This week on Jen’s Jewels, I couldn’t be more excited to catch up with USA Today bestselling author Hank Phillippi Ryan. Her brand-new thriller, ALL THIS COULD BE YOURS, takes readers on a wild ride through the glitz and chaos of a national book tour that quickly turns into a deadly game of cat and mouse. With her signature mix of suspense, heart, and razor-sharp insight, Hank gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the inspiration for the story, the high stakes facing her heroine, and why this novel is a love letter to bookstores, libraries, and readers everywhere.
Jen: What first sparked the idea for ALL THIS COULD BE YOURS? Was there a particular moment or “what if” question that set this story in motion?
Hank: Yes, absolutely, and I remember it perfectly. I was signing books at the wonderful Poisoned Pen Bookstore, and I inscribed a book to a reader which said: “So wonderful to see you in Scottsdale!” And then I put the date.
And as I handed the book to the reader, I thought to myself, gosh, that is a perfect alibi! I’ve just written, essentially, exactly where I am, and where this other person is, and exactly when it happened. Then I started thinking about all the other things I write in novels as inscriptions— Thank you for a wonderful evening. So wonderful to know you. Thank you for all you do. I’m so grateful.
And I thought wow, someone showing off that inscription could impute incredibly sinister or harmful meanings to those seemingly lovely words, right?
And suddenly, everything on book tour became incredibly sinister. And my idea exploded into this thriller. A debut bestselling author is sent on a glamorous national book tour—but it soon becomes a deadly cross-country cat-and-mouse chase, with the author running for her life.
Jen: Tessa Calloway is a fascinating character—a debut author suddenly thrust into the spotlight. How did you balance showing the glamour of her success with the darker undercurrents of the suspense?
Hank: Because the glamour of her success, as you wonderfully put it, is completely parallel with the darker undercurrents of suspense! Tessa is just like all of us—she has a dream, in her case to be an author. And her dream comes true beyond her wildest imagination—readers love her books, and love her main character, and, as a result, love Tessa herself. But that vulnerability, that availability, that constant access by the public can also be dangerous—because Tessa has a secret. And if that secret gets told, everything Tessa has always dreamed—not only her career, but her family—will be taken from her. Can writing a best-selling novel ruin your life? Tessa is about to find out.
Jen: Without giving too much away, the book explores the idea of bargains and consequences. What drew you to this theme, and how does it resonate with you personally?
Hank: Don’t we all make bargains every day? How much time we’ll spend on our job, how much time we’ll spend on our family, how much time we’ll spend on ourselves? Tessa is the sole breadwinner for her family, and must be on the road on book tour for weeks at a time. If she goes home, or if she fails, her family will suffer. She misses them terribly, but her success is critical to their lives. I think every woman today—every person today—is juggling their dreams and their responsibilities. In Tessa’s case, it’s literally a life and death decision.
Jen: A book tour isn’t a common backdrop for a thriller! What made you choose it, and how did you weave its glitz and chaos into the tension of the plot?
Hank: I am so in love with this idea! Every single scene in the book that takes place in present day is in a library, or an independent bookstore, or a hotel room, or an airport or an airplane. Just like real life! And every single one of those places is a ticking clock, right? And has its own deadline. Tessa cannot miss a plane, not one flight can be delayed. Tessa cannot miss an event, she cannot miss her early morning wake up call. There’s a ticking clock tension in every moment of every day of Tessa’s incredibly high stakes, high stress life. And I can tell you, from my own personal experience on book tour, what Tessa goes through is totally realistic! I have had author friends tell me the book creeped them out—and they will never look at book tour the same way again.
Including me! This book is super-meta and super-personal, and I burst into tears when I wrote the ending. It’s a fast-paced page-turner, I hope—but it’s also a love letter to bookstores, libraries and readers.
Jen: If ALL THIS COULD BE YOURS had a soundtrack, what songs would you imagine playing in the background while readers turn the pages?
Hank: Oh, I love this! How about “Magical Mystery Tour” by The Beatles? How about “Nowhere to Run” by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas? How about “Who Are You” by The Who? A little bit of “Homeward Bound,” by Simon and Garfunkel, mixed with “On the Road Again” by Willie Nelson. And Tom Petty’s “The Waiting.”
Jen: If this book were adapted into a movie or limited series, who would you cast as Tessa and Henry?
Hank: Great question! I adore Téa Leoni—remember she played Madam Secretary? She would be perfect. As would Reese Witherspoon. And for Henry, definitely Billy Crudup from The Morning Show. (All this, of course, if I can’t have Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck.)
Jen: You’ve been called a “master of suspense.” How do you keep the tension tight while still making space for emotional depth and family dynamics in your books?
