New York Times bestselling thriller writer Riley Sager, spoke to me about why he publishes under a pen name, how to write Hitchcockian suspense, and his latest "The House Across the Lake." Riley Sager is the bestselling author of six novels, most recently Home Before Dark and Survive the Night. His award-winning first novel, Final Girls, was a national and international bestseller that has been published in 30 countries. His latest novel, The House Across the Lake, has been named a most anticipated summer book by People, E! News, PureWow, CNN.com, CrimeReads, and many others. It's been described by CrimeReads as "... a psychological thriller version of The Great Gatsby, featuring binoculars for more accurate across-the-lake spying, smaller gatherings for a shorter list of suspects, and a truly bat**** twist for more satisfying consumption." The House Across the Lake was inspired by Riley's "... own pandemic escapes to a cabin in rural Vermont [and] oozes with slow-burn Hitchcockian suspense before building to a finale that will leave readers reeling. " [Discover ⁠⁠⁠The Writer Files Extra⁠⁠⁠: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at ⁠⁠⁠writerfiles.fm⁠⁠⁠] [If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please ⁠⁠⁠click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews⁠⁠⁠. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen] Stay calm and write on ... In this file Riley Sager and I discussed: The albatross of bad sales early in your career Why his process changes from book to book How to turn common genre tropes on their head What happens to his social life as deadlines loom Taking inspiration from classic film And a lot more! Show Notes: ⁠rileysagerbooks.com⁠ ⁠The House Across the Lake: A Novel⁠ by Riley Sager (Amazon Affiliate) ⁠Riley Sager Amazon Author Page⁠ (Amazon Affiliate) ⁠Riley Sager on Facebook⁠ ⁠Riley Sager on Instagram⁠ ⁠Riley Sager on TikTok⁠ ⁠Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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