Ask the Author: Riley Sager
Answered Questions (10)
Riley Sager
High five right back at ya! And best of luck with the writing. It’s hard. And frustrating. And amazing. And exhausting. And exhilarating. Now, to answer your Goodreads-mandated question, no, I will never, ever write a series. I tried, under a different name, with a concept I loved and characters I adored. Alas, my publisher at the time decided it didn’t want a second installment in the series BEFORE the first one was even released. I was heartbroken, and swore I’d never put myself in that position again. So it’s standalone books from now on.
Riley Sager
But you do have a question! Two of them! : ) The idea came to me while watching the film Picnic at Hanging Rock, which about schoolgirls who vanish in the Australian Outback. I thought it would be cool to take that plot, update it and set it at an all-girls summer camp. And, yes, I went to camp for a week when I was 10. I hated every second of it, although some of it made its way into THE LAST TIME I LIED.
Riley Sager
Yes, there will be more! I'm putting final touches on my next book, LOCK EVERY DOOR, which will be released in July 2019.
Riley Sager
Both books have been optioned by studios. A film version of FINAL GIRLS is being developed with Universal Pictures. Amazon Studios is developing THE LAST TIME I LIED as a limited TV series. Now, there's no guarantee these projects will actually see the light of day. The path from book to screen is filled with obstacles. Getting the right script. Casting the right people. Financing and locations and a hundred other things that sometimes makes me wonder how any movie gets made. But I'm hopeful that one day we'll see one of my books on the big or small screen.
Riley Sager
I loved writing that series, and Kat will always hold a special place in my heart. But the series came to a close with DEVIL'S NIGHT. It just felt right to end things there. As for writing under my real name again, that probably won't happen. Riley is far more popular than Todd ever was!
Riley Sager
Now that's an interesting question. My answer right now would be no. (I say right now because who knows how I'll feel in the future.) I like where their stories ended. If I did, it would be more of a cameo appearance. For example, Jonah Thompson from FINAL GIRLS briefly showed up in an early draft of THE LAST TIME I LIED. I ultimately cut his cameo because the scene just didn't fit the rest of the book. But I like the idea that all of my characters are inhabiting the same universe and might one day bump into each other.
Riley Sager
And thank *you* for reading it! Yes, the ending -- which I won't spoil for those who haven't read FINAL GIRLS yet -- was planned from the very beginning. When I first started writing the book, I knew two things -- that it involved Quincy and Sam, two of three girls who survived terrible things, and how their story would end. Everything else evolved during the writing and revision process.
Riley Sager
The simple answer is that we wanted to differentiate it from books I had published under my real name.
The complex answer involves the publishing industry, past book sales and publisher expectations. Readers love discovering new authors, which means publishers love introducing new authors, which means it's very hard for previously published authors with low sales numbers to break out of the pack. Unless they write under a new name. Lots of writers have done it. More than most people suspect. My agent and I agreed that it was the best option for me. And that's how Riley Sager was born.
The complex answer involves the publishing industry, past book sales and publisher expectations. Readers love discovering new authors, which means publishers love introducing new authors, which means it's very hard for previously published authors with low sales numbers to break out of the pack. Unless they write under a new name. Lots of writers have done it. More than most people suspect. My agent and I agreed that it was the best option for me. And that's how Riley Sager was born.
Riley Sager
He's my real name. (Shhh. Don't tell anybody!)
Riley Sager
Although I got the initial idea for FINALS GIRLS while watching "Halloween," the inspiration for the book was really the entire horror genre. Horror movies are always criticized for violence against women, but at the same time they feature strong female characters. I liked the idea of exploring of female strength brought on by something horrible and how the characters deal with it. Also, I wanted it to be very, very scary!
My favorite slasher flick is "Scream." It's scary and funny and smart and Sidney is a Final Girl icon.
My favorite slasher flick is "Scream." It's scary and funny and smart and Sidney is a Final Girl icon.
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