We chat with debut author Rebecca Sharpe about Harmless Women, which is a pacy thriller and follows a female con artist who chooses the wrong woman as her target, and both women end up on the run for their lives.
Hi, Rebecca! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello! I’m a writer from the UK, and live in the beautiful county of Somerset in South West England. My latest novel, Harmless Women, is about a thief who chooses the wrong target and, when the hit goes wrong, both women must run for their lives.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I can’t remember not loving both. My father is a great storyteller and used to make up fantastic bedtime tales when I was a child. He’s also an avid reader so I was surrounded by all kinds of books from a young age, and a lot of our conversations were about books. By the time I was in high school the library was my favourite place to be, and the room where I found the best friends. I spent a lot of my teenage years writing stories that featured those friends on various quests and adventures.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The Babysitter’s Club.
- The one that made you want to become an author: Wilkie Collins, The Woman in White.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
Your debut novel, Harmless Women, is out April 7th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Thelma and Louise meets Misery.
What can readers expect?
Part road-trip and part thriller, Harmless Women is a story about two very different women who are thrown together in the toughest of circumstances, and must learn to trust themselves and each other to survive. It’s the kind of book that will make you want to talk to someone about it as soon as you’ve finished reading.
Where did the inspiration for Harmless Women come from?
The central thread of the story—a con that goes wrong—came to me whilst drinking G&Ts in a pub in Bristol and slowly developed into the novel it is today. The relationship between Avalon and Prim, however, was inspired by my response to a police officer’s murder of a young woman called Sarah Everard in London during the covid pandemic, and the outpouring of grief and fury from women across the country. No matter if they knew Sarah or not, thousands of women from all conceivable backgrounds were affected by her death, all were as furious as they were heartbroken and all wished that someone had been able to do something. I think that’s where a lot of the novel’s rage comes from, and also the idea that Avalon and Prim must stand up for themselves and each other, because there is no one else.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Avalon has a very dry sense of humour, which was good fun to write, and the burgeoning friendship between the two women was hugely satisfying to craft. The strange thing about any long journey is that, eventually, people begin to find common ground—you need to, otherwise the journey would be unbearable—so writing the scenes where the women share a sense of humour, or can relax a little before their hackles re-rise, was great fun.
There is another character in the book who only exists off page—Mira. We see her through her mother’s eyes, and through the eyes of her mother’s friend. Mira has a tough time, with little support, and she was inspired by the dozens of girls and young women I’ve spoken with who have been through difficult times. Though these were less fun to write for obvious reasons, it was deeply satisfying to give these young women a voice.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
The biggest challenge was how to align the reader with Avalon and Prim; two women who aren’t your standard heroines. Avalon is a thief who the reader knows, from page one, is capable of heinous acts, and Prim is fairly stuck up and self-interested. The key wasn’t to change either character or turn them into a classic shiny, likable protagonist, but to show the reader their vulnerabilities and complexities. I wanted characters who were human, rather than perfect.
This is your debut novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
Bumpy, that’s for sure.
I’ve been writing for over ten years, and though I’ve been picked up by UK publishers in the past, the success hasn’t followed. The first time, my entire editorial and publicity team left the publisher just one week before publication date, and I, along with my book, was left floundering. The second time, I used a pseudonym, and then another writer using the same name was picked up by a big 5 publisher and stormed the market (with a brilliant book, to be fair!) and it was felt by my publisher that there was little point pushing my work as readers would get confused. So, for me, this is third time lucky and the key wasn’t changing my style so much as changing my audience. Working with Minotaur has been fantastic, and readers in the US are so warm, welcoming and excited about novels that twist the usual genre boundaries.
What’s next for you?
I’m finishing my next novel, which will be out in 2027, and I’m in the planning stages for the third. And, in between, I’m renovating a 1920s house and garden, so I’ll definitely be busy.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?
I cannot wait for The Caretaker by Marcus Klewer and Hunger and Thirst by Claire Fuller, and, like most of the world, I’m hoping that this will be the year Donna Tart announces she’s written another book.
