'The Last Time We Saw Her' with Jaclyn Goldis

I am joined by author Jacqueline Goldish. Jacqueline, how are you? I'm great. Thanks so much for having me, Sydney. Thank you for coming on and chatting with us. So you are a wonderful, like thriller, kind of suspenseful writer. So tell us a little bit about who you are and what was that aha moment that really made you realize you wanted to be an author? Yeah, well, I grew up in Metro Detroit, so it's extra special to be on with you right now. And, you know, I really knew I wanted to be an author from my earliest memory. As a kid, I was always just reading, writing. I wrote my first novel when I was 17. You know, never published. Thank goodness. We don't want don't want that to be the light of day. But yeah, it was always my dream. And I went to law school. I didn't really think when I graduated college at 22 that I had the neither the savings nor the real life experience to be able to, you know, be writing novels that were the caliber I'd want to publish. So I went down the legal path and I actually really enjoyed it. But it just it was never my passion. And so I knew at some point I would save money and try to give the novel thing a go. So, yeah, I've been doing that ever since ever since I left my law job. And that's amazing that you've had like numerous breadcrumbs. It's like you go from like, you know, the law aspect and now you're writing. And it's like you're just a jack of all trades. So anytime I need a little bit of legal advice, I'll send you a message. It's like, what am I saying? Yes, totally. So when it comes to reading, what would you say is like your favorite genre? Whenever you're not writing, you're kind of just having some you time. Yeah. Wow. I'm such a big reader. Especially like sometimes in phases in between a book or something when I have more time. So right now I'm in one of those phases. I mean, I love thrillers. It's one of my favorites. Why I why I write them because I, you know, actually I didn't. My first book wasn't a thriller. It was historical women's fiction. And then when I started looking at what I was reading, it was mostly thrillers. So I was like, OK, I think I should try to write a thriller. I also love rom coms. I think those are my two favorite fiction genres. And then I also read a lot of nonfiction to like spiritual self-help nutrition stuff. So kind of runs the gamut. Yeah. And it's good that you have like that shake up. So anytime, you know, you need to like clear the palette a little bit, you kind of have like different genres that you can bounce off of and, you know, like go to. And so I know one of your books is your latest releases. The last time we saw her. And it's kind of like a summer camp book that kind of takes a turn down like a dark path. So tell us a little bit about that one. Yes, exactly. So 10 years ago, a group of kids were on a summer camping trip to the Azores Islands, which are Portuguese islands midway between Portugal and the US. And they're spending the summer hiking, camping, cooking all their own food. It's a pretty rugged trip. And during the trip, there's a rumored lost treasure that they all become very excited to hunt. And amidst that, the It Girl camper of the trip, Sydney disappears and she's never seen again. And her sister, Olivia, who's her Irish twin sister, who's also on this camping trip, is rumored to have killed her. And but that was never proven. And now it's 10 years later. And Sydney's father is throwing a memorial on the island. And so he invites everyone back and they're all going to return for the memorial and also to film a documentary about the cold case. And amid the documentary and the reunion, new secrets come to light. Betrayals, feuds are ignited. And it seems that a murderer is still on the loose. You know, I feel like you guys are giving Sydney the bad name. I don't know if I like this because your book, Sydney, goes missing and like screams Sydney was the one that he was after. Oh, my God, it's so funny. Well, you know what? She's pretty wonderful, too. So you have to keep reading. She has as in, you know, a thriller. Everyone needs their dark side. But she has some good sides, too. Yeah. Sydney's. Yeah. So aside from this new novel, like what's next for you? Are there more books? Would you be like happy to see maybe some of your publishing like on a big screen or would you prefer just to stick to the writing aspect of it? Oh, my gosh. I mean, I would love, you know, to see one of my books on the screen. Actually, one of them, there were things in development. So I don't. Yeah, that that hasn't panned out for now. But who knows what will happen? I think these things that what I've learned is that there's a very long trek and route to to making a TV series or getting a film developed and a lot of luck involved. But yes, I would I would absolutely love that. So and I do think that the last time we saw her would be really good on her to for a series, though. Who knows? I'll keep my fingers crossed. Fingers crossed. Fingers crossed. Yes. So, Jacqueline, before I let you go, is there anything else that you would like to say to fans out there and fellow book lovers? You know, this book, I actually dedicated to all the authors whose words have brought me so much joy and whose stories have brought me so much joy because, you know, we started talking about reading. And it's just yeah, books bring so much light and joy to my life. And it's always what I'm hoping to to give with my book, you know, to to bring that to to readers. So, yeah, I really hope if you pick up a copy that you immerse yourself and, you know, just lose yourself in it like I lose myself and in books by all my favorite authors. So.