E.A. Jackson: Writing This Book Was My Own Choice
In this interview, author E.A. Jackson discusses discovering personal grit in writing her new thriller, Missing.
E.A. Jackson is an American transplanted to England. She was born in Philadelphia and lived in Iowa, Massachusetts, Arkansas, Cambridge, and Bristol before ending up in Exeter, where she now works as a senior lecturer at the University of Exeter. Follow her on Instagram.
In this interview, E.A. discusses discovering personal grit in writing her new thriller, Missing, her hope for readers, and more.
Name: E.A. Jackson
Literary agent: Laura Macdougall, United Agents
Book title: Missing
Publisher: Emily Bestler Books, Simon and Schuster
Release date: March 17, 2026
Genre/category: Thriller
Elevator pitch: A detective returns to a thirty-year-old case—an infamous disappearance in London—that has haunted her entire career and now may jeopardize her future.
What prompted you to write this book?
I had published three books under a different name. That taught me that I didn’t really know how to write a book, never mind a good book—and I wanted to write a good book. So, I decided to read many books about “how to write a novel” and learn what I could from them, and to read the novels that those books recommended and learn what I could from them. This book is my attempt to put into practice everything I learned from those books.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
It took four years to go from idea to publication, but that includes one year in which the publishers were working on cover art and design, and I was reading proofs, making final edits, etc. The idea changed very much. When I started thinking about my plot, I knew that I wanted there to be a missing baby, and I knew that I wanted the baby to appear to be returned by a beautiful girl. In my initial vision, the book was much more about Nell Beatty. It took a long time, and many drafts, for me to see that it would be a much richer book if I focused more on Allen and more on the question of how and why the baby had been returned. I had also originally written it as more concerned with abstractions—with much more meditation on why one might do certain things and how they might make one feel—and it also took those many drafts for me to see that it would be a much stronger book if I showed why they did those things, rather than just musing.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
I would have to say the greatest surprise was how much my agent and then the publishers liked it! I still think it could have been much better in many ways.
I’d say another surprise was the discovery of how much good editing can add to a book. You think you’re done and you’ve got everything worked out, and then a good editor comes in and shows you how it could be even better. That was a lovely surprise.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
There were many surprises. First, despite having written three previous books, I was surprised at how much hard, practical work goes into writing a good book. Between the background research, devising and keeping straight the personalities of all the characters, wrangling the timeline, and making sure I had a plot and writing that would hold people, it really was a genuine job. I’d never worked so hard before in my life.
Second, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed that hard work. The exhilaration that I felt when I figured out how to make something work, and particularly how to make something better, was intoxicating—I was surprised by the intensity of that feeling.
And then, honestly, I was surprised that I had it in me. I knew that I could perform well at a job when I had to: when there was someone expecting something or overseeing me. But writing this book was my own choice. I had no one expecting anything, and I was the only person policing myself. I was surprised to discover how determined I was to finish, and to have what I had finished be good. I knew I had grit, but I never knew I had that much grit!
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
A damn fine read, a realization that the world was and still is hard for women, increased appreciation for how deeply, deeply complicated people are, and a desire to spend more time with Martha Allen and Manley Desbury (since I ended up with that last one myself after finishing writing the book).
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Doubt everything about your work: Doubt that you’re a good writer; doubt that you’ve said things in the best way possible; doubt that your book is interesting, well plotted, and well written. Only when you look at your work from that standpoint can you see what really is good and what isn’t, and only then can you discover how to fix what isn’t good.
