Cayce Osborne’s debut mystery/thriller, I Know What You Did, has been called “A whip-smart and thoroughly engaging psychological thriller, with a highly memorable protagonist and a brilliantly original narrative concept.”
I’ve had the pleasure of reading early drafts of several of Cayce’s manuscripts, and I’ve loved every one. Her writing is inviting and easy to fall into, with captivating characters and edge-of-your-seat thrills. I’m excited to share a bit about her book with Uncharted readers.
–Myna Chang
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Myna Chang: Let’s start with your mystery/thriller novel, I Know What You Did. What’s the book about? Who are your characters? What themes do you explore?
Cayce Osborne: It’s a character-driven mystery about a woman who has been keeping a dark secret for 30 years. She’s constructed her whole life around keeping it and doesn’t allow herself to dwell on anything from her past. But it all comes back to haunt her in the form of a bestselling novel that spills her dark secret and uses her real name. She’s forced to return to her hometown of Madison, WI (also my hometown) to discover who wrote the book—because the author is hiding behind a pen name—and why, after so long, her skeletons are being dragged out of the closet.
My main character is a cantankerous, sometimes selfish woman who never quite grew up because of the catastrophic events in her past. She still lives like a 20-something, indulging in creature comforts and ignoring responsibilities, even though she’s in her 40s. And with this outing of her secret, she’s thrust into a situation where she has to grow up very fast, all while bumbling her way through investigating the mystery of this book and its author.
Crime fiction labels are so difficult for me to pin down; the lines between suspense, mystery, and thriller are very grey. I like to say my book is Midwestern noir with a heavy dose of sarcasm, and as far as themes, I really wanted to lean on the main character’s arc. She’s terrified of depending on anyone else because most people in her life have let her down. I wanted to explore relationships, both family and friends, good and bad. And the idea that fiction is often harder on women than it is on men, allowing men to be rude and selfish and messy whereas women are judged harshly for these same human qualities.
MC: What sparked the idea for this story? How did the writing process go for you?
Cayce: The idea grew out of a self-imposed writing exercise. I realized that a lot of my main characters behaved as I would. I’d wanted them to feel authentic, so I asked myself: how would I act in this situation? I don’t think that was a bad practice, necessarily, but it also meant they all felt similar to each other. For fun, I decided to write a character as different from myself as possible—she did the opposite of what I would do, said things I would never say (even if I might want to). Once I hit upon her character voice, she wouldn’t stop talking. And then I began to construct a mystery around her. After reading Anthony Horowitz’s Magpie Murders, I was taken with the idea of integrating a fictional book into a mystery narrative and how I might find a unique approach to doing that. That’s how my book-within-a-book concept came about.
MC: Do you have a favorite character or scene? Did any piece of the story especially resonate for you? How does your hometown come into the story?
Cayce: Petal, the main character, is my favorite character, no contest. For all the reasons I just mentioned. She came alive in my head and wouldn’t shut up. In the past, I’d heard other writers say that about their characters, describing the way they can take on a life of their own, and thought, yeah right. But then it happened to me—a side effect, I think, of having a character live inside my head for so long. It was an ah-ha moment. When I was drafting the book, some mornings, I would wake up with a line of Petal’s dialogue in my head.
A piece of the story that resonated with me was writing the scene where Petal meets up with her high school crush, Ben, for the first time in 30 years. She’s returned to Madison, and he’s the only person from her past that she wants to see. And he can help her investigation because he never left Madison. Sometimes dialogue comes easily, like I’m transcribing a real conversation happening in front of me instead of what I’m conjuring in my imagination. That was the case with writing that scene between Petal and Ben. I set it in a real coffee shop, had them ordering drinks that were really on the menu, and the characters took over from there. That authenticity was the reason I set my story in my hometown of Madison. Because my main character is so different from me, I wanted to ground her in something I knew well. She’s the same age as me, I used real Madison locations, and even put her in my own high school graduating class. I must have done an okay job because after the book came out, I had messages from some of my classmates who are also named Ben, wondering if they were the inspiration for the character. (The answer was no; I had at least four classmates named Ben in high school, and I chose that name because it was so popular.)
MC: Tell us about the cover art for the book.
