By Michele Mathews
A Philadelphia native, Aliah Wright is a writer and a former entertainment editor. She’s worked for the Associated Press and Gannett/USA Today Network. Last September, Aliah released her debut novel, Now You Owe Me. It’s recommended for fans of Tana French, Gillian Flynn, and Karin Slaughter.
Now You Owe Me explores deep themes of friendship, obligation, and deception. What was the initial spark for this story? Did a particular event or real-life experience inspire it?
AW: First, thank you for this wonderful opportunity. Several years ago, I was sitting in a nail salon in Virginia when the news came on about the discovery of a woman’s body. I remember thinking, “Just once I’d like for stories like this to end more positively.” So, I wrote one.
Your protagonists navigate complex moral dilemmas. How did you develop their psychological depth?
AW: I did a lot of research—something I learned while working as an investigative reporter and political correspondent for The Associated Press in Pennsylvania. Also, a close relative was studying psychology at the time, and I perused their textbooks and that helped as well.
Were there any characters whose arcs surprised you as you wrote?
AW: Yes. The twins. I knew which direction I was going in with them, but they were a lot harsher in earlier versions—especially Corinthia. I had to find their humanity—and readers have pointed out that they didn’t know whether to despise them, root for them, or feel sorry for them. These are things I think can be found in any of us, especially those of us harboring secrets. I wanted to write about the evolution of a serial killer, like what makes them what they are. I hope I did justice in making them complex.
The title itself suggests themes of transactional relationships and unseen debts. How did you conceptualize the idea of “owing” someone, and how does it shape the power dynamics in the novel?
AW: Good question! Believe it or not, that wasn’t the original title of the book. I changed it to reflect the sense of debt between the two antagonists. As for the power dynamics— good catch! Corinthia is plagued by this overwhelming drive to seek revenge. She behaves the way she does towards Ben because of something that happened between the two of them in the past. So, Ben is driven by his compulsion as well as by an extraordinary sense of guilt. He 100 percent believes that for the rest of his life he will owe his twin. It is one of the many reasons he acquiesces to her every whim.
The novel keeps readers guessing. What techniques did you use to maintain suspense while still making the twists feel organic?
AW: One of the ways in which I maintained suspense and kept the reader from wanting to put the book down was to always end each chapter on a cliffhanger. I wanted the reader to be driven to see what comes next. And I’m happy to say that a lot of people, especially in reviews on Goodreads and Amazon and on TikTok and through many emails, have told me they couldn’t put it down. It’s a page turner because there is always the sense of wanting to know what happens next.
Did you always know how it would end?
AW: Oh, yes. I’m a plotter, not a pantser. I always use outlines—for two reasons. Not only do they serve as a roadmap for where I want to take the story next, outlines also enable me to keep moving forward. It’s why I never get writer’s block because I turn to my outline to see what’s next. So, yes, with the major exception of the last twist, I knew exactly how it would end. What I didn’t know was how I would get there, and I had a lot of fun figuring that out.
How does the setting of Now You Owe Me contribute to the tension and atmosphere of the novel? Did you draw from real places or experiences to craft the backdrop?
AW: There is this old adage, “write what you know.” But I tell writers on social media not to just write what you know, but write what you’ve experienced. Write about where you’ve been. I used to live not far from where this novel takes place. The settings are real places. For example, the bar from which Fiona is last seen is an actual bar in Manassas, Va. (I lived in the area when I worked at USA Today headquarters). I used to hang out there and just watch people. It was easier to describe because I’d been there before. The university where the kids go to school looks exactly like the one that is not far from where I grew up. It’s on the outskirts of Philadelphia. I just moved the location.
The novel plays with the fragile nature of trust. What message or questions did you hope to leave readers with about relationships and the consequences of deception?
AW: Wow, I could answer that in so many ways. Let me try it this way—the reader has a certain expectation or trust as they’re reading the book and may expect or trust me, as the author, to explore certain themes in conventional ways. Now You Owe Me doesn’t do that. I found it refreshing to turn tropes on their heads. And readers love it, too.
