Hi, Carol! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself? 

I’m the author of 24 novels and a writing teacher.  I’ve been writing since I was nine (see below), although it took me until 40 to get my first book published.  Since then I write full time and teach literature and writing part-time.  When I’m not writing, I’m either reading or out walking with friends and family, talking about books and movies and television and art.  I live in the Hudson Valley, which is fun to write about and a good place to do all that writing and walking.

When did you first discover your love for writing?

When I was nine years old, my fourth-grade teacher introduced us to creative writing and I happily wrote a 90-page, crayon-illustrated epic called “The Adventures of a Magical Herd.”  I was having such a good time that my teacher had to call my mother in for a parent-teacher conference to get me to do my other work.  I’ve been been writing ever since.

Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!

I think it was actually an I Can Read book because I remember reading those words alone in my room and thinking, “Yes, that’s right, I can read!”  Then I heard my parents and brothers calling my name and looking for me and I thought, “Ha, they don’t realize I’m in my room reading!”  It felt like a superpower and a delicious secret.  I can’t say I remember the book itself, though.  The first book I really remember having a big impact was Jane Eyre which I read when I was thirteen.  In between the I Can Read Book and Jane Eyre there were a lot of books about horses.

Your new novel, The Disinvited Guest, is out July 12^th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Maine Island Refuge turns Deadly!

What can readers expect?

Beautiful Maine scenery, ominous atmosphere, crackling tensions between friends, haunting backstory, secrets old and new revealed.   And there’s a map!

The Disinvited Guest has ties to the 2020 pandemic. At what point during the pandemic did this story bubble to the surface?

Pretty soon.  I just checked my notebooks and see that I wrote down notes for the idea on March 20, 2020, just a week after the college where I teach had shut down and we were all settling in for the lockdown.  In truth, I’d been playing around with an idea for a book set on an island off the coast of Maine since the summer of 2019 when I’d gone to a writers retreat on one, but I hadn’t found the right story for the setting yet.  I’d stopped to work on an academic mystery, but when the pandemic hit I realized that it would be difficult to write a contemporary novel that didn’t deal with the reality of the pandemic.  I felt like I needed to write something about what I was seeing around me and what my friends and family were experiencing.  I was especially moved and concerned about young people—my students and my daughters and their friends—and how the lockdown would impact their lives.   That made me think about setting the novel during a future pandemic where the characters are still living through the consequences of what happened in 2020.

Can you tell us a bit about the challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?

I feel challenged during every book to sustain my faith and belief in the work.  This book in particular was challenging because there was so much turmoil going on in the world that it was hard sometimes to stay focused on the writing.  In addition to the usual doubts I contend with (Is it any good? Am I an imposter?), I was constantly reading articles that began along the lines: “Don’t write your pandemic novel now.”  It felt a little audacious, then, to be writing not just a pandemic novel, but one set in the future!  Luckily, I hate being told what to do so a lot of the negative advice I was hearing acted as a catalyst instead.

Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

It was fun to imagine myself back on Norton Island during a time when I couldn’t leave my immediate surroundings.  So each day that I would send Lucy out exploring on the island felt like an adventure.  I drew a map (my daughter drew a better version for the book) and charted her journeys.  I had brought back a few stones from the island and I would look at them and picture the many colored boulders that rimmed the ocean.  I felt transported.

What helps to motivate you when it comes to writing?

Once I get hooked into a story I’m pretty obsessive about getting it written.  It’s the pull of the story itself that keeps me going day after day.  Sometimes, though, if that initial inspiration flags, it’s helpful to have feedback from family and friends.  My husband reads my drafts chapter by chapter, so handing him the next chapter and getting to hear his reactions is rewarding.  I have a couple of friends who I walk with who will listen patiently to my progress and ideas and that helps me work out the kinks as I go along.  Sometimes, too, I like to imagine someone reading it and uttering outlandishly enthusiastic praise (Best novel ever!).

What’s next for you?

After I had finished The Disinvited Guest I picked up the academic mystery that I had put down at the beginning of the pandemic.  As I went back to in-person teaching last fall, I felt ready to imagine a post-pandemic world for my characters and I felt reinvigorated by the campus setting.  I’m working on the final edits of that book for release next summer.

Lastly, do you have any 2022 book recommendations for our readers? 

Speaking of pandemic books, I really enjoyed Elly Griffiths’ The Locked Room.  I love her Ruth Galloway series and it was interesting to read about those early months of the pandemic as they were experienced in the U.K.   I also loved Sarah Stewart Taylor’s The Drowning Sea which is set on the coast of Ireland, another magical place to be transported.  And then for something completely different, I blew through Sarah Gran’s The Book of the Most Precious Substance, a supernatural thriller about the quest for a magical book.

