Andrea Bartz's Blog
December 8, 2024
The Spare Room is coming your way in May!
I had so much fun writing this book—it's a queer mystery about a woman trying to get to the bottom of her fiancée's "accidental" death on a tiny island off Mexico. There are enigmatic expats, tight-lipped locals, creepy ruins, a mountainous wilderness preserve...all the good stuff! I sincerely hope you love it.
What should readers of my other books expect? Well, like We Were Never Here, The Last Ferry Out is a globe-trotting thriller set in a stunning foreign land…where the sun-splashed dream quickly becomes a nightmare. TLFO is packed with tension and complex group dynamics, and I think fans of my previous books will enjoy the messy, imperfect heroines and twisty narrative.
My latest novel, The Spare Room, was sexy domestic suspense all cloistered in a Gothic mansion. TLFO, on the other hand, is more of a traditional thriller and much more outdoorsy—it takes place on a sunny, mountainous, beach-lined island far from the protagonist’s Wisconsin home. I hope it’s escapist and transportive, a true vacation (and adrenaline rush!) for readers.
I gave this book a puzzle-box-like structure, with multiple narrators and timelines (including one in reverse chronological order), so the pieces slide into place at just the right moment. It was, well, a bit of a puzzle to put together, but I’m so happy with how it turned out!
ARCs for TLFO should be available in Jan/Feb 2025, and I'm so excited for you to step into the lush and mysterious world of Isla Colel with me. All aboard...
June 30, 2024
Oh hi FREE paperbacks of The Spare Room!
Happy Pride, friends! How’s everyone doing with the heat? I’m currently in Wisconsin, celebrating my grandmother’s 93rd birthday by hanging out next to a lake. (WWNH fans: This place was definitely the inspo for Kremily’s Up North trip. No dead bunnies this time…yet.)
I’m waving hello because, drumroll please, the paperback of The Spare Room comes out July 9! It’ll be available wherever books are sold, including Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Target, Bookshop.org, and your favorite indie bookstore (hot tip, if they aren’t already stocking it, they’ll order it just for you).
It’s cheaper, lighter, and perfectly sized for all your beach-bag needs. I’ll be celebrating with a virtual launch party and AMA with the brilliant Jo Piazza (author of The Sicilian Inheritance, a delicious literary mystery) on BookSparks’ Instagram at 8 pm ET on July 10, plus an in-person meet-and-greet/signing at Barnes & Noble Philadelphia (1708 Chestnut St) at 5 pm ET on July 11. No RSVP necessary for either. Mark your calendar! Let’s hang out!
As for those freebies I promised….my publisher is giving away 25 paperbacks on Goodreads—enter before June 30 for your chance to win!
I’ve also coordinated some upcoming giveaways with Jo Piazza’s whip-smart Over the Influence Substack, Olivia Muenter’s wonderful Substack, the bookstagram of Dennis AKA Scared Straight Reads, Reading with Robin’s newsletter, and more. Sign up and follow them all, and keep an eye on my Instagram for many chances to win.
I’ll be running (sweatily) all over the Hudson Valley and Brooklyn signing copies, and I’ll be sure to share where you can grab an autographed paperback. (If you’re in the US and want a signed bookplate to stick inside your own copy, just DM me your address and I’ll send it free of charge!)
Thanks for subscribing, and have a great week!
February 23, 2024
join me on substack & a writing retreat!
Hi, friends! I've got two big pieces of news to share.
First, I’m launching a writing retreat in the Hudson Valley May 30-June 2! Join me for great food, creativity-stimulating activities, one-on-one consultations, and—most importantly—uninterrupted time to write in a beautiful, distraction-free environment. Applications are due March 1—get all the details at andreabartz.com/retreats.
Second, I did it—I launched a Substack newsletter. As a former magazine editor, I forgot how fun it is to plan content that’ll be entertaining and valuable for readers—there will be book news, of course, but for paid subscribers, I'm sharing my best writing tips and insider insights on publishing. I’m also pulling together an always-growing compendium of successful query letters as well as Words With (Author) Friends, wherein I text or gchat with published writers about their latest projects and thoughts re: publishing and you get to see the unedited results, like a literary fly on the wall. Jump in at andibartz.substack.com. I can't wait to hear your thoughts!
September 26, 2023
The Authors for Voices of Color charity auction is LIVE!
I'm offering a signed first edition of The Spare Room with a never-before-seen chapter. You can bid directly here.
After you bid on mine, check out some of the other inspiring offerings, including a Zoom visit to your book club from Elizabeth Gilbert, a signed and specially annotated copy of Roxane Gay’s newest book, dinner with Jacqueline Woodson in New York (with special guests!), an autographed script from the adaptation of Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s Fleishman Is in Trouble, a handwritten letter from Celeste Ng (Little Fires Everywhere) about her latest book, a music-inspired gift package from Bangles lead singer Susanna Hoffs along with an autographed first edition of her novel This Bird Has Flown, a chat with writing duo Christina Lauren, and the chance to name a character in a forthcoming novel from R. Eric Thomas (Here for It). The auction ends Tuesday, October 3, at 9 pm ET, so bid early and often!