What distinguishes Now You Owe Me from other suspense novels? Was there anything unconventional about your approach to plotting or character development?
AW: For about a decade, I used to write and edit music, television, and film criticism as an entertainment editor. When you watch thousands of films and TV shows for a living you begin to notice patterns— and I could talk about that forever. I wanted to write something that was unpredictable, something radically different from what we expect in pop culture or see on the silver screen. Now You Owe Me takes readers on a thrill ride and leaves them with a stunning conclusion. I find that the best books and films do that, too. People, including a few film execs, have told me the book haunts them— long after they’ve finished reading it. I find that so satisfying. Because this book is not what you think it is. It puts readers’ heads on a swivel, and that’s on purpose.
If you were to continue the story in any way—through a sequel, prequel, or companion novel—what aspect would you explore further?
AW: Funny you should ask! I’m nearly done editing the sequel which, in my opinion, is way better than the first book. I had way more fun writing it. It picks up exactly where the first book ends on a cliffhanger. Readers will learn what happens to a main character and meet an incredibly new intriguing one. However, this is a cat and mouse thriller and I love exploring that. Book three picks up where book two ends. I’m a third way into writing book three now, but I put that aside to focus on my book tour last year while earning a certification in digital marketing strategy from Harvard. If readers clamor for a book four, that would be a prequel (and while I have some inkling about what that would look like, I haven’t plotted it out yet).
What was the biggest challenge in bringing Now You Owe Me to life? How did the story evolve from its earliest drafts to the final published version?
AW: Now You Owe Me began as a short story. I fleshed it out to a novel as a personal pet project —just to see if I could write a thriller. I had no idea I’d be as good at it as some readers say I am. And I’m pleasantly shocked. To be honest, I love romance novels. I’ve written two of them that no one has ever seen. But I love, love, love the thriller genre. In the early drafts, there was just one antagonist and Fiona, the young woman who goes missing, saves herself. The other characters were born once I decided to flesh it out as a novel.
Given your extensive background in journalism, how has your experience as a reporter influenced your approach to crafting suspense in fiction? Are there specific investigative techniques or storytelling methods from journalism that you find particularly effective in building tension in your narratives?
AW: Early in my career I was a crime reporter, covering cops and courts. I also covered a mob trial in Philadelphia, and some really big murder cases—the John Dupont trial, the murder of Laurie Show, and I wrote about the notorious killer Gary Michael Heidnik after he lost his appeal. I’m a big fan of psychological thrillers, true crime stories, and police procedurals. I also study serial killers. I recently wrote to Lyle Menendez in prison. Research is critical when you’re writing—whether it’s for edification or elucidation. All reporters do research, and I did a great deal when I wrote investigative articles for AP. I also love eavesdropping and people watching and paying attention to the many ways in which things can be described. Those are techniques that can help you while you write, but there isn’t anything wrong with creating something new. But I also believe having an air of truth helps make your story more plausible. Being more plausible makes the story more believable and scarier. Because in the back of their mind, the reader can be like, “Wow, this could really happen.” It’s like when you hear a crash in the basement or overhear someone whispering in a closet when no one should be in the closet. That’s scary.
Your work often delves into themes that resonate with diverse audiences. How do your cultural background and personal experiences shape the characters and settings in your stories? Can you share an instance where your heritage directly inspired a plot point or character development?
AW: Love this question. In the beginning of the book, Amanda goes through a transformation. She’s buying makeup from real Black beauty influencers popular on Instagram like @thecrayoncase and @thelipbar. That’s the kind of authenticity I want to see in books because, to be honest, many Black women aren’t used to seeing their culture reflected back to them in a book the way this one does. Also, as a Black person writing a story about a young Black person investigating the disappearance of her best friend, I can relate to being afraid of being caught doing something innocent and being punished for it on the spot— simply because of the color of your skin. Amanda has to navigate the world as a Black person—and for some of us that can be scary. There’s driving while Black, walking while Black, etc.