Cayce: In the publishing process, the cover is one of the things writers often have the least amount of control over. Second only, perhaps, to the title. I was lucky that my publisher, Crooked Lane Books, allowed me some input. They asked for ideas about colors, scenes, and images that I would like to see on the cover. Then, they commissioned a designer to come up with three options. I was able to look them over, choose my favorite, and give some notes. (I’m a graphic designer by trade—of course I had notes.) The process was mostly smooth, but I did panic a bit because the woman pictured on the cover looks nothing like my main character, and the location doesn’t look much like Wisconsin. But it’s mysterious and eerie, and a bit haunting. My editor, Sara J. Henry, told me something about covers (when I emailed her fretting about mine) that I will never forget: It’s not important for a cover to match the content of a book exactly, but it does need to give the reader the same feeling that they will get while reading the book. And I think my cover accomplished that.
MC: I recently read one of your articles in CrimeReads about reluctant detectives. Does your main character fit into this category? Was this by design? Or did it happen organically, as you wrote? Are there more reluctant detectives in your future?
Cayce: Petal is reluctant about almost everything in her life: her job, her on-and-off boyfriend, her health, and, most of all, her investigation into this mysterious book. She’s dragged into being a detective, kicking and screaming. I didn’t set out to write this kind of book in the beginning, but like everything else, it came about organically from the character. She’s never going to be a professional at anything (unless you count eating junk food and watching Netflix movies) and she certainly has no detective credentials. But I love stories where people have no idea what they’re doing and are forced to go ahead anyway. Pushing a character out of their comfort zone allows for so many surprises. We all know what kind of investigation we’re going to get when we read a Sherlock story. But what about a story featuring a pot-smoking, self-loathing woman-child who doesn’t care if people like her or not? And then she’s forced to investigate her own mystery? That’s a story you can’t predict—not even me, as the writer, was certain where Petal was going to lead me. I can definitely see myself exploring more reluctant detectives in the future.
MC: What was the road to publication like for you?
Cayce: Long, mostly. Grueling at times, with a huge learning curve. But every uncomfortable moment and gutting rejection got me to where I am now. I wrote five other books before getting a publishing contract. I had (and lost) two different agents, before finally selling my book unagented—one left the business, and the other declined to represent the novel that eventually sold. The main thing I’ve learned is that there’s only so much you can control. Write the best book you can, polish it until it shines, and if it doesn’t work out the first time, keep trying. Don’t give up.
MC: I understand you’re making the mystery & thriller convention circuit. What are some of the benefits of attending these cons? Where have you been so far, and what’s next?
Cayce: Like many writers, I tend toward introversion, but I’ve surprised myself with how much I enjoy conventions. So far, I’ve been to Left Coast Crime twice, and this summer, I’m going to my first Bouchercon. The biggest benefit, by far, is meeting people, making connections, establishing relationships. But being pushed out of my introversion is also valuable. At this year’s Left Coast Crime, I participated in Author Speed Dating, where teams of two authors move from table to table in a big conference room. The tables are made up of readers, 8 or so per table, and each author has 2 minutes to pitch their book. Novels are notoriously difficult to boil down into a concise pitch, but after doing it 18 times in a row, I’ve really got it down, and the nerves are gone. As a novelist, you are constantly asked about your book, and you have to figure out ways to explain it. Conferences are great for honing that skill and getting comfortable doing it.
MC: I first met you through your short story writing. Are you still working on shorts, or have you moved fully into the novel sphere?
Cayce: I don’t have as much time to write shorts as I used to, but I still do it when my schedule allows—or if I see an interesting prompt or call, I can’t resist. Left Coast Crime always organizes a short story anthology themed around the city where the conference is taking place. This year, it was Seattle, the only other city besides Madison where I’ve lived (for a year after college). I submitted and was thrilled to have my story accepted. The book is called The Killing Rain, published by Down&Out Books, and my story is Chasing Dreams in the Emerald City, set during the World’s Fair in the 1960s and featuring a hapless P.I. and his whip-smart assistant. LCC picks a literacy charity in each host city, and the proceeds from the anthology go to them, so I’m proud that I was able to contribute in my small way.
MC: What do you enjoy most about writing?
Cayce: The discovery, I think. Discovery of new ideas, new uses of language, new metaphors, new characters. It’s delightful when you’re drafting, to hit upon an idea that feels magical, or destined. And during revision, when you find the perfect word for what you’re trying to express. And when you re-read something you’ve finished, perhaps during a moment of failing confidence, and you discover that, hey, I’m not so bad at this after all.
MC: Have any authors had a significant influence on your work?
