Q&A with Barbara Gayle Austin

From my Q&A with Barbara Gayle Austin, author of What You Made Me Do: A Novel:

How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?

My novel is a dark psychological thriller. The original title, Lowlands, doesn’t say what kind of book it is or what it’s about.

The publisher wanted a title that would appeal to readers of thrillers, so I brainstormed with my daughter, and we suggested ten options. What You Made Me Do is a variation of one of those suggestions. The title is brilliant—it works on multiple levels. As the reader delves into the book, they will wonder which character(s) the title refers to.

What's in a name?

The novel is set in the Netherlands, and the characters are Dutch. But I wanted to avoid names that are difficult for native English speakers to pronounce. If I had known that there would be an audio edition of the book, I would have picked names that are even easier. Fortunately...[read on]

Visit Barbara Gayle Austin's website.

The Page 69 Test: What You Made Me Do.

Q&A with Barbara Gayle Austin.

--Marshal Zeringue