And for many of us, racial profiling can be incredibly horrifying and nonsensical—racism is nonsensical. Being Black doesn’t automatically mean being evil or capable of something untoward, yet that’s the lived experience of quite a few Black people. We can just be going about our day, and someone can accost us, call the cops on us—simply because of the way we look. Conveying that was also important to me.
This year marks the 12th anniversary of the death of Trayvon Martin. He was 17 and walking home from buying candy and soda. This child was shot and killed by a grown man because he was seen as a threat— when all he was doing was simply walking home just like 23-year-old Elijah McClain. When Amanda is out investigating her friend’s disappearance, Martin’s death runs through her mind. As painful as it is to admit, lots of Black people are simply going about their day when people mistake their innocuous activity as nefarious. I thought it important to put that in the book. This isn’t the thrust of the story, but it is an element because it is the lived experience of many Black people, even if you’re a wealthy filmmaker like Tyler Perry.
Suspense fiction often requires a delicate balance between realistic scenarios and heightened tension. How do you ensure that your stories remain believable while still keeping readers on the edge of their seats? Are there particular real-life events or situations that have inspired the suspenseful elements in your work?
AW: With this book, I subtly weaved facts into the fiction. For example, last year I penned a piece for “The Root” in which I wrote that according to the Black and Missing Foundation while “thousands of people are reported missing every year in the United States and while not every case will get widespread media attention, the coverage of white and minority victims is far from proportionate.” If you are the parent of a young missing Black woman, it’s frustrating and truly scary that your child’s case may not get the same attention as others.
This situation occurs for one of my characters in the book. It’s rooted in truth—and that plausibility can be scary. The real-life situations in Now You Owe Me are those that occur daily in our country—hundreds of thousands of young women go missing and that can be a very horrible thing for any parent—regardless of background. That certainly inspired the suspenseful elements in the book toward the end.
The suspense genre has evolved significantly over the years. How do you see the genre changing in today’s literary landscape, especially with the rise of digital media and changing reader preferences? What innovations or trends do you find most exciting or challenging?
AW: I think the suspense drama has and always will be driven by tension and by ambiguity and revelation—and how authors convey that on the page. But in terms of technological advances, there are so many ways writers can tell stories now. From self-publishing to podcasting to producing audio books, writers are also now experimenting more with non-linear storytelling, pacing, and format. Writers can now speak directly to their audiences and get their feedback.
Because of this, some writers are changing the ending to their stories, offering alternative endings, or crafting new tales because they’re taking the opinions and desires of their fans into account. Also, because there’s such a deluge of content being shared, it’s becoming harder and harder to break through the noise. We have to find creative ways to get noticed because literally anyone can publish and sell their book.
Also, people now want everything faster—and readers are no different. For example, Julia Quinn wrote The Bridgerton books years ago, so people are clamoring for Shonda Rhimes’ Shondaland to release The Bridgerton TV shows faster. Yet, it takes them years to create the costumes, the wigs, and the other elements necessary to make the Regency era more believable and plausible. That’s what makes the show so good and popular. Same thing with George R.R. Martin and his Game of Thrones books. Anything worth watching and reading takes time.
Remember as writers, our works are good because we take our time to make them good— that will never change, but the ways in which we interact with audiences has, and that has shaped us as writers, too. The good thing is that now, more than ever, there are so many people clamoring for good stories for film, TV, and streaming so there is plenty of room for more compelling stories written by real writers—not programs. I suspect, though, as more time passes, we will reach a happy medium with all the innovations technology has brought us. As an author and former tech writer, I’m excited about what the future holds.
Now You Owe Me
Aliah Wright
Ben and Corinthia spent years abducting college coeds, until one night they took the wrong victim.
No one knew witnessing their first murder at seven would propel Ben and his twin toward a killing spree in Pennsylvania. Racked with guilt, they vow to take just one more victim. Too bad they snatched the wrong woman . . .
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Article originally Published in the Spring 2025 Issue: Genres in Bloom.