September 7, 2023
Have you read BOTH We Were Never Here prequels?
We Were Never Here Prequel by Andrea BartzMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I loved getting to step back into "Kremily"'s world! Please note that I've written two short stories from the We Were Never Here universe: a tale from Kristen's point of view, publishing in Cosmopolitan magazine (and available on their website), and a story from the women's adventures in Vietnam, first published by Reese's Book Club and now available in We Were Never Here's paperback. audiobook, and ebook versions. Happy reading!
View all my reviews
August 29, 2023
The official Spare Room book club kit!
June 27, 2023
My latest book is out!
Big news: My new domestic suspense novel is now on shelves!! The Spare Room, a twisty mystery about a pandemic setup that goes from dreamy to deadly, is now on shelves wherever books are sold. Get your copy here!I’m so excited for you to step into the dreamy, sultry, and ultimately terrifying world of my fourth book. The Spare Room is my most personal novel yet, and I can't wait for you to join Kelly on her visit to the Lamonts’ gorgeous, gated mansion—a pandemic fortress that’s just as good at locking secrets deep inside as it is keeping the rest of the world out.
Now for a little backstory: Many book lovers have noted that, after the collective quiet and isolation of the pandemic, we’re seeing a boom in Gothic chillers and locked-room mysteries. While I’ve always loved writing about close-knit, closed-door worlds (from the so-hip-it-hurts scenesters in The Lost Night to the perfect-seeming members of a bougie, all-female coworking space in The Herd), in 2020 the pandemic forced us all to draw the curtains and cinch the drawstrings of our lives.
The tense silence and eerie moodiness of that period made my suspense-author spider sense tingle: I detected the suffocating tension and quiet dread of a Hitchcock film, and as news sources warned us again and again that stranger danger was real, that anyone could kill us, that we should truly trust no one, I couldn’t help seeing parallels to some of my favorite slasher films. Though the pandemic is simply the backdrop for The Spare Room, not the focus, I loved turning the isolation and terror up to eleven for dramatic effect. I mean, think about your neighbors, your coworkers, friends you haven’t spoken to since high school. Who knows what really went on behind aaall those deadbolted doors?
Another piece of my own lockdown experience made its way into the book; after a couple lonely months in my studio apartment with only my cat, Mona, for company, I accepted an old friend’s generous invitation to move in with her, her husband, and their toddler. We fell into a comfortable groove of working and cooking and eating and hanging out together. They weren’t just my pod—for a few months, they were my family, and I marveled at the fact that, across the country, so many people I knew were crashing with friends and forming super-close bonds in this unprecedented way.
While my stint in that spare room was decidedly throuple- and missing-person-free, I used that time to wake from the trance of busy-ness and listen to the wise voice deep inside. It felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make major changes free from the prying eyes of the public…or even my own network. We all know folks who divorced or permanently relocated or changed careers around that time. Me? I finally admitted I was attracted to women in addition to men—and my very first date was with Julia, now my partner of almost three years. Perhaps it’s no surprise that, after physically fleeing her old life, The Spare Room’s narrator discovers new facets of her own sexuality and capacity to love.
Several friends have called The Spare Room my twistiest book yet, and I can’t wait for you to discover all the darkness and surprises lurking beneath the beautiful exterior of the charismatic Lamonts and their picture-perfect mansion. I’m so excited to hear what you think—and I hope you enjoy every moment of your stay…
February 11, 2023
Giveaway time!
January 25, 2023
Preorder THE SPARE ROOM—it's 25% off!
Today through Friday, January 27, get 25% off your preorder of THE SPARE ROOM—or any other forthcoming book you're stoked about!—at bn.com with the code PREORDER25. All formats are discounted: hardcover, Nook, and audio. Happy shopping...it's like giving June You a gift! Here's the link: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-...
November 16, 2022
Introducing my next thriller, THE SPARE ROOM!
The Spare RoomABOUT THE SPARE ROOM:
Staying with a friend and her husband is more intimate—and dangerous—than anyone could imagine in this provocative new thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of the Reese’s Book Club pick We Were Never Here.
Kelly Doyle’s new life in Philadelphia has turned into a nightmare: She’s friendless and jobless, and the lockdown has her trapped in a tiny apartment with the man she gave up everything for, who’s just called off their wedding. The only bright spot in her life is her newly rekindled friendship with her childhood friend, Sabrina—now a glamorous bestselling author with a handsome, high-powered husband.
At first, the arrangement is blissful. But as their relationship deepens, Kelly begins to notice the cracks. The stories about their romantic past keep changing, and the more details she uncovers, the more things don’t add up. It’s only a matter of time before Kelly discovers the terrifying truth: They’ve done all this before . . . and the last woman is missing.
Cut off from the world and in way over her head, Kelly must risk everything to uncover the couple’s secrets—before she becomes their next guest to disappear.
