As we head into the holiday season and settle in with our favorite cozy reads, this week’s Jen’s Jewels features a delightful chat with author Julie Doar about her atmospheric thriller THE GALLAGHER PLACE. Set in the hauntingly beautiful Hudson Valley, Julie’s story weaves family secrets, sibling tensions, and a mystery that hooks you from the very first page. We talked about everything from her inspiration for that chilling opening, to the evolution of her unforgettable protagonist, Marlowe Fisher, to the real-life memories that shaped the book’s mood and setting. I’m excited to share this behind-the-scenes look at a novel you won’t want to miss!
Jen: What was the initial spark of inspiration behind this story?
Julie: I love to read murder mysteries, and I always wanted to write a classic opening in which a body is discovered at the very beginning. I was with family for the holidays, and we were taking a walk, and I just thought: “What if in the next field or in the woods…there is a body?” It all started from that idea of a family – with secrets and tensions and layers – being forced to confront an act of violence.
Jen: Marlowe Fisher is such a striking protagonist. How did her character take shape for you?
Julie: She didn’t come to me fully formed. It was actually a long process. This is crazy to think about, but in the early, early days (and I mean the pre-first-draft scribblings), Marlowe wasn’t even the main character. I was playing with the idea of centering another member of the family. Marlowe was passive, kind of lurking in the background, but I knew once I was writing in earnest that this was her quest. She needed to be driving the engine of the story. Of course, Marlowe is not someone who wants to be in the driver’s seat, so there was a lot of wondering about what it would take to get her to shake off her passivity and start digging.
I remember at one point having this kind of epiphany about her. Honestly, I was having a moment of self-doubt in which I was thinking “Oh, nothing this character does makes sense, she seems so unintelligent.” And then it clicked: Marlowe is not stupid, but she’s someone who hides from the world and even from herself. So when someone is used to hiding, it’s disorienting when she forces herself into the light. When I started to lean into that, I felt Marlowe take a clearer shape.
Jen: The Hudson Valley setting is atmospheric and integral to the plot. What drew you to place the story in Dutchess County, and how did the landscape influence the tone of the novel?
Julie: I grew up in the Hudson Valley, so I know it very well. It’s always a bit easier to write about an environment you’re familiar with. To me, Dutchess County has always seemed like such a rich setting, especially for a thriller. The landscape is so beautiful, yet so haunted and even mystical. There’s a lot of intriguing folklore and local legends. I grew up playing on old farmlands, and I wanted to depict the lingering sadness in those landscapes. I believe places are haunted in the sense that they hold memories of long-ago events, and so the area definitely influenced the tone in that way.
Jen: This book delves into the weight of family secrets and the tension of sibling relationships. Why did you want to explore these themes?
Julie: I’m fascinated by both family secrets and sibling relationships. Growing up, I always wanted my family to have more secrets. I was always snooping in my grandmother’s closet, looking for old letters with some long-hidden scandals. I never found anything concrete so I had to turn to fiction.
I find sibling relationships often don’t require much fabricated drama. There’s just so much shared history with siblings. I have three brothers and growing up we always defined ourselves in relation to each other. That makes for a really complex dynamic, especially as siblings move into adulthood. I wrote so many angsty journal entries about my brothers, and so many personal essays, so it felt natural to use that in the novel.
Jen: Nora’s disappearance haunts the narrative. How did you approach crafting the dual timelines and balancing past and present mysteries?
Julie: I did not have a very strong approach in the beginning. Dual timelines require organization and finesse and almost an ear for it. It’s hard to know when is the right moment to jump into the past. Nora’s disappearance is in a lot of ways the more riveting mystery, and there are so many details I wanted to include, and so I had written all the material about the final years of her life, but originally that was being shared just through Marlowe’s recollections or reflections. I have to credit my editors, Cory Hunter and Jordan Blumetti, for suggesting the dual timeline. Once I committed to having full chapters be dedicated to the flashbacks, I really immersed myself in that. I had a lot of notes and timelines with years when characters were born. I think a key to refining my approach was really considering how the tone and energy of the flashbacks could be so different from the present-day timeline. The present timeline is, as you say, very haunted and tense. I wanted the past, before Nora’s disappearance, to feel golden and light and idyllic, with maybe just a few shadows here and there. So it almost felt like the lighting changed whenever I was writing a flashback. That shift is something I love about dual timelines.
