CR 014: Karin Slaughter on Her Latest Thriller, ‘This is Why We Lied’

The New York Times bestselling author discusses her writing process, world creation, and keeping track from one novel to the next.

Karin Slaughter, photo by Alison Rosa

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Few authors are as prolific as Karin Slaughter, who has published one novel a year, many of them instant New York Times bestsellers, since 2001. Her books have been published in 120 countries, selling more than 40 million copies worldwide, and her 2018 novel, Pieces of Her, was adapted into a Netflix series starring Toni Collette.

But it’s her Will Trent titles that generate the most interest. Since 2006, Slaughter has penned 12 novels featuring Georgia Bureau of Investigation special agent Will Trent and his partner, Faith Mitchell, as they track down criminals and solve cases while confronting past traumas and navigating complicated personal relationships. The books have since been adapted into a hugely successful multi-platform series airing on ABC and Hulu.

In her latest novel, This is Why We Lied, Trent and his new bride, medical examiner Sara Linton, head to a secluded lodge to celebrate their recent nuptials. But their blissful honeymoon goes awry when the lodge manager is murdered, and they quickly learn that nearly every guest at the site has a motive. The book then travels back and forth in time, taking the reader along on a riveting mystery.

When I chatted with Slaughter, she shared that coming up with the idea for the book was easy; it was the story’s off-the-grid setting that made writing it a fun challenge.

“The idea isn’t the hard part,” she says. “I mean, somebody gave you the idea to interview me. But figuring out, ‘Well, I talked to her last year. What are some new things I can say? What’s my entry point into this story?’ For This is Why We Lied, I’ve got two people who are incredibly happy—that’s great if it’s the end of the book, but it’s at the beginning. And I’ve got to have a murder, right? I’ve got to let people know the murder happened, and then I’m going to wind back the clock a bit, and I’m going to present all the suspects. And you’re going to have to pay attention to the clues in the midst of this happiness because they don’t know what’s coming, but you do. That puzzle of figuring out how to do that within the context of a locked-room mystery was really exciting to me.”

Over Zoom, Slaughter and I discussed her writing process, the importance of research, and how she creates memorable secondary characters.

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SANDRA EBEJER: Given that you publish a book a year, what’s your timeline? How far in advance are you thinking about the story, and how much time is spent actually writing versus just coming up with ideas?

KARIN SLAUGHTER: Generally the back part of my year is crunch time. The physical writing is about four to six months, depending on the story. But you’re right about thinking about it, because this book, This is Why We Lied, I got the idea for when I was writing The Silent Wife, which was several books ago. Usually at any given time, I’ve got a lot of different story ideas in my head, [and I’m] trying to figure out: I’m going to spend at least a year of my life with this story, so is this the one I’m passionate about right now? That’s how it’s always worked.

That’s a good segue to my next question. You did an Instagram post where you said a future story for Will and Sara has been set up really well in This is Why We Lied. So I have two questions: How do you keep track from one book to the next so that you can remember all the little details about the characters and the story? And two, do you intentionally plant the seed for future stories when you’re writing a novel?