Don’t Call It a Comeback – Elizabeth Little

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Wow, we are having a terrific week for thrillers here on JRW! Maybe that's just what we need to keep us happily glued to our books and not minding dark days or bad weather. PRETTY AS A PICTURE  by my friend Liz Little debuts on February 25th and is getting absolutely rave press--Publisher's Weekly calls it “[A] smart, cinematically steeped page-turner. . ."

My forecast is that we clear our schedules and settle in for a good winter's read. But this is not Elizabeth's first much-lauded novel, and here she is to tell us what it's like to have a new book when you've taken a break from publishing. (Not that's she's counting...)

ELIZABETH LITTLE: Five years. Six months. Twenty-two days. That’s how long it’s been since I last published a new book. 

By any non-George R.R. Martin publishing measure, that’s a pretty long time. And in crime fiction, it’s an eternity. So you’d better believe I’ve tossed and turned my way through more than a few sleepless nights as I get ready to launch my newest thriller out into the world. What if I’m out of practice? What if I’m out of touch? What if I’m not able to discuss my work in anything but the hypothetical? 

What if I don’t know how to do this anymore? 

It’s sort of like going back to the gym for the first time in forever (unless you count that time you tried barre but couldn’t even make it through the trial session, you just collapsed to the mat halfway through in a sweaty heap of lycra and shame). Except I’m not scared I’m out of shape. I’m scared I’m out of personality. 

But then, the strangest thing: This week, as I’ve been gearing up for Tuesday’s release, I’ve realized that I’m not out of practice. I’m not out of touch. Sure I’m still awkward and anxious, but that’s just my default state. In all the ways that matter, it doesn’t even feel like I’ve been gone. 

And I think that’s because even when I was between books, I never stopped being part of the book community. I kept up on industry developments and attended conferences whenever I could. I read widely and deeply, revisiting old favorites while also actively seeking out and supporting exciting new voices that expand our understanding of what crime fiction can be. And I volunteered, too, donating my time and energy to organizations like Mystery Writers of America and Pitch Wars, doing my best to become a better literary citizen. 

But most important of all, I never stopped loving books—and I never stopped believing in them. In their ability to change a person’s day, a person’s perspective, a person’s world. So even though I may not remember how to pace my readings or target ads or even access my Facebook author page, I have no trouble speaking from the heart about everything books mean to me. Which means I’m confident I’ll be able to connect with readers—because I know they feel the same. Thank you so much for hosting me today!

Readers, what’s the last book you read that turned your day around—and what’s the last book that taught you something new?

Elizabeth Little is the Los Angeles Times–bestselling author of the Strand Critics Award–winning Dear Daughter and two works of nonfiction. Her writing has also appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Los Angeles Review of Books, among other publications. In Pretty as a Picture, a "fun and fast-paced thriller loaded with cinematic flourishes" (Kirkus), a shy but gifted film editor travels to an isolated movie set only to wind up embroiled in a murder investigation. Available Tuesday, February 25 in print and audio from Viking Books.


DEBS: Here's more about PRETTY AS A PICTURE:

A CrimeReads Most Anticipated Book of 2020

An egomaniacal movie director, an isolated island, and a decades-old murder--the addictive new novel from the bestselling author of Dear Daughter

Marissa Dahl, a shy but successful film editor, travels to a small island off the coast of Delaware to work with the legendary--and legendarily demanding--director Tony Rees on a feature film with a familiar logline.

Some girl dies.

It's not much to go on, but the specifics don't concern Marissa. Whatever the script is, her job is the same. She'll spend her days in the editing room, doing what she does best: turning pictures into stories.

But she soon discovers that on this set, nothing is as it's supposed to be--or as it seems. There are rumors of accidents and indiscretions, of burgeoning scandals and perilous schemes. Half the crew has been fired. The other half wants to quit. Even the actors have figured out something is wrong. And no one seems to know what happened to the editor she was hired to replace.

Then she meets the intrepid and incorrigible teenage girls who are determined to solve the real-life murder that is the movie's central subject, and before long, Marissa is drawn into the investigation herself.

The only problem is, the killer may still be on the loose. And he might not be finished.

A wickedly funny exploration of our cultural addiction to tales of murder and mayhem and a thrilling, behind-the-scenes whodunit, Pretty as a Picture is a captivating page-turner from one of the most distinctive voices in crime fiction.