Will you be picking up The Disinvited Guest? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Carol Goodman, Author of ‘The Disinvited Guest’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel
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Sharp Objects meets My Lovely Wife in this tightly drawn debut that peels back the layers of the most complicated of mother-daughter relationships…

The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida by Clarissa Goenawan
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From the critically acclaimed author of Rainbirds comes a novel of tragedy and dark histories set in Japan. Expanding on the beautifully crafted world of Rainbirds, Clarissa Goenawan gradually pierces through a young woman’s careful façade, unmasking her most painful secrets.

The Red Lotus by Chris Bohjalian
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From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Midwives and The Flight Attendant comes a twisting story of love and deceit: an American man vanishes on a rural road in Vietnam, and his girlfriend, an emergency room doctor trained to ask questions, follows a path that leads her home to the very hospital where they met.

Hide Away by Jason Pinter
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From the bestselling author of the Henry Parker series comes a page-turning thriller about a vigilante who’s desperate to protect her secrets—and bring a killer to justice.

The Sea of Lost Girls: A Novel by Carol Goodman
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In the tradition of Daphne du Maurier, Shari Lapena, and Michelle Richmond comes a new thriller from the bestselling author of The Lake of Dead Languages—a twisty, harrowing story set at a prestigious prep school in which one woman’s carefully hidden past might destroy her future.

Conjure Women by Afia Atakora
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A mother and daughter with a shared talent for healing–and for the conjuring of curses–are at the heart of this dazzling first novel.

The Herd by Andrea Bartz
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When an exclusive New York women’s workspace is rocked by the mysterious disappearance of its enigmatic founder, two sisters must uncover the haunting truth before they lose their friendships, their careers–maybe even their lives.

A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler
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Told from multiple points of view, A Good Neighborhood asks big questions about life in America today―What does it mean to be a good neighbor? How do we live alongside each other when we don’t see eye to eye?―as it explores the effects of class, race, and heartrending star-crossed love in a story that’s as provocative as it is powerful

The Sunday Potluck Club by Melissa Storm
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New friends can be found in unexpected places. For Bridget and Amy, that place was the cancer ward of an Anchorage hospital. Now, as each struggles to overcome loss, they lean on each other for support—sharing suppers, laughter and tears.

The Deep by Alma Katsu
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Brilliantly combining fact and fiction, the historical and the horrific, The Deep reveals a chilling truth in an unputdownable narrative full of unnerving moments and with a growing, inexorable sense of foreboding.

Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson
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A chilling tale of psychological suspense and an homage to the thriller genre tailor-made for fans: the story of a bookseller who finds himself at the center of an FBI investigation because a very clever killer has started using his list of fiction’s most ingenious murders.

The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel
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A spellbinding story of a mother with nothing left to lose who sets out on an all-consuming quest for justice after her daughter is murdered on the town playground.

Are you looking forward to any of these releases? Tell us in the comments below!

The post March 2020 Book Releases: Fiction appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Read on to discover our picks and tell us in the comments if you’ll be picking up any of these releases!

JANUARY

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Already being hailed as “a Grapes of Wrath for our times” and “a new American classic,” Jeanine Cummins’s American Dirt is a rare exploration into the inner hearts of people willing to sacrifice everything for a glimmer of hope.

Followers by Megan Angelo
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

An electrifying story of two ambitious friends, the dark choices they make and the profound moment that changes the meaning of privacy forever.

All the Ways We Said Goodbye by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The New York Times bestselling authors of The Glass Ocean and The Forgotten Room return with a glorious historical adventure that moves from the dark days of two World Wars to the turbulent years of the 1960s, in which three women with bruised hearts find refuge at Paris’ legendary Ritz hotel.

The Majesties by Tiffany Tsao
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

In this riveting and disquieting thriller about the secrets and betrayals that accompany exorbitant wealth—imagine Crazy Rich Asians as written by Gillian Flynn—two sisters from a Chinese-Indonesian family grapple with the past after one of them poisons their entire family.

The Look-Alike by Erica Spindler
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Other Girl and Justice for Sara comes a thrilling psychological drama about a woman who believes she escaped a brutal murder years ago—but does anyone else believe her?

A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From the New York Times bestselling author of The House of the Spirits comes an epic novel spanning decades and crossing continents, following two young people as they flee the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War in search of a new place to call home.

The Other People by C.J. Tudor
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A gripping thriller about a man’s quest for the daughter no one else believes is still alive, from the acclaimed author of The Chalk Man and The Hiding Place.

