Tips July 29, 2026 0 Comments

Unlock Your Creative Genius: Rachel Peterson’s Unexpected Secrets to Writing Mastery Revealed

Today’s Write Now interview features Rachel Peterson, author of KILLING SADIE.

3 min read

2 hours ago

Who are you?

Rachel Peterson, author, based in the Midwest and New York City.

What do you write?

My writing is dialogue-driven, and I love playing with pacing and switching character POVs. As a kid, I was equally interested in acting and writing, so whatever I was up to, entertaining people was always the goal. Writing may have been my first true love, offering an outlet for my biggest ideas, emotions and insecurities. Today, being a full-time author is a dream come true.

Where do you write?

I tend to take an always-on approach when working on manuscripts, which has placed me at some fun (unusual?) spots like airports! But my favorite place to write is a little nook in an upstairs bedroom where my pup, Olive, is usually laying around. Cozy with a busy street view where I can look up from time to time.

My brainstorming usually includes me frantically jotting notes into my phone, which can happen anywhere, or over wine and good food at the dinner table with my husband. As far as tools, I always use a laptop — my handwriting is so bad I can barely read it myself — but I have been known to throw a few thousand words into my phone while on the road.

When do you write?

A typical writing session is usually daily in the late afternoon or evening — my one rule is no mornings! A fun signature is that I build Spotify playlists for each of my manuscripts, which I play on repeat while working. For example, my debut novel, Killing Sadie, a YA thriller arriving in late 2026 with Simon Pulse, was written to deliciously nostalgic 90s and early 2000s pop rock.

As my wonderful editor can attest, speed is my friend, and I tend to write anywhere from 1K to 4K words a session, which takes me a few hours. I rarely edit or reread until chunks of the manuscript are complete.