Second- Book Jitters

We chat to publishing sensation Paula Hawkins about her much-anticipated new novel.

- Jane Vorster

IT’S a common problem. In the book world there’s even a name for it – “the second-book jinx”. This is when an author scores a major success with a debut novel and then goes into writing the second one bogged down by the weight of reader expectation. Will it be a bestseller? Will it be as good as the first, or is the author just a one-hit wonder?

You can see how all this could drive a writer mad. So spare a thought for Paula Hawkins. Her 2015 debut, The Girl On The Train, turned her into an overnight publishing sensation – it sold almost 20 million copies worldwide and was turned into a blockbuster movie starring Emily Blunt.

How do you follow this up? Imagine the pressure the British author must have been under as she began work on her much-anticipated second novel, Into The Water. We caught up with Paula (44) by email to quiz her about her writing habits and find out how she tackled the second-book jinx.

What is it like touring to promote a new novel? Where are you now and what are you up to?

I’m in Harrogate [in England] this morning; I’ll be passing through York and Durham today, finishing up in Newcastle for an event this evening. Back to London tomorrow and then I leave for New York the following day. It’s exhausting but fun, and it’s great to be talking about a new novel having spent two years talking about The Girl On The Train (TGOTT).

Your new novel is very different to TGOTT. What inspired it?