Issue #15

July 14, 2024 

Hi Friends,

It’s just about go time for my first novel, THE OUTLIER — to be published August 6^th. It’s an exciting moment, and also, I feel like I’m planning five weddings at once. I’m trying to keep cool in more ways than one.

I have events scheduled for Seattle, Vancouver, Pasadena, San Francisco, and Tacoma, with more to come in Portland and New York. In each location, I’ll be talking about reading and writing with terrific conversation partners — see below for more details. If you’ll be in any of these places, I would love to see you in person.

A little more about the book: Set in a Baja beach town and Seattle’s biotech world, THE OUTLIER is a twisty psychological thriller in which finding the killer is only one of two mysteries its anti-heroine tries to unravel. The other: when pushed to extremes, what is she herself capable of?

Here’s what others have said so far:

“Eaves skillfully infuses complex ecological and moral issues into a plot that never forgets to thrill.”

-Publishers Weekly Starred Review

“An of-the-moment, character-rich psychological thriller with a Bond-worthy villain that builds to a stunning conclusion.”

-Linwood Barclay, #1 internationally bestselling author

“A propulsive thriller with a wonderfully complicated heroine. I devoured it.”

– Kelley Armstrong, New York Times bestselling author of the Rockton thrillers

You can pre-order THE OUTLIER in print, e-book, or audio right now. Pre-orders are a big deal for authors, as they count towards our first-week sales, which greatly increases a book’s visibility and success. I invite you to forward this email to anyone interested in a great late-summer read.

BOOK TOUR DATES

August 7 at 7:00 PM

Elliott Bay Book Company – Seattle, WA, USA
In conversation with mystery writer Jamie Harrison, author of THE RIVER VIEW and six other novels.

August 9 at 7:00 PM

Vroman’s Bookstore – Pasadena, CA, USA

In conversation with Kate Brody, author of debut novel RABBIT HOLE (2024).

August 13 at 7:00 PM

Upstart & Crow – Vancouver, BC, Canada

In conversation with veteran Vancouver journalist Peg Fong.

August 15 at 7:00 PM

The Booksmith – San Francisco, CA, USA

In conversation with Colin Winnette, author of the novel USERS (2024).

September 4 at 7:00 PM

Grit City Books – Tacoma, WA, USA

In conversation with Tacoma writer, editor, and book reviewer Jenny Bartoy.

Check the events page on my web site for more to come. Will I see you on the road?

SETTING ISN’T EVERYTHING, BUT …

Novels are built in layers: I need characters, a relationship, a plot, a theme, and a setting. I might know what one of these elements is going to be, while the rest eludes me for months to come. In the case of The Outlier, I knew I wanted to set the story in Baja, even before I had the other elements in place. I’d been spending time there every year for nearly two decades, in a little beach town called La Ventana.

Here are photos of the place that inspired me, including some from the last time I visited, when we drove the full length of the peninsula and back. (That’s about 1,520 miles, or 2,440 kilometers, round trip.)

FIVE FAVES: KIDNAPPING, TOURISM, BINGE TV

THE KIDNAPPING I CAN’T ESCAPE by Taffy Brodesser-Akner. The true story of a terrifying kidnapping and what happened afterwards, which were inspiration for the author’s new novel, “Long Island Compromise.”

DEATH OF AN ARTIST, SEASON 2. Enter the world of groundbreaking artists in mid-century New York City with Jackson Pollock and fellow painter Lee Krasner, who made him famous. Season 1 of this podcast, about the legacy and suspicious death of Ana Mendieta, is also terrific.

INVENTING ANNA on Netflix. This is the juicy 2022 dramatization of the rise and fall of Anna Delvey, a real-life grifter who scammed banks, hotels, and very wealthy people. Julia Garner is great in the title role. 

DON’T GIVE UP ON TOURISM. JUST DO IT BETTER, a review by Chelsea Leu of Paige McClanahan’s book “The New Tourist.” The title says it all. 

SPYTALK. A newsletter and podcast for people (like me) who devour all the latest news stories on espionage. Created by veteran reporter and one-time CIA operative Jeff Stein.

LET’S TALK

Write to me at eavesdrop AT elisabetheaves.com. I read every email, and I’ll try to answer every question.

Happy trails,
Elisabeth