Q&A With Heather Gudenkauf 

Finally, after a few years I have the chance of a lifetime doing this Q&A with New York Times Bestselling Author Heather Gudenkauf! I became a fan of Heather after reading her novel The Overnight Guest. Heather’s other novels include Everyone Is Watching, The Weight Of Silence, Missing Pieces, & her upcoming release The Perfect Hosts which will be released on November 4^th of this year! 

Q: Heather, would you give a brief description of each of your novels beginning with The Perfect Hosts?

A: The Perfect Hosts is the story of a seemingly perfect couple who host an over-the-top gender reveal party where one of their guests doesn’t make it to dessert. Throw in a horse ranch, two unexpected house guests, and a determined ATF agent with a tragic past who will do just about anything to discover the truth, and you’ll have a thriller that will have you galloping through the pages (at least I hope so).  

Everyone Is Watching – Five strangers compete for ten million dollars in a reality television competition show that turns deadly. 

The Overnight Guest – True crime author, Wylie Lark travels to the scene of a gruesome crime and the past and present collide when in the midst of an epic snowstorm a small child shows up on her doorstep.

This is How I Lied – A small town police detective is thrust back into the past when a new piece of evidence surfaces in the death of her childhood best friend. 

Before She Was Found – A small town descends into terror when one of their own is found in an abandoned trainyard and clinging to life. Everyone is a suspect, and no one can be trusted. 

Not A Sound – Amelia Winn’s life came crashing down around her when she was deafened in an accident. Two years later, she is reclaiming her life with the help of her service dog, Stitch. When she finds a body at the river’s edge, she finds herself in the center of a twisty investigation that hits too close to home.   

Missing Pieces – A woman travels back to her husband’s hometown and uncovers earth-shattering secrets about his family. And soon she is faced with a deadly truth that she can’t escape.

Little Mercies – Ellen Moore, a veteran social worker, finds herself on the other side of the system she has worked tirelessly to uphold. As she struggles to keep her family together, Ellen encounters a young girl trying to find her place in the world.

One Breath Away – In the midst of a spring snowstorm, an armed man enters a classroom. Outside, the entire town of Broken Branch watches and waits.

These Things Hidden – Golden girl Allison Glenn lost everything when she was sent to prison for a heinous crime, Now free, she is determined to reconnect with her estranged sister and face the darkest of secrets. At the center of it all is one little boy and the women who will do anything to protect him. 

The Weight of Silence – Two young girls go into the woods and only one comes out and she doesn’t speak. 

Q: How do you come up with the unique plots for each of your mystery books? I really love how each scene of The Overnight Guest shows how at first you don’t see how they fit, but eventually they tie everything together! 

A: I typically get the ideas for my novels from something I hear or read about on the news. These small fragments inspire my stories though I take them in new and unique directions. For years I’ve loved reading books from multiple points of view. When I had the idea for my first novel, The Weight of Silence, I knew it could only be told through several voices. I love writing in this way and most of my books are written this way. The challenge of piecing the perspectives together into a twisty puzzle is a lot of fun for me. 

Q: Are there any lessons & emotions you want readers to learn and feel after they turn the last page of your books?

A: My books can be dark and unsettling but ultimately, my hope is that each story I tell takes readers on a rollercoaster ride of emotions: unease, fear, surprise, excitement, and relief. In the end, my goal is for readers, even in the darkest of situations, to feel a sense of hope.

Q: Can you reveal anything about the next book you are writing right now, or is it too early to say?

A: I’ve just started plotting out my next novel. I can’t say much right now, but I can promise it will be filled with plenty of twists, turns, and dark secrets!

Q: Does Hollywood have the rights to any of your books? The entertainment industry needs original ideas again. I envision The Overnight Guest becoming a great miniseries or movie! The book also brings back some nostalgia when certain scenes revisit the year 2000. 

A: Wouldn’t that be fun!! Through the years, I’ve had some interest in Hollywood but ultimately the projects didn’t go beyond the initial stages. Still, it was so much fun to get a peek into the film world. Maybe someday! 

Q: How does it feel knowing that your books are on the New York Times Bestsellers List? I congratulate you on that!

A: Thank you! It’s such an honor. I’m so grateful to readers everywhere. It never gets old seeing my novels on library shelves and in bookstores. It’s been a dream come true!

Q: What is your advice for anyone wanting to write mystery thrillers like you? What wisdom do you have for aspiring authors on how to deal with online trolls, negative reviews, self-doubt, & family and friends who don’t support their dream and goal of being an author?

A: My advice to aspiring writers is to tune out all the negative noise around them. There will always be time constraints, naysayers and doubts. It’s also important to know that no matter how amazing of a book you write, there will be those readers with whom your story won’t resonate. That’s okay. Push that negativity aside, carve out a little time each day and write the story that you want to tell.