Long Bright River by Liz Moore
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Alternating its present-day mystery with the story of the sisters’ childhood and adolescence, Long Bright River is at once heart-pounding and heart-wrenching: a gripping suspense novel that is also a moving story of sisters, addiction, and the formidable ties that persist between place, family, and fate.

FEBRUARY

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
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From the award-winning author of Station Eleven, an exhilarating novel set at the glittering intersection of two seemingly disparate events-a massive Ponzi scheme collapse and the mysterious disappearance of a woman from a ship at sea.

The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
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After a storm has killed off all the island’s men, two women in a 1600s Norwegian coastal village struggle to survive against both natural forces and the men who have been sent to rid the community of alleged witchcraft.

The King at the Edge of the World by Arthur Phillips
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“One of the best writers in America” (The Washington Post) delivers a mesmerising new novel in which Queen Elizabeth’s spymasters recruit an unlikely agent for an impossible mission: the only Muslim in England.

The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Dare
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A powerful, emotional debut novel told in the unforgettable voice of a young Nigerian woman who is trapped in a life of servitude but determined to get an education so that she can escape and choose her own future.

Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes by Kathleen West
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Perfect for fans of Where’d You Go, Bernadette and Small Admissions, a wry and cleverly observed debut novel about the privileged bubble that is Liston Heights High–the micro-managing parents, the overworked teachers, and the students caught in the middle–and the fallout for each of them when the bubble finally bursts.

Death in the Family by Tessa Wegert
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A storm-struck island. A blood-soaked bed. A missing man. Senior Investigator Shana Merchant believes it all adds up to a killer in their midst—and that murder is a family affair.

The Love Story of the Century by Märta Tikkanen and Stina Katchadourian
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As much a story of resilience as it is suffering, The Love Story of the Century is a bittersweet account of the complexities of addiction, the power of creativity, and the redemption of love.

The Jetsetters by Amanda Eyre Ward
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The story of a vibrant but dysfunctional family trapped together on a ten-day Mediterranean cruise–a riveting, irresistible novel from bestselling author Amanda Eyre Ward

MARCH

The Sea of Lost Girls: A Novel by Carol Goodman
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

In the tradition of Daphne du Maurier, Shari Lapena, and Michelle Richmond comes a new thriller from the bestselling author of The Lake of Dead Languages—a twisty, harrowing story set at a prestigious prep school in which one woman’s carefully hidden past might destroy her future.

The Herd by Andrea Bartz
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

When an exclusive New York women’s workspace is rocked by the mysterious disappearance of its enigmatic founder, two sisters must uncover the haunting truth before they lose their friendships, their careers–maybe even their lives.

You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The #1 Bestselling authors of The Wife Between Us and An Anonymous Girl deliver a thriller about a circle of friends with deadly intentions–where trust is their weapon and revenge is their trigger….

The Red Lotus by Chris Bohjalian
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Midwives and The Flight Attendant comes a twisting story of love and deceit: an American man vanishes on a rural road in Vietnam, and his girlfriend, an emergency room doctor trained to ask questions, follows a path that leads her home to the very hospital where they met.

The Sunday Potluck Club by Melissa Storm
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

New friends can be found in unexpected places. For Bridget and Amy, that place was the cancer ward of an Anchorage hospital. Now, as each struggles to overcome loss, they lean on each other for support—sharing suppers, laughter and tears.

Conjure Women by Afia Atakora
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A mother and daughter with a shared talent for healing–and for the conjuring of curses–are at the heart of this dazzling first novel.

The Deep by Alma Katsu
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Brilliantly combining fact and fiction, the historical and the horrific, The Deep reveals a chilling truth in an unputdownable narrative full of unnerving moments and with a growing, inexorable sense of foreboding.

The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A spellbinding story of a mother with nothing left to lose who sets out on an all-consuming quest for justice after her daughter is murdered on the town playground.

APRIL

The Year of the Locust by Terry Hayes
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

With The Year of the Locust, Hayes has penned a breathtaking story about cutting-edge science, a government conspiracy, and one man’s desperate attempt to unravel it all. (Note: According to some retailers, this title has been pushed back yet again to June 2020. The UK version is currently set to September 2020, but after years of previous release dates and delays, this could still change).

If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A riveting debut novel set in contemporary Seoul, Korea, about four young women making their way in a world defined by impossibly high standards of beauty, secret room salons catering to wealthy men, strict social hierarchies, and K-pop fan mania.

A Bad Day for Sunshine by Darynda Jones
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Sheriff Sunshine Vicram finds her cup o’ joe more than half full when the small village of Del Sol, New Mexico, becomes the center of national attention for a kidnapper on the loose.

