What We're Writing? Hank is Juggling and Revealing

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:   What am I doing? Juggling. Juggling juggling juggling. First, as I write this on Sunday afternoon, I have just scoured the house for batteries, plugged in every computer and phone in the house to charge, and made sure we have a selection of fully charged flashlights. They are predicting a blizzard, yes, a blizzard, and I am always terrified that the power will go out. Which, they are predicting, it will. I only like suspense in my novels, please, not in life.

In other news, Hooray! Look look look, the gorgeous and fabulous cover of MOTHER DAUGHTER SISTER STRANGER  was revealed in People magazine! I still can't get over it, and I have to admit that I look at the article again and again.

Isn't this great? You can read the whole thing here, but here's the header:

 

They asked me where the idea for the book came from, and I told them it was from my childhood. When my mom used to read me stories, and finally say "the end." And I would never accept that. "What happened after that?" I would prod her to tell me. "They lived happily ever after," mom would say. And I would say Ever ever after? But what happened after that?"

I am also fascinated by the stories families tell about their histories and past. And the pictures we see in albums. Those snapshots have stories behind them too, and how will we ever know what really happened? What those people's lives were really like? Even if they themselves told us, who knows they were protecting or concocting. Anyway, that's MOTHER DAUGHTER SISTER STRANGER.

Here's another picture of the cover.

 

Isn't it fascinating? I love how the Back Bay brownstone is provocatively blue. And the positioning of it is strange, you have to keep looking at it to figure it out. (Very sticky!) I love the figure in the window. I love the unexpected pink and yellow against that stark black. And I love the slashes through the words. Is that a list that someone is crossing off? Is that a description that someone is giving of themselves?  And of course I adore that cover quote from the brilliant Lisa Scottoline. 

And every one of us who is a woman is or has been every single one of those nouns. Mother daughter sister stranger.

Here’s the back cover copy:  

What if your own family history turns out to be a terrifying lie?

Every family has its story, and this one’s deadly. Two sisters. One secret. And a race against time to find the explosive truth in this twisty and captivating thriller by “master of domestic suspense” and instant USA Today bestselling author Hank Phillippi Ryan.

The sole survivors of the fiery plane crash that killed their parents, Eliza Ramsey and her sister Bea share an unbreakable bond. But now, on the eleventh anniversary of the tragedy, Bea fails to retrieve her pre-teen daughter from a sleepover at Eliza’s.

Eliza knows her sister would never leave her precious Piper behind, and fears the worst. But did Bea plan her own disappearance?

The Ramsey’s lives have already crashed and burned once. Now, Eliza discovers she's the only one who can protect her niece from the horrifying legacy of her family’s sinister history. Together, the two must prevent their lives from going up in in flames once again.

A missing mother. Her frightened daughter. And a sister on a desperate search for a happy ending. But someone knows the deadly key to their shared past, and won’t stop until they’ve written a devastating final chapter.  Mother, daughter, sister—stranger. 

 

Also! I am so thrilled that  ALL THIS COULD BE YOURS is a nominee for the Mary Higgins Clark award! I am completely floating about that. I adored Mary Higgins Clark, she was such a role model, and she was the one who taught me to make sure that every one of my signatures in books is readable.

She once said: "A person spent time and money to buy your book, and to come see you. The least you can do is give them a legible signature." So Mary, I try my best. The other nominees in the category are spectacularly talented, but I am floating my way to New York to the award ceremony at the Edgar banquet.

And finally, in this crazy week, what I am doing is waiting. 

I sent three book proposals to my agent, and we will see what happens next. 

You know that Tom Petty/Linda Ronstadt song The Waiting? I am singing that now, top of my lungs: “the waiting is the hardest part.”

So on this pivotal morning, Reds and readers, answer any question you want:  What do you think of the cover? The title?  Do you ever read People magazine?  What do you think of the back cover copy, does it sound intriguing? Or how is the weather in your neck of the woods?

And PS: Happy Pub Day, dear Jenn!

What We're Writing Week: Julia's cover reveal!

 JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: It's been a big week for cover reveals - first Hank's, then Lucy's and now mine! I loved the design from the first time I saw it - the cover artist really leans into the Christmas feeling. No, that's not what Clare Fergusson's church looks like; hers is brick gothic revival. But the white clapboard says church to everyone, and it pops beautifully against the colors of the sky.

 

 I'm also sharing my first run at the flap copy. I just sent this off to my editor for review. It's not that I consider myself wildly talented at flap copy, it's just that the stuff that's been written in-house has often been, well, less than satisfactory. Once, a then-assistant to my then-editor included, "The author has enriched her telling of this tale by drawing in episodes from Miller Kill -- and Jane Ketchem's past." Which is neither enticing to the reader nor, I believe, grammatical. She also added I won two Tony Awards on the back of the book. Finally, my youthful acting dreams realized.

