Harriet Tyce: The Best Work Comes From Fearlessness
Author Harriet Tyce discusses how she swapped her characters’ roles in her new thriller novel, It Ends At Midnight.
Harriet Tyce was born and grew up in Edinburgh. She graduated in 1994 with a degree in English Literature before working as a criminal barrister for nearly a decade.
Having escaped law and early motherhood, she started writing and completed the MA in Creative Writing: Crime Fiction at the University of East Anglia. She has written three novels to date, including the Sunday Times bestsellers Blood Orange and The Lies You Told. She lives in north London with her husband and children, and two very nice dogs. Find her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
In this post, Harriet discusses how she swapped her characters’ roles in her thriller novel, It Ends At Midnight, her hope for readers, and more!
Name: Harriet Tyce
Literary agent: Grainne Fox, United Talent
Book title: It Ends At Midnight
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Release date: November 21, 2023
Genre/category: Thriller
Previous titles: Blood Orange, The Lies You Told
Elevator pitch: A New Year party ends in bloodshed—why?
What prompted you to write this book?
I was interested in exploring the impact of a diagnosis of serious illness on a long-term friendship, and also in setting a book at least in part in Edinburgh, Scotland, where I grew up.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
It took about 18 months, I think, from idea to publication. The core idea didn’t change, although the details became clearer and clearer as I wrote the book.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
The killer and the victims switched places from first draft to finished book after a very good editorial suggestion. I realized I had been shying away from that particular conclusion even though it was right—it reminded me that the best work comes from fearlessness.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
Surprise at the conclusion, and relief that their life isn’t as complicated and unpleasant as that of the protagonists!
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Keep going. Rejection is an opportunity to find something better.
Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
