Liz Lawson: I Like To Be Surprised
In this interview, author Liz Lawson discusses combining the best of both romance and mystery in her new novel, It Happened One Murder.
Liz Lawson is the New York Times bestselling author of The Agathas series, Murder Between Friends, and The Lucky Ones. Her books have been featured by the "Today" show, People, Barnes & Noble, and more, and translated into 14 languages. She lives in the DC metro area with her family and two very bratty cats. Follow her on TikTok and Instagram.
In this interview, Liz discusses combining the best of both romance and mystery in her new novel, It Happened One Murder, her advice for other writers, and more.
Name: Liz Lawson
Literary agent: Andrea Morrison, Writers House
Book title: It Happened One Murder
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Release date: May 26, 2026
Genre/category: Romance; mystery
Previous titles: The Lucky Ones, The Agathas series (duology), Murder Between Friends
Elevator pitch: It Happened One Murder is a dual POV mystery/rom-com hybrid about a down-on-her-luck twenty something who is forced to pair up with her ex-situationship to solve a murder in their quaint New Jersey beach town.
What prompted you to write this book?
When I was 25, I had what can only be described as a severe quarter life crisis. I had just broken up with a serious boyfriend, moved back to my home city for grad school, and felt totally lost. I’ve always wanted to write about that feeling in fiction, the way your mid-20s can feel a lot like floating out in space with nothing to hold you down. That’s what I was thinking when I started writing the opening chapter of this book about Harriet, who’s been fired from her dream job, lost her dream life, and now has moved back in with her mother. The problem is, home for Harriet has never really been a safe space, either. I come from a mystery-writing background (three of my young adult novels are mysteries!) and decided it might be fun to figure out how to frame the story around a murder.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
Oh man, it took longer than you’d think because I wrote it between other books. I knew I wanted to write something in the adult category a couple years ago but had another book in my YA contract to write. I started It Happened One Murder right around (or maybe even before?) I started writing Murder Between Friends, but then had to hop off of it in order to write that book. Between revisions, I would pick it back up and work on it. The general idea didn’t change much, but as always happens, plot points did. (In several of the early drafts, Nic’s mom had a heart attack and ended up in the hospital!)
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
One of the best surprises was when we got not one but two offers on the book! My initial experience going on submission had ended in a preempt, so I’d never gone through an auction and it was thrilling!
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
Ah, this is a hard one to answer without spoiling the end! Although I had a good idea of who the killer was when I started writing the book, it wasn’t until I got closer to the end that I realize how I wanted to handle it. I’m probably about 25 percent plotter and 75 percent pantser, so while I go in knowing the skeletal bones of the plot I want to write, filling it all in happens as I go. I like to be surprised! (And, maybe, possibly, like the drama of deciding halfway through every book I write that I have absolutely no idea how I’m ever going to finish the book.)
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
It Happened One Murder is an easy breezy, fun read; I hope readers will find in it their new favorite beach book! It has it all: banter, twists, romance, plus it’s set in a small town on the Jersey shore.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Don’t give up!! I wrote two full books and queried one before my debut (The Lucky Ones, 2020) was picked up by an agent / publisher. It’s very, very normal to have the first book you write not be your first book published, so if you are getting rejections just know that pretty much every author out there has gone through something similar, whether it be during querying, submission, or during the publication process.
