Kate Eberle on "If Books Could Kill": The Romance-Turned-Thriller That Started a 10-Way Book Auction — Quick Book Reviews with Philippa Hall

Kate Eberle's debut novel If Books Could Kill sparked a 10-way bidding war, sold film and TV rights, and is being published in over 14 countries — and it's easy to see why. This rom-com-meets-thriller follows Roxy Mitchell, a romance novel superfan who wishes herself into her favorite author's next book... only to discover the author has swapped genres to crime thriller, and her dream date is now trying to kill her.

In this episode, Kate joins Philippa to talk about:

The meme that sparked the entire idea (yes, an Emily Henry meme)
What it's actually like to live through a 10-way book auction in real time
Writing a genre mashup nobody knew how to categorize — and why publishers loved it anyway
Creating Grant Hoffman, the know-it-all love interest readers can't stop talking about
Her dream (a library with snacks) and nightmare (a concert with FOMO) writing locations
Why she's been hearing from readers whose partners think they've lost it from laughing so hard

Plus: the book that's keeping Kate up at night right now, and the cookie that powered every word of If Books Could Kill.

Mentioned in this episode: If Books Could Kill by Kate Eberle, Beach Read by Emily Henry, In Every Possible Way by Alicia Thompson

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