We had the pleasure of chatting with Lara about A Good Mother, writing, the challenges she faced, and so much more!

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

I am a law professor and a former federal public defender.  I am also the mother of a 12 year old boy and a 10 year old girl.  We talk a lot of true crime at the dinner table.

My best friend likes to joke that some parts of my brain are over-developed and other parts never developed at all.  When it comes to the courtroom, I have a decent amount of talent.  When it comes to sense of direction, basic home repairs, or remembering where I parked the car, not so much.

How is your 2021 going in comparison to that other year?

On the whole, much better.  My children are back in school part time.  And in the Racial Justice Clinic that I direct at the University of San Francisco School of Law, my students and I were able to exonerate our client, who was sentenced to die in prison for a crime he did not commit!  You can read more here.

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!

The first book I remember reading is Little House in the Big Woods.  I became obsessed with Laura Ingalls Wilder and her entire family.  I loved reading the series aloud to my children.

The book that made me want to become a writer was Ordinary People by Judith Guest.  I re-read it once a year and it stops my heart every time.

The book I can’t stop thinking about is Room, by Emma Donoghue.  It haunts me to this day.  I stayed up all night reading it and cried for hours afterward.  I truly believe that the characters are real and I am constantly wondering what happened to them.  Mostly, I wonder if Ma is okay.

When did you first discover your love for writing?

In second grade.  My grandmother told wonderful stories about her childhood.  Each story was an adventure where she was the protagonist—a fierce, flawed protagonist.  I would write them down in my Mead notebook at school.

Your debut novel, A Good Mother, is out May 11^th 2021! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Suspenseful, shocking, scary, searing, sexy.

What can readers expect?

To have their expectations thoroughly upended when it comes to guilt and innocence, right and wrong, motherhood and ambition.

Where did the inspiration for A Good Mother come from?

A case from the early 2000s in Los Angeles.  Two of my former colleagues defended a young mother accused of murdering her husband on an army base in Turkey.  I watched every minute of the trial, riveted.

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

Oh, where to begin.  Writing is excruciatingly difficult and there are always a million excuses not to do it.  I have to scrub the bathroom tile with a toothbrush! I need to go to Trader Joe’s for the third time today because I forgot the parmesan cheese! I definitely need to doom-scroll through Twitter for the fifth time in five minutes!

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

I had the most fun writing from the perspective of the male co-protagonist.  It’s fun being a guy—at least for a little while.  My favourite moments came at the end, particularly the short scene with Abby, the female trial lawyer protagonist, and Antoine, the investigator, right before the verdict.

What drew you towards the thriller genre?

Thrillers are the books I love reading most.  They tend to have snappy dialogue, edgy characters, and twists and turns that keep me turning the pages into the night.

What’s the best and the worst writing advice you have received?

The best: Just do it.

The worst: You should be writing 1,000 words every day.  Just reading that sentence makes me feel defeated.

What’s next for you?

I am writing another thriller.  Just a germ of an idea for the moment, but I am having fun with it!

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

Yes.  Miracle Creek by Angie Kim is the best book I read in 2020.  She is masterful at creating a rich backstory while also propelling the reader forward with one plot twist after another.

Will you be picking up A Good Mother? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Lara Bazelon, Author of ‘A Good Mother’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

APRIL

Lies We Bury by Elle Marr

Marissa was born in captivity.  It’s been twenty years since she gained her freedom, but a new string of murders threatens to bring all of her secrets to the surface.

The Perfect Daughter by DJ Palmer

Grace has to visit her teenage daughter in the state psychiatric hospital where she is being held on a charge of murder.  Doctors have disagreed about a diagnosis of multiple personality disorder, but what dark and shocking secrets will be uncovered if she goes to trial?

The Truth About Unspeakable Things by Emily A Myers

After horrific trauma, Emma has finally opened her heart to love again.  She has kept so many secrets about the abuse she experienced, her past may destroy her before she gets her second chance at love and happiness.

Her Three Lives by Cate Holahan

After a violent home break-in, a family no longer knows whether they can trust anyone, even each other, as doubts, questions, and suspicions abound.  Gaslighting galore!

In The Company of Killers by Bryan Christy

A tightly wound debut thriller! Tom is an investigative reporter, but only as a cover – he’s also a CIA spy.  While he is on assignment in Kenya, his carefully crafted double life begins to fall apart, revealing truths that even Tom doesn’t know about.

MAY

The Next Wife by Kaira Rouda

Does anyone really ever ‘have it all’?  There is no limit to what some women will do to try to have it all, or to keep it.  In the name of love, or revenge, there is no limit to what a woman might do.

Find You First by Linwood Barclay

The master of psychological suspense is back with a deadly race against time when the unconventional heirs of a dying tech millionaire begin to meet mysterious ends.

The Hunting Wives by May Cobb

An elite club that focuses equally on target practice and martinis leads to a life of dangerous behavior, obsession, seduction, and murder when Sophie, her husband, and young son settle down in a small Texas town.

The Photographer by Mary Dixie Carter

After observing the wealthy and elite of New York City through her camera lens, Delta feels an uncontrollable desire to no longer be separated by the camera, and instead be part of their world.  Manipulation at its strongest is on full display here!

A Good Mother by Lara Bazelon

An exciting debut thriller with two young mothers in different positions in the same murder trial, where the decision about what defines a good mother has to be answered by the jury!

JUNE

The North Face of the Heart by Dolores Redondo (Translated by Michael Meigs)

A young but experienced female detective literally follows a murderer into the eye of a storm when she helps the FBI find a killer using natural disasters to hide his crimes and aid his escape.

Hairpin Bridge by Taylor Adams

The author of No Exit is back with a new thriller where a young woman refuses to accept the official police version of her sister’s death.  Lena is willing to fight for the truth, but instead may be fighting for her life.

The Fiancee by Kate White

What should have been a relaxing family vacation is turned on its head when a mysterious woman is involved.  An unexpected death further rocks the family, but was that only the beginning?

Hostage by Clare Mackintosh

The ultimate locked-room mystery, a claustrophobic thriller that takes place entirely on a twenty- hour flight from London to Sydney. A lot can happen in twenty hours.

Survive the Night by Riley Sager

Set in 1991, when help was not just as close as a cellphone call away, two people share a car ride when neither person knows enough about the person they are riding beside.

JULY

Choose Me by Tess Gerritsen and Gary Braver

When a young woman who is both beautiful and brilliant plunges from her apartment balcony, the detective in charge can feel in her gut that there is more to the story than meets the eye.  Discovering her sordid secrets provides more questions, rather than answers.

For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing

This best-selling author is back with a new thriller set in a prestigious private school.  Meddlesome parents, murder, Teacher of the Year, and overachieving students – what else could we ask for?

Her Last Breath by Hilary Davidson

When it is discovered that a woman predicted her own murder, her sister will absolutely not let the truth be brushed aside, despite being a pariah in her own family. Digging for the truth may come at too high of a cost, however.

Safe in my Arms by Sara Shepard

At an elite preschool, the principal is attacked and three moms who don’t think they fit in with the ultra-wealthy community work together to both find out who is trying to frame them as well as how to keep their real secrets hidden.

Silver Tears by Camilla Lackberg

Three generations of women have been hiding from one man, but secrets always eventually come out.  Betrayal and tears are sure to follow.

Are you as excited as we are about all of these upcoming thrillers? Are some of your favourite authors back with something new? Which books are you most excited to pick up? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Thrillers We Are Eagerly Anticipating In The Next Few Months appeared first on The Nerd Daily.