Amy K. Green: Don’t Be Afraid To Bribe Yourself
In this interview, author Amy K. Green discusses tormenting main characters with her new thriller, Haven’t Killed in Years.
Amy K. Green was born and raised in a small New England town where she was once struck by lightning. She was a practicing CPA before leaving the corporate life to work in film production, write, and wear fewer high heels. She now lives in Los Angeles. Follow her on X (Twitter), Instagram, and TikTok.
In this interview, Amy discusses tormenting main characters with her new thriller, Haven’t Killed in Years, the creative process of choosing a title, and more.
Name: Amy K. Green
Literary agent: Brandi Bowles, United Talent Agency
Book title: Haven’t Killed in Years
Publisher: Berkley
Release date: November 18, 2025
Genre/category: Thriller
Previous titles: The Prized Girl
Elevator pitch: No one is supposed to know harmless office worker Gwen Tanner is the vanished daughter of serial killer Abel Haggerty, but a new name and a low profile aren’t going to cut it when an obsessive new killer starts targeting her.
What prompted you to write this book?
My social circle is comprised almost exclusively of parents and their children. While not a parent myself, I am privy to no shortage of conversations questioning the potentially life-altering impact of each decision they face. What’s too much sugar? When do I get my kid a cell phone? Should they be wearing a helmet? I found myself thinking, The fact that you’re even considering these things is probably a good sign. I mean, you’re doing your best; it’s not like you are a serial killer.
From there, the wheels started turning. What would life be like for the adult daughter of a serial killer? What did she see? What did she know? What does she remember? Combine that with today’s fascination with true crime and I thought, Even if she wanted to leave the past in the past, to embrace anonymity and strive for normalcy, there might be a whole subset of people out there who might not let her.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
It took roughly five years from the idea to publication. Of course, in that time, I had to actually write the book. The core of the idea didn’t change, but the middle of the story went through significant revisions, almost unrecognizable from the version of the book that was originally shared with Berkely. Without giving too much away, I introduce a new character and had underestimated how jarring it was for the reader by that point in the story. With the help of my wonderful editor, Lisa Bonvissuto, I was able to step back and rework that section to find a more seamless transition into the story. What started a relatively small issue led to some pretty big changes and I’m so glad it did.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
I wouldn’t say this necessarily surprised me, but it is a little disorienting how quickly the process flips from focusing on the words on the page to focusing on the whole package. Thankfully, the team at Berkley is wonderful, and they help me every step of the way.
As an example, Haven’t Killed in Years was not the original title. I would rank coming up with titles pretty high on my weaknesses scale, maybe right under doing a cartwheel, but it wasn’t the title the book sold with, or even the title that we all agreed on going into cover design. It wasn’t until we started to actually see the title as part of an overall cover concept that one of the previous titles we’d brainstormed re-emerged. Now it feels weird to think of this book called anything else.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
When I sat down to write this book, I was focused on tormenting my main character, sprinkling in total weirdos, and murdering some people along the way. I didn’t dive in with a plan to explore romantic chemistry. As I worked through the story, sparks developed between characters, and I embraced it. There can be a natural authenticity that comes when discovering those unexpected feelings right alongside your protagonist.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I hope readers get a laugh out of it. While the subject matter is dark, think severed limbs and serial killer worship, the protagonist has been desensitized to it since childhood which leaves her with a unique and sardonic outlook on life. She’s not disturbed by things that a normal person would find quite alarming.
At the very least, I hope it provides a brief escape from the real world. Personally, I love a twisty and unsettling story that I believe could happen, but likely won’t happen to me. It’s all the fun without the loss of sleep afterwards.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Don’t be afraid to bribe yourself. Should I be buying so many coffees and breakfast sandwiches? No. Does it persuade me to sit in front of my computer in a café when I would otherwise convince myself there is something I need to clean at home? Yes. Sometimes, sitting down in front of the computer is half the battle.
