Can you introduce us to THE ESCAPE GAME?
Four teenagers compete in a reality TV escape room competition, in which one of the former contestants wound up murdered. Now a new season is starting, but strange clues start appearing in the rooms, apparently hinting at what really happened. The teens must solve the clues in order to solve the murder… or they might just die trying.
What was it like working with each other – especially as you’re separated by a few thousand miles and very different time zones?
The time zones really work in our favour, as we can send the file off in the evening and go to bed, then when we get up in the morning – new chapters have appeared, like magic! It does make for some challenges, though, when we have things we need to discuss with each other, then we need to try to schedule a zoom call that works for both time zones. For the most part, though, it’s a pretty great process.
Where do you write, and any fun writing routines?
Tamara: I try to write at my desk, but I get a sore back after a while, so I usually end up with my laptop in bed!
Marissa: I mostly work in my home office, surrounded by bookshelves, but I also love to go out to cafes and wineries with my local writing friends to get work done. It can be hard to focus at home when there are children around, so the days when I leave the house are always my most productive.
Have you tried out lots of escape games – together or individually?
Yes! We both love escape rooms and had the awesome chance to do an escape room together when Tamara came to visit Marissa in Seattle many years ago (long before we thought of writing an escape room mystery!). The room was Hogwarts-themed and there was a talking hat that would give clues when you asked for them. Marissa’s daughters were there, too, and they were quite little at the time, so all they wanted to do was wave wands around and talk to the hat. It was a lot of fun.
What was the first inspiration for this story?
Marissa: I was at an art heist-themed escape room with my family (the girls were older and more useful by now!). There was a large trunk in the room that we needed to unlock, and I thought – what if we opened this and there was a dead body inside? And what if solving the puzzles would somehow also solve the murder? I was smitten with the idea immediately. A few days later, I pitched it to Tamara and was so thrilled when she was as excited about it as I was.
What’s your favourite thing about plotting a mystery (and plotting together?)
Marissa: I love that I don’t have to have all the answers myself! If I get stuck on something, I can email Tamara or leave a note for her in the doc and nine times out of ten, when I get the file back she’ll have solved the issue that was driving me batty!
Tamara: That was such a great part of the process! It’s so helpful to talk to someone who knows the story and characters as well as I do. I also loved doing video calls and working through a tricky plot problem – having an AHA! moment where we both love a solution is one of the best feelings.
Is there a song that encapsulates this book for you?
We have an entire playlist for this book! For the team vibes, Team by Lorde. For the romance vibes, Something Just Like This by Coldplay and The Chainsmokers. For the murder mystery vibes, the amazing cover of Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Lorde. For Sierra specifically, Nothing Else Matters by Metallica.
Have you read anything brilliant recently?
Tamara: I refuse to stop talking about the Empire of the Wolf series by Richard Swan. The first one is The Justice of Kings – get your hands on it.
Marissa: I received an early copy of Alchemy of Souls by Adriana Mather, and it was such a great fantasy with enemies-to-lovers romance. Definitely one to keep an eye out for.
What’s next for you?
We are hard at work on the sequel to The Escape Game, which will be out in spring 2027, and filled with more puzzles, more found-family shenanigans, and more murder!
The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss, out 7th April, published by Hot Key Books