What is the title of your latest release?
The Aunt
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
When one sister dies after years of estrangement, the other inherits everything, but it turns out the suspects are closer than you would think.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I moved to Palm Beach from New Jersey and immediately felt like I stepped into an entirely different world. I wanted to write what that felt like.
Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
I would like to think that I’m not as cynical as my character, but the person she becomes in the end I would.
What are three words that describe your hero?
Resourceful, determined, redeeming.
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned that it doesn’t matter what your social or economic status is in life, you’re still human and not immune to the basic emotions of love, loss, heartbreak, betrayal or sickness. Iin the end we aren’t that different from one another.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
My first draft is very bare bones. I focus only on making sure the plot makes sense and is paced out well. The second draft focuses on the characters and making sure their personalities match what is driving them forward as well as giving them more depth. The third draft then expands on details, replacing overused words or phrases and overall, setting the tone. It’s only after I do all that that I get into the nitty gritty of editing.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
A dark piece of chocolate
Describe your writing space/office!
Luckily, I get to write from home, so I have free range of the house, but still, I end up in our home office. There is a desk where I set up for Zoom calls and podcast interviews, but for the most part I write with my legs up on my office couch, surrounded by bookcases with signed copies from author friends I have made.
Who is an author you admire?
This is a tough one because I have met so many great ones. I know it’s a cliché but I’m going to go with Agatha Christie because she weas one of the trailblazers for mystery writing.
Is there a book that changed your life?
I wouldn’t say one book in particular. I just read constantly and the more I read, the more I started to teach myself how to deconstruct the writing. It was then that I finally got the confidence to realize that I could write books like this myself.
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.
It’s actually a crazy story. I was in Palm Beach during a hurricane watch when my agent said I got a three-book deal. I didn’t plan on really celebrating because it was the middle of the week and our kids had basketball, and yeah…there was a hurricane coming. But my husband insisted we go out anyway and who winds up sitting next to us at the restaurant but James Patterson! I never talk to celebrities because I don’t like to bother them, but my husband was kicking me under the table. I merely told him that I was out celebrating my three-book deal and how he’s been one of my inspirations over the years. He was very nice. It felt like a good omen.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
Mystery/thriller
What’s your favorite movie?
Rear Window
What is your favorite season?
Fall, probably because I live in Florida now and I miss it.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I don’t like a lot of attention on me, so a simple dinner with my family is all I could ask for.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
The book, THE ANNIVERSARY, by Alex Finlay. It broke the mystery/thriller genre in my opinion. It’s a literary masterpiece with all the aspects of a thriller.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
I’m a carbivore, so pasta all day. I guess that will put me with Italian cuisine.
What do you do when you have free time?
I like hiking, walking and skiing (when I’m somewhere that allows me to do that). I also love to read, and if I have an idea in mind, then I’ll write. That’s what I love about it. Writing doesn’t feel like work to me.
What can readers expect from you next?
I will be attending Boucheron in October and will continue to write. So hopefully I can update you soon with more details.
A gripping and unputdownable psych thriller for 2026
You think you know your sister? Think again...
The day that Amy gets the call, her whole world falls apart. Her younger sister Lexi has been killed in a tragic boating accident, along with her husband. Despite being estranged for the last ten years, Amy never stopped loving Lexi, and the news crushes her.
But Amy is shocked when she discovers she is set to inherit Lexi's beautiful mansion on Palm Beach, all her fortune... and her newborn daughter.
Amy is stunned - how did she not know her own sister had a baby? And when the police reveal that they are treating the accident as suspicious, Amy starts to question everything.
Did she ever really know her sister? What secrets has Lexi been hiding? Can Amy protect her baby niece, or will the truth cost her everything?
Mystery Woman Sleuth | Thriller Psychological [ Hodder & Stoughton, On Sale: September 22, 2026, Trade Paperback / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9781399748193 / eISBN: 9781399748216 ]
Courtney Psak graduated with a degree in Communications and Journalism with a master’s degree in Publishing.
Courtney currently lives in Palm Beach, Florida with her husband and two sons. She is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, the National Writers Association, International Thriller Writers and the Mystery Writers of America.
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