Let me know what you think, and how I can improve this! (Oh, and P.S.: it's available for pre-order now...)    

   

It’s Christmas time in Millers Kill, and Reverend Clare Fergusson and her husband Russ van Alstyne - newly resigned from his position as chief of police – plan to enjoy it with their baby boy. On their list: visiting Santa, decorating the tree, and the church Christmas pageant.

But when a beloved holiday parade is crashed by white supremacists, Clare and Russ find themselves sucked into a parallel world of militias, machinations and murder.

Single mom Hadley Knox has her hands full juggling her kids and her police work. She’s doesn’t want to worry about her former partner – and sometimes lover – Kevin Flynn, but when he takes leave from the Syracuse PD and disappears, she can’t help her growing panic that something has gone very wrong.

Novice lawyer Joy Zhào is keeping secrets from her superiors at the state Attorney General’s Office. She knows they wouldn’t condone her off-the-books investigation, but she’s convinced a threatening alt-right conspiracy is brewing – and catching the perpetrators could jump start her career.

NYS Forest Ranger Paul Terrance is looking for his uncle, a veteran of the park service gone inexplicably missing. He doesn’t think much of an ex-cop and out-of-town officer showing up in his patch of the woods, but he’s heard the disturbing rumors of dangerous men in the mountains.

All roads lead to the forbidding High Peaks of the Adirondacks, where deep snows hide deadly plans and ancient trees shield modern hatred. As the December days shorten and the nights grow long, a disparate group of would-be heroes need to unwind a murderous plot before time runs out.

 

What We're Writing: Hank gets a PEOPLE MAGAZINE exclusive!

Hank Phillippi Ryan: Well, how often do your dreams come true? So many of mine have, come to think of it. (For better and worse, just saying.)

But a few days ago, the cover of my new book, and the official synopsis, were revealed in People Magazine.

I will pause for a moment, to let that sink in.

AHHHHHH!!!

I could not believe it.  I clicked on the link and there it was.  I was floating the entire day.  And still am floating. If you want to see it in situ, in all its People Magazine glory,  here it is.   It's really fun to see.

If you don't want to click, here's a version of it. 

Hank Phillippi Ryan's New Thriller Was Inspired by Her Own Book Tour: See the Cover! (Exclusive)

'All This Could Be Yours' is both a "twisty cat and mouse thriller" but also a "love letter to readers," Ryan tells PEOPLE

By Bailey Richards

Hank Phillippi Ryan’s latest novel was inspired by her own fans — and how even innocent interactions could easily be “twisted into something sinister.”

The bestselling author, known for The House Guest, The Murder List and more, is gearing up to release her latest book, which the publisher calls a “twisty cat and mouse thriller” this fall — and PEOPLE can exclusively debut its cover.

All This Could Be Yours, slated for a Sept. 9 release, follows a writer whose debut novel becomes a sensation, but whose success is accompanied by career sabotage, threats and a secret from her past that comes back to haunt her.

"Tessa Calloway's dreams have come true — she's now a debut author with a surprise bestselling novel, with standing room only events and adoring readers on her triumphant nationwide book tour. But soon, things begin to go terrifyingly wrong, and Tessa knows it cannot be a coincidence,” an official synopsis teases.

“Someone is obsessed with not only sabotaging her career, but destroying her beloved husband and kids back home,” the synopsis continues. “Problem is, Tessa has a devastating secret. The escalating threats and increasing danger might be her own fault—the result of a high-stakes Faustian bargain she made long ago. And now, that one split-second decision may be back to ruin her life.”

All This Could Be Yours is first and foremost a nail-biting thriller, but it also has a deeper meaning, one that’s close to Ryan’s heart — and career. Ryan got the idea for the novel while interacting with a fan of her work at a book signing, she tells PEOPLE in an exclusive statement.

“It happened on my very own book tour — I was signing my novel to a reader, and wrote: 'So wonderful to see you in Scottsdale.' And I added the date. As I handed the book back to her, I thought well, I’ve just given someone a perfect alibi,” she tells PEOPLE. “That inscription proved she was at this particular Scottsdale event, and so was I. And that we had met.”

Naturally, the exchange got her thinking. “Then I thought about all the other inscriptions I’ve written: 'thank you for everything,' or 'so good to see you again,' or 'I enjoyed our time together,'” Ryan says. “I realized how many double meanings someone could concoct from those, and how my perfectly innocent inscriptions might be twisted into something sinister. Even menacing. Yikes!”

“I also thought about authors on book tour; how vulnerable we are, how everybody knows where we are every day,” the author continues. “We make it so easy — just look at our websites! Suddenly, my fabulous and exciting book tour became full of threats and danger. And life-changing bargains.”