Hank: Again, because family dynamics and emotional depth and tension are all the same thing! Aren’t they? Tessa deeply cares about her family, and also deeply cares about her career. We understand her motivation, and the secrets she is trying to hide—all the while balancing her promises and responsibility to her publisher and to her public. It’s almost like method acting when I write Tessa. I pretend I’m her, I see the world through her eyes, and through her emotions, and I think… How far will I go to get what I want? I mean the title of her book is ALL THIS COULD BE YOURS. But will that be true? And for better, or for worse?
For Tessa it’s especially fraught, because she is trying to be a wife and mom on the road, and can only communicate with her family long distance via Facebook and Zoom. Soon she begins to realize that her husband is curating the camera shots, and only showing her the parts of their home that he wants her to see… What is he hiding?
Jen: Which upcoming book releases are you most excited to read this fall?
Hank: I just finished Gilly Macmillan’s The Burning Library which is so terrific! (Sort of a Handmaid’s Tale—in reverse. Incredibly thought-provoking.) I cannot wait to read The Glass Eel by J. J. Viertel, I’ve heard so much about this debut. And Guilty By Definition, by Susie Dent, which I know I will adore. There’s a new Joshilyn Jackson, hurray, she’s so wonderful, and a truly sinister book called The Society by Karen Winn.
Jen: Can you give us a hint about what you’re working on now?
Hank: Ah–the big question! And I am almost finished—I think. Let’s see: A mysterious plane crash, a missing influencer, a precocious 11-year old, and a fanfiction author who only writes happy endings. Sigh. I wish it had a title. Let me know if you can think of one.
Jen: What’s the best way for readers to keep up with your latest news, book releases, and events?
Hank: Oh, I’d adore to meet you all! I’m on Insta (way too much), and Facebook. My website, and if you click on contact, the email comes directly to me! And click on events for my nationwide book tour schedule—because listen to this: I’ll be an author on tour for a book called ALL THIS COULD BE YOURS which is about an author on tour for a book called ALL THIS COULD BE YOURS! Isn’t that perfect? Hope to see you all on the road.
ALL THIS COULD BE YOURS by Hank Phillippi Ryan
Is a debut author’s blockbuster bestseller about to ruin her life? A glamorous book tour becomes a deadly cat-and-mouse chase in this new and captivating thriller by “master of suspense” (Publishers Weekly) and USA Today bestselling author Hank Phillippi Ryan.
Debut sensation Tessa Calloway is on a whirlwind book tour for her instant bestseller, All This Could Be Yours. In a different city every night, Tessa receives standing ovations from adoring fans while her husband Henry and their two children cheer her on from their brand-new dream house.
But there’s a chilling problem with Tessa’s triumphant book tour—she soon discovers she is being stalked by someone who’s obsessed not only with sabotaging her career, but also with destroying her perfect family back home.
Tessa fears the fallout from an impossible decision she once made—what felt like a genuine deal with the devil—appears to be coming due. And she’s realizing that every high-stakes bargain comes with a high-stakes price. If Tessa can’t untangle who’s threatening to expose her darkest secrets, she’ll lose her career, her family—and possibly her life.
Audiobook Narrator- Sarah Mollo-Christensen.
Thriller Psychological [Minotaur Books, On Sale: September 9, 2025, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9781250349996 / eISBN: 9781250350008]
Buy ALL THIS COULD BE YOURS: Amazon.com | Kindle | BN.com | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Powell’s Books | Books-A-Million | Indie BookShops | Ripped Bodice | Libro.fm | Audible | Walmart.com | Target.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR
About Hank Phillippi Ryan
USA Today bestselling author HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN is the author of 16 psychological thrillers. She’s won five Agatha Awards, five Anthony Awards, and the coveted Mary Higgins Clark Award. As on-air investigative reporter for Boston’s WHDH-TV, she’s won an unprecedented thirty-seven Emmy Awards, as well as many more journalism honors for her true crime stories. A past president of National Sisters in Crime and a board member of International Thriller Writers, Ryan lives in Boston. Her upcoming novel is the cat-and-mouse suspense All This Could Be Yours (Minotaur Books), about a debut author on a terrifying book tour from hell. People magazine calls it “a nail-biting thriller.”
Jane Ryland | Charlotte McNally
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About Jennifer Vido
Jennifer Vido writes sweet romances set in the Lowcountry, earning acclaim as the award-winning author of the Gull Island series. Her debut novel, “Serendipity by the Sea,” secured the prestigious Best First Book award from the New Jersey Romance Writers Golden Leaf Contest. In 2024, Vido’s talent garnered further accolades, with Baltimore Magazine readers naming her Best Local Author in their annual Best of Baltimore poll, while the Baltimore Sun acknowledged her with an Honorable Mention in their Best of 2024 Author category. When not writing fiction, she interviews authors for her weekly Jen’s Jewels column, leads water exercise classes, and directs a legal nonprofit. Currently residing in Maryland, she and her husband are proud parents to two grown sons and a rescue dog named Fripp.
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