Hank Phillippi Ryan’s newest, THE FIRST TO LIE, was released this week. Instead of asking questions for her fabulous Sister to Sister blog series, she answers our questions about her book and writing!
How would you describe the plot of your book?
How would I describe the plot of the book? I figured out this great way: Five fast things about THE FIRST TO LIE. One: a devastating childhood betrayal. Two: An undercover reporter in too deep. Three: A beautiful sailboat on the Chesapeake Bay. Four: A rich and powerful family. Five: An ice pick not used for ice.
Writers usually hate writing book summaries. Will you share with us your real book blurb or one you wish you could have used?
You are so right! I hate writing book summaries. They are terrible. They are impossible. But I guess I would say: What if being someone else could get you what you want? Two smart women face off in a high stakes psychological cat and mouse game to prove their truth about a terrible betrayal – – and both are on an obsessive path to revenge. But which one is the cat and which one is the mouse? And only one can succeed.
What was the a-ha moment that made you write this story?
The aha moment. Funnily enough, it was coming up with the title. In my book THE MURDER LIST, the main character and a police officer are talking. The police officer says to her: “The first to talk is the first to walk, you know.” Meaning of course, that the first to rat out a suspected accomplice is the first to get a lighter sentence. And in that book, my character said: “Yes, but what about the first to lie?” I know you will understand when I tell you that I did not plan for her to say that, she just said it. And the minute I typed it I thought: wow. THE FIRST TO LIE. That is a great title.
And then I thought about going undercover, and how much lying is involved with that, although every lie is meant to work for the greater good. So what do a few lives matter when lives are at stake? And I got so fascinated by whether it’s ever acceptable to lie, and under what circumstances, and I thought about how often I had lied as an undercover reporter. Not by actual lying, but by pretending to be someone else. I could not wait to write this book.
Which of your skill sets were useful constructing the plot?
I have been a television reporter for 43 years! I have wired myself with hidden cameras, and gone undercover and in disguise. I know how it feels to be someone else. I could not have written this book without that authentic genuine experience – – how do we convince someone we are someone we are not? You have to believe, with every shred of your being, that you are who you say you are. I have done this so many times. (And only gotten caught once.)
And I think, too, that a reporter is undercover in their investigative stories, you know? You don’t know how I feel when I am covering the news, whether I am terrified, or enthusiastic, whether I have an opinion about the story, what I left out, what questions I should’ve asked. My persona is undercover in my journalism – – but it does not have to be in my fiction! And that is the joy.
What is the hardest part of writing a book?
The hardest part is just before I start every day. I can always think of 10,000 things I definitely need to do before I start writing. The only way I can manage this is to make an appointment with myself to write, and then set a timer for 34 minutes – – I know it sounds crazy –where I promise myself I will not do anything else. (And wow—it really works. Once I am in the story, I am totally in.) The second hardest part is the middle. The middle is the worst thing on the planet. The third hardest thing is the synopsis, but I refuse to write those.
Still, there’s another hard part—but it’s a fabulous hard part! Pub day! So thrilling, and so nerve-wracking, and so exciting. Thank you, sisters, for helping me celebrate THE FIRST TO LIE.
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN is a USA Today bestselling author of 12 thrillers, winning five Agathas, three Anthonys, the Daphne, and Mary Higgins Clark Award. She is on-air investigative reporter in Boston, with 37 EMMYs. Her previous novel, THE MURDER LIST, is an Agatha, Anthony, Macavity and Mary Higgins Clark Award nominee. Hank’s newest novel: THE FIRST TO LIE. Publishers Weekly starred review says "Stellar…Ryan could win a sixth Agatha with this one."