Bookreporter Talks to… T.J. Newman

T.J. Newman joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about her debut thriller, Falling, which is a #1 Indie Pick for July and a Bookreporter Bets On selection.

TJ, a former flight attendant, got the idea for this book when she was on a flight and asked the flight’s captain, “Hey, what would you do if your family was taken, and you were told that if you didn’t crash the plane, they would be killed?” His reaction, and where her imagination took it next, became Falling. The book was written on many a cross-country red-eye flight — often with scribbles on napkins and random notes stuffed into TJ’s pockets. The flight crew inspired by her experiences are at its heart, and the next time you get on a plane, you will definitely find yourself thinking of these characters!

TJ explains why she used her initials instead of her first name, Torri, as well as the evolution her writing journey took before she landed on Falling. She was a bookseller before she became a flight attendant, so she knows exactly how special it is for a debut author to be selected as a #1 Indie pick and have the attention of readers. This is one of the tightest and most haunting thrillers of the year — from the title, jacket cover, and premise, right through to the prose. We talk about how it all came together, what’s next both for Falling, and for her.

Books Discussed This Episode:

Falling by T.J. Newman

Falling Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQlAw4bIYJA

More Bookreporter Talks To:
Morningside Heights: https://youtu.be/qfP9-x6uDfQ
Where the Grass is Green and the Girls Are Pretty: https://youtu.be/U2tbngh546o
The Fiancee: https://youtu.be/jdyz8p6VnbM

Check out our Bookaccino Book Club live events!
Julie Clark: https://youtu.be/8AjJHRttMpU
William Kent Krueger: https://youtu.be/dX-mHWLmv5k

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Photography Credit: Greg Fitzgerald