi’s voice, but on my own as well.
What’s next for you?
Following the release of The Favorite Girl, my standalone psychological thriller, Let Me Show You, will hit shelves in April 2027. Then, The Caged Girl, the second book in The Favorite Girl series, will get its paperback release in July, followed by The Favorite Daughter, the third and final book in the series, in October 2027.
After that, I’m hoping my next dark psychological thriller, gets a 2028 birthday. It’s probably the closest I’ve come to recreating the same pitch-black darkness and unsettling atmosphere of The Favorite Girl series, but with an entirely new story and cast of characters.
There’s so much ahead, and I truly cannot wait to share it all with my incredible readers. They’re the reason I get to keep creating these twisted little worlds, and I’m beyond excited to celebrate every book release with them!
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up soon? Any you’ve got your eye on that are releasing in 2027?
I have Harlan Coben’s memoir, Plot Twist, that I cannot wait to dive into! While thrillers will always have my heart, it’s been a long time since I’ve picked up a memoir, so I’m especially excited for this one. Now I just need to find a little free time between chasing my kids around, editing, and writing new books.
