There’s no denying it, young adult thrillers are having a moment. From A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder To The Inheritance Games, readers are riveted by teens hunting down the truth, running from killers, and generally being delightfully messy and emotionally raw.
In Case I Go Missing introduces an exciting new voice in the genre, R.N. Swann. Her debut follows best friends Fenny and Sam as they try to piece together the disappearance of their friend Sarah, who was investigating something nefarious happening in their small South Dakota town. And in searching for Sarah, they also may become the next targets of whoever wanted to stop Sarah’s investigation into the town’s corruption. It’s atmospheric, tense, and filled with heart.
Early praise from Kirkus Reviews calls the novel “immersive and tightly plotted,” while School Library Journal deems it “a compelling story that succeeds by focusing as much on the emotional toll of grief and betrayal as it does on the mystery.”
We asked Swann a few questions in the lead-up to her launch at Greedy Reads this week (details below.)
This is your first novel. Can you tell us the most exciting thing about being a debut novelist?
I think the beauty of being a debut novelist is that you’re discovering everything for the first time. It feels a little like being a kid in a candy shop. There are so many moving parts and pieces you had no idea existed before starting the publishing journey. Everything is so fresh and new that even the smallest thing is exhilarating. From getting my first editorial letter, to picking covers, to finalizing pass pages, to receiving my advanced reader copies, there was always something I could point to and think: look! I’m living my childhood dream!
I absolutely love a thriller that focuses on friendship. Can you tell us about the bond that ties Fenny, Sarah, and Sam together?
Yes! The bond between these three characters was my driving inspiration for writing the book. You have Sarah, the leader and the “Sherlock Holmes” character, who pursues the truth at any cost. You have Sam, a sheltered, awkward teenager who has grown up ignored and overlooked. And you have Fenny, our narrator, who would typically be cast as a “side character.” She is deeply loyal and hot-headed with a sharp wit, but she is more of a “John Watson” character than a Sherlock. She has always been more comfortable letting others lead. These three characters became best friends in elementary school and formed an inseparable trio. They’re codependent and messy, but they love each other down to their cores.
The book opens with Sarah’s disappearance, where this status quo is broken. We’re living in the aftermath of their fractured bond, where loyalty and trust are tested. The central conflict in this book, besides what happened to Sarah, is how Fenny and Sam cope and adapt to a new dynamic in her absence.
Can you tell us a bit about your process for crafting a thriller? Do you start with the twist? Or does it reveal itself after you meet the characters?
I feel like it goes against expectations for mystery writers, but I actually don’t do a lot of outlining or plotting. I usually start with a few key scenes: an opening scene, the last scene, the twist, and a few important moments in the middle. Everything else, I fill in as I go, which means the story can grow and change as it’s being written.
For me, this means everything is written in one singular document, so I can add clues and red herrings to previous scenes as I’m in the process of drafting. This means I am writing, editing, and revising all at the same time. I always knew the twist and the closing moment in ICIGM, but everything from character motivations to clues changed along the way.
Talk to me about the title! It’s such a great fit. At what point in the process did you find it? And did it stay the same?
I love the title! But it definitely wasn’t the original one. When I began drafting, the book was called Orange Sherbet—a title that didn’t make sense without knowing the ending, and also didn’t sound like a mystery/thriller. Eventually, it became Where are the Walls, which was the title I queried with. And while the title was okay, it really didn’t do the book any favors, or explain what it was actually about. My agent, Catherine, suggested a title change when I first signed with her, and I agreed it really needed one. And, after revising and introducing the concept of the binder, In Case I Go Missing felt like the perfect fit.
The binder! In the novel, Sarah leaves behind an “In Case I Go Missing” binder. Can you tell us more about the origin and invention of this piece of the story? It’s so clever!
The binder is definitely one of those moments that shows the power of editing and revising. In the initial draft, Sarah’s binder was a scrap of notebook paper with the names of the suspects written on it. There was much less of the “scavenger hunt” element of the story.
In the first meeting I had with my agent, Catherine and I pitched a few ideas to make Sarah’s clues more interactive for the reader. It was Catherine who asked if I’d ever heard of an “If I Go Missing” binder, and I immediately went, “Sarah would totally have one.” I did a ton of research on them (even bought my own version on Etsy!) and by the second draft, the pages of the In Case I Go Missing binder became the connecting piece between the clues, and the title of the book.
Lots of books are compared to A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder, but your book truly feels like Holly Jackson’s mega-hit in the best way. It’s familiar, but also fresh. Are you a Holly Jackson fan? Did you pitch the book with that comparative title in mind or was that added by your publishing team?
I love A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder! I’m a little bit of a Holly Jackson fangirl, so hearing people compare ICIGM to AGGGTM is an amazing feeling.
AGGGTM was one of my comps when I was first querying my agent and again when I went on submission to publishers. I picked it because there are definitely some similarities, like Pip’s project log in AGGGTM and the written deposition drafts from Fenny in ICIGM. There’s also a host of possible suspects, an intrepid investigation team, and the secretive, often toxic, nature of small towns and communities.
You live in Baltimore, but this story is set a bit further west. Can you tell us a bit about how you landed on South Dakota for the setting of this mystery?
The first draft of In Case I Go Missing was actually written before I moved to Baltimore two years ago. At the time, I was going to college at the University of Iowa and living in Iowa City. I had originally planned for Richmand—the small town the book is set in—to be in Iowa. I spent a long time driving back and forth between the corn fields and farms, trying to nail that specific Midwestern feeling that surrounded me.
One of my good friends, who was born and raised in Des Moines, pointed out while I was writing that Richmand’s history as a gold mining town felt a little odd paired if it was set in Iowa, since Iowa didn’t have as strong a connection with gold as other Midwestern states, like South Dakota. So I ended up making Richmand a fictional town in South Dakota, not far from the Iowa border, so it felt more “realistic” but still had that specific feeling I always had living in the Midwest.
Why did you move to Baltimore, and what neighborhood do you live in? What are a few of your favorite things?
I moved to Baltimore almost two and a half years ago for a job in marketing and communications. I moved with very little info about Baltimore (other than the Ravens) and since moving, I’ve completely fallen in love with the city. Funny enough, one of the first spots I ever visited was Greedy Reads, and I’m still a frequent customer there. I also love reading and going on walks in Patterson Park—and the occasional Orange Crush at an O’s game.
I’ve primarily lived in Canton, but recently moved slightly over to Upper Fells! While I’ve been here over two years now, I still feel like there’s so much to explore and I’m discovering something new every day.
Event information
Swann’s launch event is at Greedy Reads Remington on Friday, May 29, in conversation with Greedy Reads bookseller Nina “Dez” Mendez.
