We chat with author Stephanie Wrobel about Revenge Plot, which follows a desperate writer’s pursuit of a powerful literary agent takes a dark turn.
Hi, Stephanie! Welcome back! What have you been up to since we last spoke for the release of The Hitchcock Hotel?
Thanks for having me back! I’ve been hard at work on a few novels and screenplays, particularly my fourth book, Revenge Plot. Oh, and I moved cross country from Brooklyn to Los Angeles.
Your latest novel, Revenge Plot, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Unhinged writer seeks literary agent
What can readers expect?
A peek inside the publishing industry, a good old-fashioned kidnapping, and a cat-and-mouse game set over a sumptuous Christmas dinner.
Where did the inspiration for Revenge Plot come from?
It was a mashup of two things, really. I was first thinking about dinner guests who don’t read the signs that the party is over and it’s time to go. Naturally, my brain then went somewhere darker. What about someone who refuses to leave someone else’s home?
I had also been wanting to write about the publishing industry, and I thought maybe I could blend these two elements. By now, we’ve read plenty of stories about writers stealing other writers’ ideas. We’re more familiar with the relationship between writers and their editors. But I had never read a thriller about writers and literary agents. Once those two roles slotted into the story, the novel took off. Revenge Plot is like Stephen King’s Misery, but instead of a writer and a crazy fan, it’s a literary agent and a crazy writer.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Neve, the full-time novelist, was my favorite character to explore. There’s more of me in Neve than any character I’ve written. Normally I favor my unhinged characters because they’re so much fun to write, but I have a real soft spot for Neve. She gave me the opportunity to write about the vulnerabilities of being published and working in this industry. I enjoyed trying to explain the process of how I write a book, from that first light bulb moment to the finished story.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
I wanted to tighten the timeframe on this story. With my previous book, The Hitchcock Hotel, the entire book takes place over one weekend. With Revenge Plot, I wanted to go even tighter: one Christmas dinner. I was worried about having enough action to sustain the novel and pacing. In the end, I cheated by making the middle third a book within a book that takes the reader to an entirely different cast of characters and much longer timeline—but that’s just what the story called for!
How did you balance the psychological suspense throughout the novel?
One of my other chief concerns was how the reader would react to the middle of the book. The first part of the book is a classic suspense pressure cooker, where we have two characters facing off. Then we leave those characters behind for 150 pages to go through this “book within a book” story, which is aspiring writer Arnie’s manuscript. Of course this manuscript ties into the larger story in a big way, but I worried readers would be irritated by the change of pace. My hope is that Arnie’s manuscript provides enough answers to the mysteries laid out in the first part of the book that you don’t mind letting go of some of the more traditional suspense elements for a while.
This is your fourth published novel! What are some of the key lessons you’ve learned since your debut?
Hoo boy, I could write a whole book trying to answer that question. From a craft perspective, I’ve learned: the importance of causation, that readers don’t like ambiguous endings, how to juggle seven POVs in one book, that my antecedents are often unclear (thanks, copyeditors!), and on and on.
From a career perspective, I’ve gotten better at managing my expectations, asking questions, controlling only what I can control (which is to say: the quality of the book), building my writing community, and accepting that vulnerability and, sometimes, embarrassment, are part of the job.
What’s next for you?
For the past year I’ve been working on my first non-thriller! I can’t say too much yet, but it’s a dystopian novel set in post-apocalyptic California.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up soon? Any you’ve got your eye on that are releasing in 2027?
I was lucky to beta read THE CHAPERONES by Amy Meyerson, which is an enthralling thriller, kind of like if Big Little Lies went camping on an island off the coast of California. That one comes out December 1. I’m also excited for THE THINGS YOU’LL NEVER KNOW by Ashley Audrain, out 1/12/27.
