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301 ratings | 18 reviews | avg rating:4.35

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Helena Echlin

Goodreads Author

Born

London, The United Kingdom

Twitter

helenaechlin

Genre

Suspense, Thriller, Fiction

Member Since

April 2007

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Hello! Clever Little Thing, coming in January 2025, is my first psychological thriller. I’ve written for various publications, including the Guardian and the Times, and the steadiest job I ever had was writing an etiquette advice column, for which I had zero qualifications. I lived in northern California for many years, and am now back in my native UK with my American husband and two children. I teach creative writing for Oxford University’s Department of Continuing Education.
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Popular Answered Questions

What’s the best thing about being a writer?

Helena Echlin I'm always so happy when a kind reader lets me know that they enjoyed my book. It's always lovely to connect with another person who loves books as mu…moreI'm always so happy when a kind reader lets me know that they enjoyed my book. It's always lovely to connect with another person who loves books as much as I do. I know it sounds cheesy, but I want to delight other people with a story the same way stories delight me.

The other "best thing" is what I call "the Vortex." That's when you're so engrossed in writing that the world of your creation becomes more real than the physical world. It's a white-hot frenzy of inspiration. You forgot to eat, you nearly forget to pick up your kids from school.
Writing can be so difficult sometimes, but when you're in the Vortex, it's effortless. (less)

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What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Helena Echlin Writing is like working out—you don’t have to do it every day but you do have to do it regularly. That means you don’t sit around and wait until you f…moreWriting is like working out—you don’t have to do it every day but you do have to do it regularly. That means you don’t sit around and wait until you feel like writing, because that will probably never happen—any more than you will just feel like putting on your running shoes and going for a 10-mile jog.

The key to getting fit—and to becoming a writer—is to put it on your schedule. When and how often? There’s no one-size-fits all answer. Maybe you like to write when the house is quiet, so you write four times a week from 6-7 AM. Maybe your imagination is most active in the evening, so you put in a couple of hours between 8-10 PM. Whatever your schedule, if you’ve already made the decision to write, then you don’t have to use your willpower to psych yourself up every time you write. It’s a habit. You just do it, the same way your CrossFit sessions or cook dinner or take out the compost.

Why I am comparing penning the Great American Novel to dumping out a container full of banana peels, globs of oatmeal and other gunk? It’s because writing isn’t always fun, and I think that's really important for aspiring writers to konw. In fact, it can be downright unsatisfying and unpleasant. But if you’re a real writer, you just sit down and do it, even when you would rather lick the bottom of that compost container than pound out another word.

But here’s the good news. You know the “runner’s high”? Writers get a writer’s high: you enter the magical world of your own creation and everything else falls away. I call it being in “the Vortex” and it’s one of the best feelings there is. You won’t get that high the first few times. You have to put the practice in. And then one day you’ll realize that you’ve written far past your allotted time and your bedroom is a mess and you haven’t had a shower for three days and your last two meals have been stale tortilla chips eaten out of the bag. Congratulations: you are a writer.
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Helena Echlin’s books

Average rating: 3.63 · 5,295 ratings · 1,013 reviews · 4 distinct works • Similar authors

	Clever Little Thing 3.61 avg rating — 4,981 ratings — published 2025 — 19 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Sparked by Helena Echlin (Goodreads Author), Malena Watrous (Goodreads Author) 3.99 avg rating — 300 ratings — published 2017 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Gone 3.58 avg rating — 12 ratings — published 2002 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mr. Best Ever by Helena Echlin (Goodreads Author), Steven Gower (Narrator) 4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Helena’s Recent Updates

Helena Echlin rated a book it was amazing The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 28, 2025 01:33AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Helena Echlin finished reading Hum by Helen Phillips (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 16, 2025 11:48PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Hum by Helen Phillips. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Hum by Helen Phillips <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Helena Echlin answered Michele's question: Hello, Helena My question is about "Clever Little Thing". Kia and Emmy both attended Pete's Thanksgiving dinner. However: a) on page 274, while Charlotte and Emmy are texting, Emmy says "Kia? I don't know any Kia." and b) on page 286, when Pete, Charlotte and Kia are at the hospital, Kia says "Who's Emmy?" Hello! You've caught something that my eagle-eyed copyeditor somehow missed. Oops! We'll have to update that for the paperback. Thanks so much for bringing it to my attention. And hope you're enjoying the book otherwise!
Feb 25, 2025 12:42AM · like
Helena Echlin wants to read Bad Manners by Amy Beashel (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 26, 2025 02:15PM · like
Helena Echlin wants to read Hum by Helen Phillips (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 20, 2025 11:38AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Hum by Helen Phillips. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Hum by Helen Phillips <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Helena Echlin wants to read Rental House by Weike Wang	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 20, 2025 11:37AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Rental House by Weike Wang. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Rental House by Weike Wang <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Helena Echlin wants to read Like Mother, Like Mother by Susan Rieger (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 20, 2025 11:37AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Like Mother, Like Mother by Susan Rieger. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Like Mother, Like Mother by Susan Rieger <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Helena Echlin has read The Cazalet Chronicles: Five Novels in One Collection (Cazalet Chronicles, #1-5) by Elizabeth Jane Howard	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 20, 2025 02:58AM · like
Helena Echlin and 42 other people liked Elizabeth Sholtis's review of BoyMom: Reimagining Boyhood in the Age of Impossible Masculinity: "It's almost as if patriarchy harms everyone... "
Jan 17, 2025 10:04AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of BoyMom by Ruth Whippman. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — BoyMom by Ruth Whippman <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Helena Echlin and 12 other people liked Theodore Hong's review of BoyMom: Reimagining Boyhood in the Age of Impossible Masculinity: "Completely changed the way that I think about raising our two boys. A real eye-opener."
Jan 17, 2025 10:04AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of BoyMom by Ruth Whippman. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — BoyMom by Ruth Whippman <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Quotes by Helena Echlin (?)

“It's not like a thunderclap. It's gentler than that. Your love feels as if it's always been there - just part of the way the world is, like gravity.”
― Helena Echlin, Sparked

tags: love-quotes, malena-waltrous

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“Charlotte Says: In a conversational impasse, when you have no idea what to say next, simply repeat what the other person has said. At least they know you're listening.”
― Helena Echlin, Clever Little Thing

tags: advice, conversation

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“I had what you might call a waking dream. It’s so common that there’s even a technical term: hypnagogic hallucination. My point was that the bereaved can have very vivid experiences of seeing the dead. Grief can do crazy things to your mind.”
― Helena Echlin, Clever Little Thing

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What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Girl looks for her dead sister and has cover with crows. [s]	7	172	Sep 28, 2019 05:52AM
2026 Reading Chal...: Vicki's 2025 Reading Corner	5	13	Dec 31, 2024 06:42PM
Chapter Adventure...: March Key Word	18	45	Jun 12, 2025 03:04PM
2026 Reading Chal...: Vicki's Valiant Determination ~ 365 in '25	20	23	Nov 30, 2025 07:00PM

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Helena’s Year In Books

Helena Echlin’s Followers (156)

Helena’s Bookshelves

Helena’s Friends (37)

Helena Echlin

Goodreads Author

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Popular Answered Questions

Combine EditionsHelena Echlin’s books

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Preview — The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey

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Preview — Hum by Helen Phillips

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Preview — Rental House by Weike Wang

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Preview — BoyMom by Ruth Whippman

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