HBO Max Television Adaptation
Willingham shares that her debut novel has been optioned for a television series adaptation by HBO Max.
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Stacy Willingham
Stacy Willingham is a New York Times, USA Today and internationally bestselling author of psychological suspense, whose books include A Flicker in the Dark, All the Dangerous Things, and Only If You're Lucky. Before turning to fiction, she worked as a copywriter and brand strategist for marketing agencies. She holds a B.A. in magazine journalism from the University of Georgia.
On LuvemBooks, we've reviewed Flicker in the Dark.
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Books ReviewedIn Stacy Willingham's own words
Stacy Willingham discusses her debut novel A Flicker in the Dark with Barbara Peters of The Poisoned Pen bookstore.
Uploaded by The Poisoned Pen Bookstore, 2022 · Watch on YouTube ·
Signing With Her Agent
After receiving roughly 100 rejections on her first manuscript, Willingham sent her thriller to five agents and signed with Dan Conaway after he read only three chapters.
Drafting Book Two Under Advice
Willingham reveals that her agent and editor urged her to draft her second novel well before her debut was published to avoid being paralyzed by reviews and audience expectations.
Original Title and Firefly Symbolism
Willingham notes that the book was originally titled The Shadows, but after Alex North published a novel with the exact same title on the day her book went on submission, she retitled it using a line about fireflies.
Also in this interview
Ask LuvemBooks about Stacy Willingham
Stacy Willingham writes psychological suspense grounded in trauma and its long aftermath — in Flicker in the Dark, the one book we've reviewed so far, a psychologist whose father confessed to serial killings becomes the lens for a story built on hypervigilance and dread. Her background in copywriting and brand strategy shows in the tight, propulsive plotting, and while her debut leans on familiar thriller conventions, its psychological depth is what carries it.
- Where should I start?
- Start with Flicker in the Dark, her debut and the book we've reviewed. It's a strong entry point because it showcases her signature approach: suspense anchored in trauma and hypervigilance, following psychologist Chloe Davis as a new wave of missing teenage girls dredges up her father's crimes.
- What's their writing style?
- Willingham's suspense is psychological first and procedural second — in Flicker in the Dark, tension comes from the protagonist's trauma and hypervigilance rather than action set pieces. The plotting is tight and tense, which suits the genre, though our review notes the narrative leans on familiar thriller conventions. The distinctive element is the psychological depth she gives her central character.
- Books we've reviewed
- We've reviewed 1 book by Stacy Willingham so far. Flicker in the Dark is her debut thriller about psychologist Chloe Davis, whose father's confession to a serial killing spree resurfaces when teenage girls start going missing — a tense read anchored in trauma and hypervigilance.
- What genre do they write?
- Stacy Willingham writes psychological suspense and thrillers. Her debut, Flicker in the Dark, is a thriller centered on a psychologist confronting the legacy of her father's crimes while new disappearances unfold around her.
- What should I read after Flicker in the Dark?
- Her other novels, per her bio, are All the Dangerous Things and Only If You're Lucky — both psychological suspense like her debut. We haven't reviewed either yet, so we can't compare them directly, but they're the natural next steps if you enjoyed Flicker in the Dark's trauma-driven suspense.
Who is Stacy Willingham?
Where should I start?
What's their writing style?
Books we've reviewed
What genre do they write?
What should I read after Flicker in the Dark?
Who is Stacy Willingham?
Stacy Willingham is a New York Times, USA Today and internationally bestselling author of psychological suspense. Her books include A Flicker in the Dark, All the Dangerous Things, and Only If You're Lucky. Before turning to fiction, she worked as a copywriter and brand strategist for marketing agencies, and she holds a B.A. in magazine journalism from the University of Georgia.
Follow up
What was Stacy Willingham's debut novel?
What did Stacy Willingham do before writing fiction?
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