This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
What happens when a journalist with a nose for a story, a caterer with a glow-up, and a Jersey Shore murder collide? Enemies-to-lovers chaos — and we are here for it.
In this episode, I'm chatting with Liz Lawson, author of the adult debut It Happened One Murder — a mystery rom-com packed with second-chance romance, a murder that needs solving, and all the messy feelings of your mid-20s. We talk about Liz's journey from writing emotional YA to crafting this genre-mashup mystery, why the "millennial mystery" is having such a moment, and what it really feels like to move back home in your 20s when life doesn't go according to plan. Plus, Liz shares what she's been reading lately — including a buzzy weird-girl lit pick and a memoir about rich people behaving very badly.
📚 Books Mentioned
It Happened One Murder by Liz Lawson — Buy on Amazon | Mystery Rom-Com, Second-Chance Romance | Audio ✅
Famesick by Lena Dunham — Buy on Amazon | Memoir | Audio ✅ (author-narrated)
Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash — Buy on Amazon | Literary Fiction / Weird Girl Lit
A Killer for Christmas by Kim Harrington — Buy on Amazon | Holiday Mystery Rom-Com | (forthcoming at time of recording)
The Most Wonderful Crime by Ally Carter — Buy on Amazon | Mystery Romance
Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden — Buy on Amazon | Memoir | Audio ✅ (author-narrated)
⏱️ Timestamps
- [00:00] Welcome & introduction — Liz Lawson's adult debut It Happened One Murder
- [00:01] Liz's author journey — from YA to adult fiction
- [00:02] Writing The Agathas with Kathleen Glasgow & the pivot to mystery
- [00:03] Why Liz decided to write for adult readers
- [00:04] The YA market's identity crisis — what's changing and why
- [00:05] The rise of millennial mysteries and genre-mashup cozies
- [00:07] What it really feels like to be in your mid-20s — and how that shaped It Happened One Murder
- [00:09] Harriet's story: journalism, moving home, and family dysfunction
- [00:10] Nick's story: loyalty, culinary dreams, and the catering business
- [00:11] The murder wall — and Laura's real-life career as a white-collar crime investigator
- [00:13] Why white-collar crime makes for the juiciest stories
- [00:15] The second-chance romance plot — ghosting, glow-ups, and unfinished business
- [00:17] Liz's current reads: Famesick by Lena Dunham
- [00:17] Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash & the weird-girl lit trend
- [00:18] A Killer for Christmas by Kim Harrington & The Most Wonderful Crime by Ally Carter
- [00:20] Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden — rich people, divorce, and drama
- [00:22] Where to find Liz Lawson online
Join the Conversation
Subscribe to our Substack for exclusive recommendations. (wtrnblog.substack.com)
Follow & Subscribe: What to Read Next Blog | YouTube: What to Read Next
Subscribe & leave a review!
