What is the title of your latest release?
A BEAUTIFUL LIE
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
In A BEAUTIFUL LIE, a YOU x SALTBURN psychological thriller, home organizer Emily becomes obsessed with her latest client, a beautiful and wealthy heiress. When their professional relationship turns into friendship and Emily scores an invite to Cap’s coastal Gilded Age mansion for the summer, she soon realizes that she doesn’t just want Cap - she also wants her life.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I wanted a location that combined a sense of history with a feeling of extreme, unobtainable wealth. The Gilded Age mansions in Newport, Rhode Island felt like a natural fit, though most of the buildings have since been turned into museums. During my research, however, I came across one of the last “cottages” that remained in private hands, and suddenly, I had my location! I was lucky enough that one of the mansions was for sale, and I spent a lot of time virtually walking through its rooms to get a feel for the location. On a trip to Newport, I also got to swing by the property, which was a treat. Though the Nest in my story is a fictionalized version, it’s based on the real-life location.
Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
Ooh, this is a tough one! Emily is such a driven person, and she’s built a thriving business from the ground up. I think it would be fascinating to pick her brain about business and strategy, though she also tends to take things to the extreme. I would worry that putting myself in her path could open me up to an unhealthy, imbalanced friendship. Plus, she has a scary way of knowing too much about the people she meets, including private details…
What are three words that describe your hero?
Ambitious, meticulous, pragmatic
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned more about tracking software than I ever wanted to know. There are too many dubious ways to access people’s personal data, and a scary portion of them are technically legal to use. I didn’t let myself linger in that research for too long - it’s unsettling!
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
While I wait until the end of a draft to make big-picture edits, I find the first chapters to be so important for establishing the voice and tone of a story. Because of that, I typically let myself spend time at the start of the book to get the word choice just right. Understanding how a character talks helps me sink into the world more deeply, so fiddly little edits in the first few chapters are worth the time spent.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I have a sweet tooth and am a sucker for desserts, especially cake! I used to be a wedding photographer, and I still dream about all the wedding cake I got to enjoy.
Describe your writing space/office!
I’m fortunate to have a beautiful home office that’s my creative escape. The ceiling soars to two stories high, and a huge set of windows makes the space feel like a greenhouse. I alternate between writing at my desk while using a walking pad and sitting in my cozy office chair with my computer on my lap. I’m sure neither setup is very ergonomic, but they help me get in a creative headspace.
Who is an author you admire?
Alice Hoffman is such a gifted storyteller, and I admire the way she has created stories that endure so far past their publication. As I write this, the Practical Magic 2 movie is coming out soon, which is incredible. (And yes, I’ll be lining up to see it in theaters!) I have also gotten to know so many authors as part of my publication journey, and I admire each of them for their talent, perseverance, and savvy.
Is there a book that changed your life?
Jodi Picoult’s MY SISTER’S KEEPER was a springboard for me into the idea of writing as a career. While I’d always wanted to write stories, discovering MY SISTER’S KEEPER - and subsequently learning about Picoult’s impressive career trajectory - made me believe there might be a true path forward for me.
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 sold A BEAUTIFUL LIE and my first thriller, MADE YOU LOOK, in a two-book deal. Previously, another book of mine went on submission but wasn’t picked up, which was a drawn-out process. In contrast, my agent and I heard back about MADE YOU LOOK in about two weeks, which felt like record time! It was so exciting to know my stories had found a home, and getting to meet my editor was a pinch-me moment.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
I’m such a genre hopper when it comes to stories, but I most often reach for thrillers, romance, fantasy, and horror. There are so many beautiful books out there!
What’s your favorite movie?
I adore Ready or Not! It’s such an adrenaline-filled story with a heroine you root for, and its tight structure makes it worth studying from a craft perspective as well.
What is your favorite season?
Give me all things fall. It’s the coziest time of year for me, and the beautiful weather in the Pacific Northwest makes it a perfect season to spend outside. I will shamelessly admit to doing a tour of all my local pumpkin patches one autumn, spending every weekend at one farm or another. I’ll never get tired of apple cider donuts and a field full of pumpkins.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I’m very low-key about my birthday. My one request to my family each year is that I want to celebrate by eating cake. They’ve indulged me with some very creative cake decorations over the years.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
THE POISON DAUGHTER by my dear friend Sheila Masterson is phenomenal. It’s the story of a poison-lipped vigilante who hunts abusive men in her community, until one night she kisses a man and he doesn’t die. Worse, he’s her betrothed, and now he knows her secret. Sheila first indie published the book, and thanks to its wild success, it’s getting a trad release as well. The hype is so well-deserved.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
I’ll never say no to Indian food. Chicken tikka masala was my pregnancy craving when I was pregnant with my oldest child - I ate it so much, the chefs in my local restaurant regularly invited me into the kitchen!
What do you do when you have free time?
Free time is a luxury, but I love spending any spare moments in my gardening. After so much time in front of a screen, digging my hands into the earth and growing things is the reset I need.
What can readers expect from you next?
I’m excited to share I have another thriller up my sleeve! While I can’t say too much just yet, it’s a holiday thriller set during a white elephant gift exchange gone wrong. It’s in the vein of Knives Out and was a blast to write, with multiple points of view and the stressful proximity of the holidays.
Narrator: Elena Rey
In this juicy psychological thriller, home organizer Emily is invited to vacation at her beautiful and wealthy new client's summer home—but once inside, Emily doesn’t want to leave.
Every one of my home organizing clients is a fabulous liar.
They tell themselves they need to keep clutter in their lives for rainy days or just‑in‑cases. They hold onto things too tightly. Most people don't know how to cut to the heart of what's important and purge everything that's not.
That's where I come in. I can look into my client’s lives and see exactly what's weighing them down, and I get rid of it for them.
It sounds easy, but I’ll let you in on a secret: I have trouble letting go of things, too.
When Cap slides into my life with her neon signs and velvet hair bows and magnetic energy, I know I can't just let her walk away. Because one of the first rules of home organizing is that like belongs with like. And Cap and me? We're destined to be together.
She may not know it yet, but that's okay. I'd be lying if I didn't say the challenge is part of the thrill. And luckily for Cap, I'm not afraid of a little hard work.
Thriller Psychological | Women's Fiction Psychological [ Berkley, On Sale: September 8, 2026, Trade Paperback / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9780593954065 / eISBN: 9780593954072 ]
A chillingly clever tale of obsession, deception, and a woman who always has a plan.
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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