This time I’m talking with Ashley Tate, bestselling debut author of TWENTY-SEVEN MINUTES, about how reading Iain Reid’s smash hit novel I’M THINKING OF ENDINGS gave her permission to write the blendy psychological thriller-literary mash-up of her dreams (or worst nightmares?).
In our conversation, Ashley talks about stumbling upon Reid’s debut novel without any idea of what she was getting into, how the novel gave her permission to write the kind of book she wants to read, about leaping over the bounds and limits of genre, how for her it always starts with character, the ways in which an ordinary setting can be absolutely creepy with the right tension, and why it makes sense that a story about grief is so destabilizing.
About TWENTY SEVEN MINUTES:
Welcome to West Wilmer.
Where everyone knows everyone.
And where everyone has a secret.
THE QUESTION No one in the small, claustrophobic town of West Wilmer can forget Phoebe Dean, their sweet, beloved golden girl. It’s been ten years since the car crash that tragically took her life, yet one question lingers: Why did it take her brother, Grant, twenty-seven minutes to call for help after the accident?
THE SECRET As the anniversary of Phoebe’s death approaches, Grant is consumed by memories of that night and everything he lost: his future, his reputation, his little sister. And the secret he’s been keeping all these years is threatening to undo him. But he and Phoebe weren’t the only ones in the car that night. Becca was there, too, and she’ll do anything to protect Grant.
THE TRUTH Everyone in West Wilmer remembers Phoebe, but only June Delroy remembers the other person lost that same night. Her brother, Wyatt, disappeared ten years ago, without a trace.
Until someone appears at her door.
Someone who may know where Wyatt went all those years ago.
Someone who knows what really happened that night.
Someone who is ready to tell the truth.
Taking place over three days and culminating in a shocking twist that will leave you breathless, Twenty-Seven Minutes is a gripping story about what happens when grief becomes unbearable, dark secrets are unearthed, and the horrifying truth is revealed.
ASHLEY TATE worked for over a decade as a writer and an editor for various publications as well as Canada’s first online magazine. Twenty-Seven Minutes is her debut. She lives with her husband, their two children, and their dog in Toronto.
Episode Four: Ashley Tate