Linwood Barclay: On the Horror of Inanimate Objects
In this interview, New York Times-bestselling author Linwood Barclay discusses how a lifelong interest in trains helped inspire his new horror novel, Whistle.
Linwood Barclay is the New York Times-bestselling author of numerous previous novels and two thrillers for children. His books have been translated into more than two dozen languages. He wrote the screenplay adaptation for his novel Never Saw It Coming and his books The Accident and No Time for Goodbye have been made into TV series in France. No Time for Goodbye was a global bestseller. A native of Connecticut, he now lives in Toronto with his wife, Neetha. Follow him on X (Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and Threads.
In this interview, Linwood discusses how a lifelong interest in trains helped inspire his new horror novel, Whistle, his unique advice for other writers, and more.
Name: Linwood Barclay
Literary agent: Helen Heller
Book title: Whistle
Publisher: William Morrow
Release date: May 20, 2025
Genre/category: Horror/supernatural
Previous titles: Over 30 titles including the most recent, I Will Ruin You
Elevator pitch: A chiller that will do for toy trains what Chucky did for dolls.
What prompted you to write this book?
I’d been thinking a long time about how toys like dolls and mechanical monkeys and even a rocking horse have been used for evil purposes in thrillers and thought, Why not toy trains? I have a lifelong interest in the hobby and wanted to make you as frightened of them as you might be of that ventriloquist’s dummy in William Goldman’s Magic.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
The idea came together about two years ago, and I wrote it between September 2023 and January 2024.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
Sometimes publishers get a little nervous when you decide to stray outside your lane, to dive into a genre you are not known for. But I’m grateful everyone has gotten behind Whistle. Now we wait and see if the readers will do the same.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
In the beginning, I thought this was a straightforward story that all took place in the present, but as I got into it, I realized there was a second story, almost a second novel, hiding in the book, that took place in the past. So, I decided to write both stories, alternating between the time periods.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I hope it keeps them up at night and that they’ll never look at a train set the same way again.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Once you achieve a level of success that you start getting invitations to author events, never wear tan khakis. If you spill some water on the front, you have a lot of explaining to do. Oh, and read. Read a lot.
Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