Cayce: Every book I’ve ever read has influenced me. Books have taught me how to write, how not to write, how to elicit an emotional reaction, what kind of dialogue works on the page, how to sprinkle in a red herring, how to pull off a surprise… Writing is hard to teach. You have to read, and you have to practice. No matter how much I read, write, and practice, it will never be enough. I’ll always be learning.
I don’t have a singular writing hero, but authors or books do often influence a particular project. Anthony Horowitz, as I mentioned, got me thinking about books in a way that led to the plot of I Know What You Did. And reading Sara Gran’s Claire DeWitt series certainly influenced my creation of Petal. If you want to read a detective novel like nothing you’ve ever read, start at the beginning with Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead. Gran broke the mystery novel rules (if you believe there are such things) and made me want to break them, too.
MC: I’m eagerly following your newsletter to learn about your new novel-in-progress. How much can you tell us about it?
Cayce: I’m really excited about this new book. The characters and location have been living in my head for years, and I think I’ve finally found a home for them. The details are still coming together, but I can give you a few spoiler-free tidbits about my work-in-progress:
- It stars a female podcasting duo who go to a small town in Wisconsin to investigate a mystery for their show.
- The town where the book takes place is entirely fictional. I’ve hand-drawn a map to give readers a sense of the place (newsletter subscribers got a peek at the map last month)
- The story alternates between an omniscient narrator who describes the goings-on in this tiny town and transcripts of the interviews between the podcasters and the oddball locals.
- It involves: a curse that may or may not be real, sales of illegal goods, three missing men, one busybody, and the world’s most ornery tavern proprietress.
MC: Speaking of your newsletter, I love the topics you cover: food, art, book reviews, and photos of your adorable family & pup Confetti! How do you keep your content fresh? Is it a struggle to consistently produce such a lovely glimpse into your writerly life? And where can readers sign up?
Cayce: Thank you! It’s been fun to put together. My secret to getting it out monthly with (hopefully) interesting content is having a simple template with recurring sections/subjects. This way, subscribers know what to expect, and I’m not scrambling to invent a whole new concept each month. My template sections include what’s been happening in my world since the last newsletter, upcoming events, the books I’ve read, the meals I’ve cooked, and what I’m currently writing. I have a background in journalism, so some of the content-generating came naturally, but the most important thing I did to put the newsletter together was read other authors newsletters and included the types of things I like to read about.
The newsletter sign-up form is accessible on my website at cayceosborne.com.
MC: What advice do you have for someone just starting in the mystery/thriller genre?
Cayce: I’m always hesitant to say: You must do this! I was listening to a writer give a keynote speech at a writers’ conference once, and she was ticking off a checklist of everything you absolutely must do if you want to be a successful, published writer. Listening to it gave me a real Yuck! No! feeling. Because the more I do this, the more I learn that there is no magic prescription for success, no one path through the publishing jungle. No musts. Everyone approaches this craft from their own starting point, and they have their own definitions of success. But the advice I give, which your readers can take or leave, is that if you want to know about a particular genre, read as much of it and as widely as you can. There are so many crime subgenres, so many points of view, so many tiny, delightful corners that other writers have carved out using their own unique approaches. It’s fun to discover them all.
Secondly, meet other writers! I’m not the first one to point this out, but for all the dastardly deaths that crime writers dream up, they really are some of the warmest, most welcoming people. How do you do this? Go to conferences and conventions (conventions are for readers and writers to gather and meet; conferences are for writers to meet each other to hone their craft), join online or IRL writing groups, become a member of writers’ associations—I’m a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and International Thriller Writers. Your new writing pal could be your next book blurb, the connection that gets you the agent you’ve been dreaming about, or your biggest cheerleader. It’s really a lovely community, and I feel lucky to be a part of it.
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CAYCE OSBORNE is a writer and graphic designer from Madison, WI. She works in science communication and public engagement at UW-Madison. She spends her free time hanging out with her husband and two sons, reading library books, walking her dog, subscribing to way too many streaming services, and attempting arts and crafts of all kinds.
More about I Know What You Did!
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MYNA CHANG (she/her) is the author of The Potential of Radio and Rain (CutBank Books, 2023). Her writing has been selected for the Locus Recommended Reading List, W.W. Norton’s Flash Fiction America, Best Small Fictions, and Best Microfiction. She has won the Lascaux Prize in Creative Nonfiction and the New Millennium Award in Flash Fiction. She hosts the Electric Sheep speculative fiction reading series. Find her at MynaChang.com, and on Twitter & Bluesky at @MynaChang.