Hank Phillippi Ryan: On Real Experiences and Mistakes Inspiring a Thriller Novel
In this interview, bestselling author Hank Phillippi Ryan discusses the fear of writing personal experiences and feelings in her new thriller novel, All This Could Be Yours.
USA Today-bestselling author Hank Phillippi Ryan is the author of 16 psychological thrillers. She’s won five Agatha Awards, five Anthony Awards, and the coveted Mary Higgins Clark Award. As on-air investigative reporter for Boston's WHDH-TV, she's won an unprecedented 37 Emmy Awards, as well as many more journalism honors. A past president of National Sisters in Crime, a founder of Mystery Writers of America University, and a board member of International Thriller Writers, Ryan lives in Boston. Follow her on X (Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky.
In this interview, Hank discusses the fear of writing personal experiences and feelings in her new thriller novel, All This Could Be Yours, her hope for readers, and more.
Name: Hank Phillippi Ryan
Literary agent: Christina Hogrebe, Jane Rotrosen Agency
Book title: All This Could Be Yours
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Release date: September 9, 2025
Genre/category: Thriller
Previous titles: One Wrong Word, The House Guest, Her Perfect Life, and others.
Elevator pitch: Is a debut author's blockbuster bestseller about to ruin her life? Tessa Calloway’s glamorous national book tour becomes a deadly cross-country cat-and-mouse chase after a decision she once made—one that truly felt like a deal with the devil—threatens to destroy her career and the beloved family she left back home.
What prompted you to write this book?
One real-life experience, and one annoying mistake.
I was signing my book for a reader at the Poisoned Pen bookstore in Scottsdale and inscribed it with something like “So wonderful to see you in Scottsdale,” and I added the date. And maybe because I'm a thriller writer, it crossed my mind that that was such a terrific alibi! It proved I was there on that date, and proved the reader was there on that date.
Then I thought about all the inscriptions I had written in the past, and how they could be twisted to provide nefarious and sinister meanings. “Thank you for everything,” for instance. What creepy thing could someone say that meant?
The mistake was made by a well-meaning bookstore graphics designer, who created a publicity graphic for my book The House Guest. Except the graphic called the book The Hotel Guest.
I thought, well, that's wrong. (And annoying.) But it actually got me thinking about who a perpetual hotel guest might be. And how that, too, might be incredibly sinister. And I thought—an author on book tour.
And those two ideas clicked together.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
Happily, as the universe sometimes works, that was just the moment I needed an idea for a new book. I pitched it to my editor, she loved it, and a year later it was finished. The idea was always about a debut author on book tour who makes a devastating Faustian bargain. And that core idea never changed. Because I never use an outline, I don't know how the book will evolve anyway, so my entire novel writing process is a process of constant change, which I have learned to thoroughly embrace.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
I have worked with my fabulous editor for many years now, and one of the things that is such a value in our relationship is that I begin to read my draft through her eyes. Oh, I'll think, I predict Kristin will want to cut this scene, so I’ll cut it now. Or Kristin will tell me to go deeper, or take a bigger risk, or push harder, so I'll do that on my own. I am truly inspired by how my relationship with my editor does not begin when I turn in the manuscript, but when I start it.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
I will confess All This Could Be Yours was a little scary to write, because it’s so intensely personal. There were moments when I wondered whether I should be a little more “fictional” about the actions and emotions and fears of my main character Tessa. My friends and fans will certainly recognize how realistic and authentic some of the situations are. And certainly, my colleagues will laugh and cringe, and understand that I am truly—OK, with some intensification and heightened danger—portraying the real life of a writer on book tour. And I decided to just go for it.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I hope readers will never look at a book event the same way again! This book turned out to be a love letter to readers and booksellers and librarians, and although I will admit that was not my initial intention, that passion and that joy emerged on every page, and the more I thought about it, the more delighted I was. I hope readers feel the same way. (And they should know that although they’ll learn book tour is grueling, it’s not actually terrifying and deadly. Usually.)
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Everything will be fine. If you let your brain seize up with worry over a particular writing day, or the seeming impossibility of coming up with a new idea or a solution, just stop worrying. It will emerge.
There's a wonderful quote from Thomas Edison who reportedly said “When you think you have exhausted all of the possibilities, remember this. You haven't.”
So, every time I hit the wall I think of that, and I tell myself, well, the idea will come. I just haven't had it yet. And I reassure myself that I feel this way every single time. And every single time it works.
OK. Knock on wood.
