It's not often that a debut author's freshman effort garners over 140,000 Good Reads reviews in just four months. But Tiffany Crum's "This Story Might Save Your Life" has done exactly that.
What's more, so many fans registered for free tickets to Crum's upcoming event with Atlanta Authors that a new venue was required. Instead of the Roswell Library, Crum will now be speaking at the DoubleTree Hotel, 1075 Holcomb Bridge Road, Roswell, at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15.
In a boon for readers, the DoubleTree's roomier accommodations have made it possible for Atlanta Authors to reopen registration. Click here for free tickets to hear Crum detailing her book and whirlwind publishing journey alongside local author Carlie Walker.
Ahead of that conversation, Crum answered a few questions about how she came to write one of the summer's hottest books.
Q: For starters, your childhood seemed custom made for a future suspense writer. You were raised on a dairy farm near which maximum-security prison?
A: I grew up in Chino, Calif., just down the road from the California Institution for Men. Other than the prison, we had very few neighbors. Just thousands of cows and a billion flies.
Q: When did you move to metro Atlanta?
A: My husband and I moved here in 2021 after spending almost two decades in Los Angeles, where I had a variety of jobs over the years, including working as an executive assistant and later doing bookkeeping for my husband's production company.
Q: When did you decide to become an author?
A: Writing wasn't something I stumbled into overnight. It was a long process of learning the craft, writing multiple manuscripts, and figuring out what kind of stories I wanted to tell before I finally wrote the book that sold. I've wanted to be a novelist for a long time. I decided to seriously pursue writing when my son was born, and he's 19 now, so this has definitely been a long journey.
Q: What proved instrumental in getting published?
A. I earned an MFA in creative writing and spent years writing literary fiction before realizing my heart was really in mystery and suspense. Like many authors, I wrote several novels before writing the one that found a publisher. The previous manuscripts will never see the light of day, but that's OK. I've thanked them for making me a better writer and moved on.
Q: Was the novel penned in Atlanta?
A: Yes, I wrote "This Story Might Save Your Life" after moving to Georgia.
Q: Can you sum up the accolades and honors your book has so far amassed?
A: The response has been far beyond anything I imagined. "This Story Might Save Your Life" debuted as a New York Times bestseller and has since been named one of the best books of the year by Amazon, Indigo and Spotify. It was also a Book of the Month Main Selection, a LibraryReads pick, and a BBC Radio 2 Book Club selection, and it's being translated into 23 languages.
Q. Touch on yet another development, the TV adaptation.
A. We're still very early in the TV process, and anyone who's spent time around Hollywood knows there's a long and unpredictable road between an option and seeing something on screen, but I'm crossing my fingers.
Q. What has most surprised you since the novel's March release?
A. I hoped people would find the book, but I never imagined how many would have read it by this point. That's been the biggest surprise. Hearing from readers around the world, and realizing the story has reached far more people in just four months than I could've ever dreamed, has been incredibly surreal. I'm immensely grateful.
Q: Have you and your presentation partner, Carlie Walker, collaborated previously?
A: Carlie and I actually just met at the last event we did together, but I'm already a fan. One of my favorite parts of becoming an author has been getting to know other writers, especially here in Georgia. Writing is such a solitary job, so it's always a treat to spend an afternoon talking books with someone who truly understands the ups and downs of this business.
Q: What are you planning for Atlanta Authors?
A: Attendees can expect a fun, relaxed conversation about writing and publishing, along with plenty of time for audience questions. I hope readers come for the mystery but stay for the friendship.
Q: What's next for you?
A: I'm currently writing my second novel, which has also been picked up by Flatiron.
There is no charge to attend Crum's Atlanta Authors event but registration is required here.
For more information, go to AtlantaAuthorsGa.com.
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