What is the title of your latest release?
MADE YOU LOOK
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
MADE YOU LOOK is a thriller about a Catskills retreat that turns deadly for a group of influencers when a snowstorm cuts them off from their greatest resource—their followers—just as a killer strikes. It’s a fun, twisty read filled with secrets, scandals, and morally gray characters.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
In a very full-circle moment, my fictional retreat was inspired by a real-life location that I discovered in an influencer’s sponsored post! The location has gorgeous cabins with huge windows, but while anyone can see in, at night, you can’t see out. That experience of being viewed by an unknown audience reminded me a lot of how social media works, and I knew I wanted to include the cabins in this story. The fictional retreat is also very isolated, which is great for relaxation, but not so great when something goes wrong and there’s no one around to help.
Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
My characters are much too cool for me, and I’m also out of their age bracket, so hanging out probably isn’t in the cards.
What are three words that describe your protagonist?
For Lucy, the photographer: Creative, loyal, searching; For Caitlyn, the bombshell: Ambitious, snarky, self-confident
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
My internet search history is filled with lots of spoilery facts I researched for this book, but the biggest thing I learned while writing MADE YOU LOOK was the importance of having a community of writers who are there to support you throughout the writing and publishing process. Having people cheer you on and demand new pages to read is such great motivation to keep writing! Most importantly, friendship and camaraderie make the journey so meaningful.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I usually try not to edit too much as I draft, aside from making any plot changes that better serve the story or little tweaks to make sure I’m preserving the story’s voice and tone. Sometimes, though, it’s impossible to move forward until I get a sentence just right, because that sentence informs the next one!
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
A brownie sundae with vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream—I have a major sweet tooth!
Describe your writing space/office!
I write in a beautiful, corner office in my home. It feels a little like a greenhouse—my desk sits in front of four huge windows overlooking my garden, and the sunlight makes my fig tree and monstera plant happy! My office holds a bookshelf filled with books, a soft carpet and a walking pad to help me get steps in, especially when I’m brainstorming. More often than not, you’ll find me writing in my huge, cozy chair, with a cup of tea at my side.
Who is an author you admire?
There are so many! It’s impossible to name just one, as I’ve been fortunate to get to know so many on my publishing journey. At the top of my list are the authors who blurbed MADE YOU LOOK—Jesse Q. Sutanto, Katie Cotugno, Kieran Scott, and Olivia Worley. They’re ridiculously talented, write across multiple categories, and are extremely generous—a combination that I so admire!
Is there a book that changed your life?
A friend and I buddy-read My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult when I was in high school. Not only did I love the story, it also created space for such rich conversations. I already knew books were powerful, even when read alone, but the experience of having a shared community with readers was game-changing!
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.
I was overjoyed to hear that Berkley was interested in MADE YOU LOOK just two weeks from when my agent started submitting it to editors! I was already familiar with Berkley’s stories, and they publish some of my friends’ books, so it was such happy news that my thriller found a home there. I was also so excited that it was a fast process for this book—it’s not always the case in publishing, so having early interest felt like a total confidence boost!
What’s your favorite genre to read?
Asking me to choose is like asking me to pick a favorite child! I love thrillers, romance, horror, fantasy—you name it, I love to read it.
What’s your favorite movie?
It’s a toss-up between Tucker and Dale vs. Evil and Ready or Not. They’re both so entertaining, and I love stories with dark humor.
What is your favorite season?
I’m a fall girlie all the way—bring me the pumpkin patches, the cozy clothes and drinks, and the beautiful foliage.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I love to celebrate birthdays with delicious food, a nice walk, snuggles with my family, and a book-related activity, like getting in a little reading or writing.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I’m a huge fan of The Shit No One Tells You About Writing podcast and Bad on Paper podcast.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
I love Italian food! But really, there aren’t many foods I don’t enjoy.
What do you do when you have free time?
When I’m not reading or writing, you can find me with whatever my latest craft obsession is, spoiling my kids and guinea pigs, and spending time outdoors.
What can readers expect from you next?
My next book, A BEAUTIFUL LIE, is a sapphic You meets Saltburn psychological suspense novel about a home organizer who becomes obsessed with her latest client and manipulates her way into an invitation to her client’s luxurious summer home—but once she’s inside, she finds she never wants to leave.
A Catskills retreat turns deadly for a group of influencers when a snowstorm cuts them off from their greatest resource—their followers—just as a killer strikes in this irresistible debut thriller.
Sydney Kent is the ultimate It Girl. You want her effortless style, her charisma, her hair. You want to be her; you want to be with her.
But the trouble with a star is that everyone else looks dull in comparison.
Despite Caitlyn’s social media cunning, it’s impossible for her to step out from Sydney’s shadow. Even Lucy, Sydney’s best friend since before her fame, can’t escape her role as full-time photographer to the influencer.
When the women are invited to post content for a secluded new retreat in the Catskills, alongside Sydney’s boyfriend Jeff, stylist Nash, and manager Brent, the weekend feels like it will be a fresh start. But an unexpected snowstorm traps the group together with no cell service, no Wi-Fi, and no way out.
Then a killer strikes, and the dream trip becomes a nightmare. Secrets, lies, and scandals are forced to the surface, and the friends can’t help but suspect the murderer might be among them. Worse, the killing has only just begun.
But where there’s danger, there’s juicy, jaw-dropping, name-making content to be created. You know you want to look.
Thriller Crime | Women's Fiction Psychological [ Berkley, On Sale: November 18, 2025, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593954041 / eISBN: 9780593954058 ]
Tanya Grant writes twisty thrillers full of secrets, murder, and gossipy group dynamics. When not conducting highly suspicious web searches (for research!), she also writes romances. Her essays have appeared on HelloGiggles.com and Bust.com, and she’s spoken about creativity on various podcasts. When she’s not writing, you can find Tanya listening to the coyotes howl outside her Seattle-area home, drinking cinnamon tea, and chasing her two children.
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