Cross My Heart, Megan Collins is a Masterful Thriller Writer

Oh, and by the way, her new book, Cross My Heart, comes out next week!

Last week I alluded to writing to another author about showing up here to talk about her new thriller. Today, I am thrilled to share that the author in question is the one and only Megan Collins, whose well-regarded books have been described as twisty, expertly paced, unputdownable, chilling, riveting, and whole host of other things, all of them good. Her latest book, Cross My Heart, comes out on January 14 (that's next Tuesday, so be sure to grab a copy, stat), and her editor at Atria Books calls it Megan's "most ambitious novel, as well as her twistiest, walking a razor-thin line between infatuation and obsession to deliver major thrills."

To me, I can't think of a better way to kick off 2025. So let's meet Megan, learn about her writing journey, and discover how her tale about a heart transplant patient who becomes romantically obsessed with her donor’s husband came into being.

1.     Tell us a bit about yourself and your journey to becoming a published writer. 

I’ve known since I was six years old that I wanted to be a published author, but the road to achieving that goal was definitely long and potholed. After studying creative writing in both college and graduate school, I wrote my first novel over one feverish summer, then secured a literary agent for it by the next one. Unfortunately, that book didn’t sell and my agent dropped me as a client. I wrote another book and queried that one for a couple years, spurred on by positive-but-not-quite-a-yes feedback along the way, until I landed with my current agent. However, she wasn’t able to sell that book either, so I revised my first novel with her, and we sent out a refreshed version of that one—which failed to sell once again. Luckily, during that time, I’d been writing a third novel (my advice for writers is to always be working on a new project when you’re on submission), and after submitting it to publishers for six months, I was sure that, for a third time, it just wasn’t going to happen. But literally two days after I had that devastating thought, an editor from Simon & Schuster scheduled a call with me—and by the end of that week, I had an offer! I’ve now been with that same editor for all five of my books. The journey was definitely worth it in the end, but it sure was painful along the way—and yet, I’m glad those first two books didn’t sell. They weren’t thrillers, the genre I write in now, so if I’d gotten them published, I’d be writing completely different stories than the ones I’m interested in telling at this point in my life.

As for some other facts about me, I’m obsessed with my two dogs, Iker and Birdie. I collect miniatures. I’m the editor-in-chief of 3Elements Review, and I currently teach a novel-writing course with students from around the globe for Jericho Writers (applications for this year’s course are being accepted until February 16!). Also, at any given moment in my day, I am likely either listening to or thinking about Taylor Swift.

2. You have an MFA in poetry and have had some of your poems published. What made you decide to focus on writing thrillers and when?

I always knew I didn’t want to be in one box as a writer. Even when I was taking an intense schedule of poetry workshops and classes in graduate school, I was constantly reading novels, feeding my deep hunger for stories. And then, just a few months after I graduated, I started writing my first novel (which was never published). For about a decade, I split my time between writing fiction and poetry, but ever since my debut, The Winter Sister, was published, I’ve been solely focused on writing novels—though I still love to read poetry and find that the most joyful part of writing for me is focusing on the cadence and rhythm of language.    

3. Who are some of your favorite thriller writers and why?

I’m going to limit myself to only three because otherwise my answer will end up being nine hundred paragraphs long: I love Tana French for her atmospheric writing, vivid settings, and fascinating character development; I love Gillian Flynn for her epic twists and masterful storytelling; and I love Marisha Pessl because Night Film is one of the best reading experiences I’ve ever had.

4. You've written five deliciously twisty thrillers now. What is the recipe for a great thriller? 

Oh man, I wish I knew! Every time I sit down to write another, I’m like, “Wait a minute, how do you write a thriller again?” But here are the elements I love to see in thrillers I read: (1) an interesting voice, (2) beautiful prose, (3) a premise that makes me go, “Oh wow, what’s going to happen??” (4) well-rendered characters, (5) ever-increasing stakes, (6) big surprises, (7) haunting atmosphere, and (7) an ending that’s both unexpected and inevitable.

5. How did you come up with the idea for your latest book, Cross My Heart, which hits bookstores on January 14? Tell us about the book, and what the process of writing it was like for you. What sort of feedback have you been getting from early readers?

Cross My Heart is about a heart transplant recipient who becomes romantically obsessed with her donor’s husband, even as rumors swirl that he might have had something to do with his wife’s premature death. My editor has been pitching it as “twisted You’ve Got Mail,” which I love, and I like to describe it as a book about a woman who fervently believes she’s living a romcom—only to discover it’s actually a thriller.