That concept became her next novel, which is also a tribute to the people who make books come to life and into the hands of readers.

“Yes, it's a twisty cat and mouse thriller — but as I wrote it, it also became a love letter to readers, writers, librarians, booksellers,” she says, “and anyone who loves the world of storytelling.”

All This Could Be Yours comes out Sept. 9, 2025 and is available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.

HANK: Can you believe it? What do you think? Isn't it different than all my other covers?

You know I have a new publisher, so this is all part of that. And wow, so far so fabulous. And blurb from NITA PROSE! Ah ah ah.

And I cannot forget to add that the cover was designed by Minotaur's fabulous David Rotstein. Standing ovation!

And let me just point out to you..LOOK at the spine of the book! I mean--whoa. That should be in the spine Hall of Fame, don't you think? See the periwinkle earring? It's a clue...

And here's the link to People again. Just because.

Cover Reveal: The Rose Arbor by Rhys Bowen

 Okay, Readers, we have a treat for you today. The cover reveal for our Rhys's spectacular new novel THE ROSE ARBOR is here...

Pre-Order NOW

More about the novel: 

An investigation into a girl’s disappearance uncovers a mystery dating back to World War II in a haunting novel of suspense by the bestselling author of The Venice Sketchbook and The Paris Assignment.

London: 1968. Liz Houghton is languishing as an obituary writer at a London newspaper when a young girl’s disappearance captivates the city. If Liz can break the story, it’s her way into the newsroom. She already has a scoop: her best friend, Marisa, is a police officer assigned to the case.

Liz follows Marisa to Dorset, where they make another disturbing discovery. Over two decades earlier, three girls disappeared while evacuating from London. One was found murdered in the woods near a train line. The other two were never seen again.

As Liz digs deeper, she finds herself drawn to the village of Tydeham, which was requisitioned by the military during the war and left in ruins. After all these years, what could possibly link the missing girls to this abandoned village? And why does a place Liz has never seen before seem so strangely familiar?

Isn't it just fabulous? A perfect summer read. 

What do you think about cover reveals, Readers? Do they help you get excited for an upcoming release? 

Even more thrilling for me, I received my ARC just in time for a trip to Nevada! Yay! Thank you, Rhys. And, naturally, I had to take a picture of it against my rose bush. 

Another Cover Story @LucyBurdette

LUCY BURDETTE: Since next summer’s Key West mystery is number 14 in the series, I knew exactly what to expect along the way. A year and several months before the publication date, I knew I would get an email from the publisher asking for a book summary, cover ideas, and title suggestions. I try to think ahead, even though the book isn’t written yet and there isn’t even a ghost of an outline. Here’s what I sent in:

Key West food critic Hayley Snow is working on this week’s articles for Key Zest magazine when an intriguing e-mail hits her inbox, titled Hemingway’s toxic love and an old story. Catherine Davitt tells Hayley that she has returned to the Keys to research a book, but she also wants to investigate the disappearance of an old friend back in the late 1970s. The two young women were part of a group of lost souls camping in the mangroves on Big Pine Key, until Catherine’s friend Veronica disappeared, and the Sheriff’s Office cleaned out the camp.

Ever-curious Hayley agrees to help her, and they travel up the islands to Big Pine Key to talk to some other Islanders who were around in the 70s. After chatting with one woman who has nothing much to add, they stop at an old motel to visit a man who was on the outer edges of this commune. Instead of answers, they find him murdered. It’s hard not to imagine a connection. Then Catherine disappears, leaving Hayley and Miss Gloria to unravel two possible murders, one old and one new, and track down a murderer who might very well have them in his or her sights.

As for the cover, I told them I’d love this one to look a little bit vintage, with perhaps a weathered picnic table with a Key deer nosing around in addition to the requisite cat. (There are two storylines woven together, one from the 70’s and the other today.) If we chose a vintage postcard look, I said, the title and artwork could be cached inside the words—see the Key West postcard. These are the photos I sent:

Way, way, way far down on the page, I added, 'if the vintage postcard idea isn’t chosen, another option could focus on this picnic table, with umbrella and deer and cat, but a more scruffy background as Big Pine isn’t manicured like Key West.' (I really had my fingers crossed for the vintage postcard look.)

John has a cameo:)

 

And here was the first draft I received:

Well, sigh. No deer, no vintage postcard. Though there is a turtle! (Though there is no turtle in the book...) I went to bat for a few changes, and I've come to realize that the vintage look would have distracted from the series look. It's gorgeous, don't you think?

Question for readers: How important are the details of a book's cover when choosing what to read? Do you notice changes within a series?

If you'd like to read my other cover drama stories, you can find them here:

Death in Four Courses

Killer Takeout

A Scone of Contention