The New Husband by D.J. Palmer
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The New Husband is a riveting thriller about the lies we tell ourselves from D. J. Palmer, the author of Saving Meghan.

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
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Fried Green Tomatoes and Steel Magnolias meet Dracula in this Southern-flavoured supernatural thriller set in the ’90s about a women’s book club that must protect its suburban community from a mysterious and handsome stranger who turns out to be a blood-sucking fiend.

The Ancestor by Danielle Trussoni
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From the New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author of the Angelology series comes a bewitching gothic novel of suspense that plunges readers into a world of dark family secrets, the mysteries of human genetics, and the burden of family inheritance.

Something She’s Not Telling Us by Darcey Bell
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From the New York Times bestselling author of A Simple Favor comes an electrifying domestic thriller of how one woman’s life is turned upside down when her brother brings his new girlfriend to visit—and no one is telling the truth about who they really are.

Three Hours in Paris by Cara Black
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In June of 1940, when Paris fell to the Nazis, Hitler spent a total of three hours in the City of Light—abruptly leaving, never to return. To this day, no one knows why. The New York Times bestselling author of the Aimée Leduc investigations reimagines history in her masterful, pulse-pounding spy thriller, Three Hours in Paris.

MAY

Malorie by Josh Malerman
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

In the thrilling sequel to Bird Box, the inspiration for the record-breaking Netflix film that starred Sandra Bullock and “absolutely riveted” Stephen King, New York Times bestselling author Josh Malerman brings unseen horrors to life.

The Paris Hours by Alex George
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Told over the course of a single day in 1927, The Paris Hours takes four ordinary people whose stories, told together, are as extraordinary as the glorious city they inhabit.

If It Bleeds by Stephen King
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From #1 New York Times bestselling author, legendary storyteller, and master of short fiction Stephen King comes an extraordinary collection of four new and compelling novellas—Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, The Life of Chuck, Rat, and the title story If It Bleeds—each pulling you into intriguing and frightening places.

All Adults Here by Emma Straub
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In All Adults Here, Emma Straub’s unique alchemy of wisdom, humor, and insight come together in a deeply satisfying story about adult siblings, aging parents, high school boyfriends, middle school mean girls, the lifelong effects of birth order, and all the other things that follow us into adulthood, whether we like them to or not.

The Queen’s Secret: A Novel of England’s World War II Queen by Karen Harper
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If you love Jennifer Robson or The Crown you will love New York Times bestselling author Karen Harper’s novel about Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
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Peter Straub’s Ghost Story meets Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies in this American Indian horror story of revenge on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.

The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner
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“Fans of The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society will adore The Jane Austen Society… A charming and memorable debut, which reminds us of the universal language of literature and the power of books to unite and heal.” —Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Girls of Paris

Don’t Make A Sound by T.R. Ragan
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Her own past could be a reporter’s biggest story in this twisting thriller about murder and family secrets by the New York Times bestselling author T.R. Ragan.

JUNE

The Wife Who Knew Too Much by Michele Campbell
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From Michele Campbell, the bestselling author of It’s Always the Husband comes a new blockbuster thriller in The Wife Who Knew Too Much.

Safecracker by Ryan Wick
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In this wicked debut, safecracker Michael Maven must pull off the most dangerous theft of his long career―or his friends and family will be killed.

The Half Sister by Sandie Jones
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From the New York Times bestselling author of the Hello Sunshine Book Club pick The Other Woman, comes a compelling new domestic suspense novel about a family who is forever changed when a stranger arrives at their door.

The Lies That Bind by Emily Giffin
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In the irresistible new novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of All We Ever Wanted, a woman is falling hard for a man she’s just met when he disappears without a trace on 9/11.

The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton
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In 1935 three women are forever changed when one of the most powerful hurricanes in history barrels toward the Florida Keys in New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton’s captivating new novel.

The Girl from Widow Hills by Megan Miranda
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From the New York Times bestselling author of The Last House Guest—a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick—comes a riveting new novel of psychological suspense about a young woman plagued by night terrors after a childhood trauma who wakes one evening to find a corpse at her feet.

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
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From The New York Times -bestselling author of The Mothers , a stunning new novel about twin sisters, inseparable as children, who ultimately choose to live in two very different worlds, one black and one white.

Self Care by Leigh Stein
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The female cofounders of a wellness start-up struggle to find balance between being good people and doing good business, while trying to stay BFFs.

What 2020 fiction releases are you looking forward to? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Fiction Book Releases To Check Out In 2020 appeared first on The Nerd Daily.