The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience

How #1 New York Times Bestselling Author E. Lockhart Writes

Nov 7, 2025

E. Lockhart, a #1 New York Times bestselling author known for her gripping YA novels, shares insights into her journey from academia to fiction. She discusses the impact of her PhD on her beachy gothic storytelling and addresses the resurgence of her hit We Were Liars thanks to TikTok. Lockhart delves into the importance of YA literature, connecting with fans through deluxe editions and emotional themes, and hints at upcoming adaptations. She emphasizes daily writing as a vital practice for aspiring authors.

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ANECDOTE

Press Day Perks Turned Into Coffee Danger

E. Lockhart described press day luxuries: chocolate chip muffins, pineapple, and unlimited espresso supplied by her publisher.
She joked the unlimited espresso could get her in trouble by day’s end.

INSIGHT

Gothic Roots Shape YA Beach Tales

Lockhart sees a direct lineage from 19th-century Gothic novels to her beach-gothic YA work.
She blends Gothic settings with teenage emotional experiences like first love and separation from family.

ANECDOTE

Two-Book Deal Shifted Her Career

Lockhart recounted fleeing academia after feeling constrained and later receiving a Random House request for a YA proposal.
That two-book deal launched her into young adult fiction and she never looked back.

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#1 New York Times bestselling author E. Lockhart spoke with us about her past life in academia, falling in love with the YA scene, and returning to the world of TikTok favorite We Were Liars with her latest beachy gothic WE FELL APART.

I am joined by a co-host this week, none other than The Book Babe, Milena Gonzalez.

E. Lockhart is author of #1 New York Times bestsellers We Were Liars (also now a hit original series on Prime Video) and Family of Liars. Her other books include Again Again, Genuine Fraud, and The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks.

Recently celebrating 11 years in print, Lockhart’s We Were Liars has sold more than 2 million copies, become a TikTok sensation, and remained a regular New York Times bestseller since its publication.

Her latest novel returns to the world of We Were Liars with WE FELL APART described as “...an intricate, highly bingeable psychological suspense novel exploring themes of privilege, family legacy, freedom, and parental abandonment.” #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Inheritance Games Jennifer Lynn Barnes called it, “Compulsively readable to the very last page.”

E. Lockhart is also the inventor of DC Comics superhero Whistle: A New Gotham City Hero. She has been a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the National Book Award and an honoree for the Printz Award. She has a PhD in English literature from Columbia University and chaired the committee on Young People's Literature for the National Book Awards.

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In this file E. Lockhart, Milena Gonzalez and I discussed:

The dangers of bottomless espresso

How her process has evolved over the years and across genres

What getting a two-book deal for a YA novel did for her career

Writing the back matter for the new Deluxe Editions of her trilogy

What it was like to Exec. Produce the TV adaptation for We Were Liars

Getting readers to lie about her twist endings

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

emilylockhart.com