1--What is the title of your latest release?
THE ENDS OF THINGS
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
When a solo female traveler disappears from a lux beach resort in the Bahamas, fellow vacationer Laura Phillips becomes obsessed with the missing woman and embroiled in the police investigation that unfolds.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
A few years ago, I vacationed with my boyfriend at a couples beach resort on the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas, where I observed a woman vacationing alone. Like the heroine of my novel, I was intrigued by this solo traveler—why had she come to a romantic resort by herself? This question sparked the idea (and setting) for my novel.
4—Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
I would. I find Laura, with her many flaws, insecurities, and penchant for self-doubt, very relatable, so I think we’d have a lot to talk about.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
A nostalgic, introspective, catastrophizer.
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I discovered that I, like my heroine, tend to catastrophize. I don’t think I was aware of this before writing my novel, but I have since become self-aware!
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I’ll reread yesterday’s work before starting today’s, to get into a flow. But I don’t start proper edits until I’ve completed a full draft.
8—What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I love a nice steakhouse. And good sushi.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
I have a home office with several white boards mounted on the walls, where I do structural work (carding beats on index cards and outlining), but I do a lot of my writing in bed, early in the morning or late at night. Writing is the most exciting to me when it feels like an illicit act—something I’ve snuck away to do in secret.
10--Who is an author you admire?
Curtis Sittenfeld. Her writing is as funny as it is poignant, and her insights are compelling and incisive.
11—Is there a book that changed your life?
Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke – an incredibly insightful book about creativity and finding one’s voice. I read it in college and have reread it many times since.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
Right before Christmas, my agent called to tell me we were getting an offer from Blackstone Publishing. I then had a zoom call with my Acquisitions Editor in early January, which was a wonderful way to kick off the new year!
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
Literary Fiction and Literary Thrillers
14—What’s your favorite movie?
An impossible question! The best I can do is a top ten: Before Sunrise, Dead Poets Society, The Fugitive, The Godfather, Jurassic Park, L’Avventura, Little Women (1994), Michael Clayton, Moonstruck, and Steel Magnolias.
15--What is your favorite season?
Autumn
16—How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I love to go to the spa for a massage and have spaghetti alla carbonara for dinner.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
TV show: The White Lotus and Somebody Somewhere.
Movie: If you love deeply felt coming of age indie films, you can’t go wrong with Janet Planet and My Old Ass
Book: The God of the Woods
18—What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Definitely Italian food. And when I am feeling nostalgic, I crave the Polish food of my childhood.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
I had a baby six months ago, so what is this delightful “free time” you speak of?
20--What can readers expect from you next?
I’m working on a domestic thriller told in multiple perspectives, set in an affluent LA neighborhood.
A propulsive literary debut, The Ends of Things is both a thought-provoking suspense and a meditation on female friendship and agency—perfect for fans of The White Lotus and authors like Catherine Steadman and Rachel Hawkins.
She thought she had the perfect life … until she met a stranger in paradise.
Laura Phillips always wanted to travel the world but was too afraid to go it alone. So when her new boyfriend, Dave, invites her on a romantic getaway to the remote island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas, she jumps at the chance.
As soon as they arrive at the Pink Sands resort, Laura and Dave are handed cocktails garnished with umbrellas and led to a luxurious suite. It’s a lovers’ paradise. But when they head down to the pristine beach, Laura notices an oddity among the sunbathing couples: a woman vacationing alone. Intrigued, Laura befriends the woman, Diana, and as they spend time together, Laura finds herself telling Diana secrets she’s never shared with anyone.
But when Diana unexpectedly disappears, Laura suddenly realizes how little she knows about this mysterious woman.
The police suspect Diana may be in danger, and soon Laura herself becomes embroiled in the investigation. Her worries swiftly turn into obsession: Who is Diana? Where did she go? Is she dead? Murdered? As Laura races to find out what happened—and prove her own innocence—she quickly realizes that nothing in this sun-soaked paradise is what it seems, and it’s impossible to know who she can trust. What started out as a dream getaway is turning into a terrifying nightmare …
Women's Fiction Psychological | Women's Fiction Friendship [Blackstone Publishing, On Sale: January 14, 2025, Paperback / e-Book , ISBN: 9798874746711 / ]
Sandra Chwialkowska is a television writer and producer who splits her time between Los Angeles and Toronto. Most recently, she served as writer and co–executive producer on the Golden Globe–nominated ABC series Alaska Daily, created by Oscar-winning writer Tom McCarthy and starring two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank. Sandra holds a BA in literature from Yale. This is her first novel.
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