I had the first seed of this idea (two people connected by a donated heart) way back when I first started writing novels in 2008 or so. Back then, it wasn’t a thriller, though; it was more or less a romance, where a young widow meets the man who has her husband’s heart and the two fall in love. I only wrote about a chapter of that idea before moving onto other stories, but once I started publishing thrillers, I came back to the idea, wondering if there was a way to make it much darker. I eventually stumbled into a premise I liked, and a twist I thought would be very cool, but I didn’t know if I had the writing chops to execute the idea. Then, when my publisher rejected one book idea I had pitched to them and asked, “What else have you got?” (as if I have tons of other premises just lying around!), I figured it was time to see if I could actually make Cross My Heart work. And…I think I did? At least, I’m happy with the end result and proud of the story I’ve told, and I’ve been so grateful to see that early readers have been loving the twists, the structure of the book (which includes emails, DMs, texts, web messages, and more), and the fairly unhinged protagonist, who most seem to root for while also giving her a fair amount of side-eye (very appropriate reaction, honestly).

6. You're going on a book tour soon. Where will potential readers be able to see you in person, or online?

Here’s my event schedule:

Saturday, January 11: Pre-launch hosted by River Bend Bookshop at Thomas Hooker Live in Hartford, CT.

Tuesday, January 14: Pub day launch hosted by Book Club on the Go in South Windsor, CT.

Wednesday, January 15: Virtual event hosted by Novel Neighbor.

Friday, January 17: Double header event with Layne Fargo (THE FAVORITES) hosted by An Unlikely Story in Plainville, MA.

7. What's next for you? And anything else on your mind today?

I’m currently at work brainstorming and plotting out my next thriller, which I can’t say too much about, but I can promise it’ll be another dark, twisty story with complicated relationships and big surprises.

A big thank you to Megan for joining us here today. To find out more about her and her books, visit www.megancollins.com or follow her on Instagram, Threads and TikTok at @megancollinswriter.

Writing prompt: Write about the first person to steal your heart. Who were they, what made them so special in your eyes, and...then what happened, for better or for worse?

Meet Megan's Pups

You really didn't think a dog mom like me would let an author like Megan name drop her pups without showing you how perfect they are, did you? Introducing Megan's dogs, Iker (the Husky-esque pooch at the top of the pic) and Birdie (the bright, brown-eyed baby at the bottom). Megan adopted Iker from Friends of Benelli (FOBF), and Birdie from Toby's Dream Rescue. Toby's is based in Connecticut, where Megan lives. FOBF works with rescues in the United States, Venezuela, Peru, Lebanon, Turkey and Dominican Republic to provide sweet dogs like Iker with loving homes like Megan's. FOB's Instagram account – @friendsofbenelli – features a lot of the important, life-saving work they do around the world for these pets prior to adoption. Please support them if you can by donating to their Venmo (@friendsofbenelli), CashApp ($friendsofbenelli), or PayPal account (Friends of Benelli Foundation). Or, reach out to them and see if there's a furry beast you can foster or adopt. Iker and Birdie are proof that dogs are THE BEST and everyone should have one...or even two.

Quote

You don't start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it's good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That's why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.

Octavia Butler

Endnotes

What I'm reading: I'm waiting for my copy of Cross My Heart, so until then I'll be knee-deep in Marlene L. Daut's The First and Last King of Haiti: The Rise and Fall of Henry Christophe. Daut's impeccably researched biography of this revolutionary-turned-king just came out on Tuesday, and so far I am just transfixed.

What I'm listening to: I'm generally not a die-hard fan of Bad Bunny, but his new album, "DeBi TiRAR MaS FOToS" is a sonically rich trip through his native Puerto Rico's music history, his own little "Buena Vista Social Club" fused with modern flourishes. Favorite songs right now are: 1. "NUEVAYoL", 2. "CAFe CON RON", and 3. "LA MuDANZA."

What I'm wondering: I've been doing this newsletter quietly for almost a year now. I want to know what you're enjoying, what you could see less of, and what you'd like to see more of in this space. Again, you're letting me into your inbox on a weekly basis, so my goal is not to overstay my welcome there, and to provide you with stuff that you may find interesting, educational, entertaining, or useful. Please hit reply to this email and let me know what you're thinking. And thank you so much for being here. I appreciate you so much.

Where I hope you'll donate this week: This past week, chef and World Central Kitchen founder Jose Andres was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his work providing meals to people enduring humanitarian, climate, and community crises. WCK is currently in Southern California, helping first responders and families impacted by the devastating fires there. Please consider donating once, or monthly to help WCK continue its important work around the world. Thank you.