Jen: Holiday scenes infuse the story with nostalgia. Do you have a favorite holiday tradition of your own that you look forward to every year?
Julie: Yes, I have a lot. I was very lucky to have a warm childhood. I always love the process of putting up the Christmas tree. My grandmother used to sell Christmas trees at her farmstand, so it always felt special to get a tree, put it up, decorate it. I still get a tree every year for my apartment – and I’m afraid I’m very snobby, it has to be a real one!
Jen: Your supporting characters—especially Marlowe’s brothers—add richness and suspicion. Which character was the most fun or challenging to write?
Julie: Both brothers were fun to write, especially Henry. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and I think it added a lot to have a character that’s so clearly tender-hearted, and yet Marlowe still can’t quite trust because she’s questioning everything. Marlowe’s mother was more challenging, especially in early drafts. It took a few re-writes for me to get a grasp on her personality. I don’t base my characters exactly on real people I know, but I sometimes pull little details from real people in my life, and there are times when the details don’t quite mesh into one holistic character.
Ariel Mintz, the detective, was a joy to write, so I love when readers mention her. Honestly, I would have put her in twice as many scenes if it had made any sense.
Jen: Readers love to hear what authors are reading. What’s currently at the top of your TBR stack?
Julie: I just started GOOD MATERIAL by Dolly Alderton – I thought her collection of essays was so amazing, and I was worried this wouldn’t live up to it, but it’s great so far!
I also have None Left to Tell by Noelle West Ihli. I’m saving that for a long train ride or a plane. And then for something cozier, I have THE MURDER OF MR. WICKHAM by Claudia Gray lined up, as I’m a sucker for anything Jane Austen.
Jen: Can you share what you’re working on next?
Julie: I’m currently revising another mystery/thriller. It takes place over the course of a wedding weekend, and it’s about friendships and relationships amongst a group of twenty-somethings. I wanted to sort of question where the line is – how much are you allowed to comment on who your friend is choosing to marry? And when do those comments and judgments turn dark and deadly.
Jen: For readers who want to follow your journey, what’s the best way for them to stay connected—social media, newsletter, events?
Julie: I have a website and that has the most critical information all in one place. Readers can also follow my Instagram.
Jen: Thank you for stopping by and sharing an inside peek into THE GALLAGHER PLACE. Happy holidays!
Julie: Thank you so much! Happy Holidays!
THE GALLAGHER PLACE by Julie Doar
A layered exploration of family secrets, sibling misconceptions, and an unsolved murder in this chilling debut set in New York’s Dutchess County.
When Marlowe Fisher, an illustrator living in New York City, returns to her family’s bewitching Hudson Valley home for the holidays, she discovers a body in the woods—a murder that draws her back into the haunting case of her teenage best friend’s disappearance two decades earlier. What happened to Nora?
As police descend on the sprawling Fisher property, Marlowe is pulled into an investigation that threatens to unravel the town’s fragile loyalties and expose the shadowed legacy of a weekend home steeped in secrets. Marlowe must confront the fallibility of her own memory and the feeling that everyone—including her brothers—is hiding something if she’s to uncover the shocking truth about her lost friend. In this gripping debut, Julie Doar delivers a chilling mystery that explores the corrosive power of silence and the tension of family secrets.
Suspense | Thriller [ Zibby Books, On Sale: December 2, 2025, e-Book, / eISBN: 9798992377002 ]
Buy THE GALLAGHER PLACE: Kindle | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR
About Julie Doar
Julie Doar grew up in New York. As a child, she was mostly bookish but sometimes a bit sporty (mostly because her dad wanted her to be). She has three brothers who have always made her life interesting. She attended Rice University for undergrad and has always loved academics. Additionally, she realized how much she enjoyed living in different cities, so she spent her twenties moving from Texas to San Francisco to Chicago, and then eventually back to Brooklyn. She’s worked as a cold-calling Sales Rep, a Starbucks barista, and a romance novel ghostwriter. Currently, she is a middle school English teacher.
WEBSITE | GOODREADS | INSTAGRAM | AMAZON
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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