Ariel Lawhon
Critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction
Andrea Bartz
Journalist and New York Times bestselling author of psychological thrillers
Andrea Bartz – Gaithersburg Book Festival
“Master of the feminist thriller,” (Los Angeles Times) Andrea Bartz is a Brooklyn-based journalist, editor, and the bestselling author of The Lost Night, The Herd, We Were Never Here, and the highly anticipated The Spare Room. A rising star in the genre, she writes critically-acclaimed novels that challenge thriller genre tropes where women are always victims by creating fictional settings where women, for once, wield the power. In her entertaining and lively talks, she shares her techniques for turning ideas on a napkin into 400-page novels in a broadly applicable process that easily translates to any ambitious project.
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About Andrea Bartz
Andrea Bartz burst into the thriller genre with her bestselling debut, The Lost Night, which was named one of the Best Books of 2020 by multiple publications, including Library Journal, Buzzfeed, and Glamour. Bartz impressed her readers by flipping the script on the “violence against women” trope. Following a woman’s investigation into her friend’s decade-old suicide, The Lost Night is a vivid nostalgia trip interwoven with an unpredictable mystery, peeling back the layers of the enigma through case files, old technology, and the unreliable narrator’s own fractured memories.
Andrea Bartz’s next two novels, The Herd and We Were Never Here, solidified her place in the thriller genre. The Herd was named one of the best books of 2021 by Marie Claire and CrimeReads, among other publications. Drawing on her background as a travel writer, Bartz challenges the persisting cliché of the danger women travelers face in her thrilling novel, We Were Never Here. In this instant New York Times bestseller, two globe-trotting best friends are the perpetrators of a murder, which they claim to have committed in self-defense. As the mystery unfolds, Bartz delivers a sharp, unsettling thriller about power, obsession, and the inescapable grip of the past. We Were Never Here was selected as a Reese’s Book Club pick and a Marie Claire Book Club pick. We Were Never Here is being adapted into a featured film by Netflix. Bartz’s highly anticipated upcoming novel, The Spare Room, is a provocative domestic thriller about obsession, desire, and revenge. Using her experience in writing these elaborate novels, she speaks with audiences on how to map out any ambitious project with grace, efficiency, and maximum creativity.
A journalist, Andrea Bartz has written for The Wall Street Journal, Marie Claire, Vogue, and many other outlets, and she has held editorial positions at Glamour, Psychology Today, and Self, among other magazines. She previously ran a popular blog, Stuff Hipsters Hate, where she and her co-blogger meticulously tracked the vicissitudes of hipsters and examined their eccentricities through an anthropologist’s lens. This cross-cultural brilliance was later turned into a book of the same name, published by Ulysses Press. Andrea Bartz has a Master’s degree in magazine journalism from Northwestern University as well as a Bachelor’s degree in journalism with a minor in psychology from Northwestern University.
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Speaking Topics
The Only Project Management Talk You’ll Ever Need
Author Andrea Bartz plots wildly bestselling thrillers that go from idea-on-a-napkin to 400 pages of character-driven plot. Every creative project follows a similar path from a shower idea to the finish line—a process requiring executive functioning, flexibility, attention to detail, and big-picture thinking. Bartz helps teams learn to map out any ambitious design project (be it a new school curriculum, a groundbreaking app, or a company-wide vibe shift) with grace, efficiency, and maximum creativity.
How Thinking in Story Turbocharges Success
What’s the story you’re telling yourself about your value, your goals, and your company? And how can you rewrite that storyline to clarify where you are—and where you’re going? As a New York Times bestselling author and former Psychology Today editor, Andrea Bartz draws on behavioral economics, performance psychology, and narrative structure to help individuals, teams, and organizations envision and embody their most empowering, productive storyline—and take control as its protagonist.
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Praise for Andrea Bartz
Andrea Bartz was a phenomenal addition to our online writing retreat. She was engaging and charismatic, fully holding the delegates’ attention which is often difficult to do with virtual events. Her talk was well prepared, and she delivered it in a compelling way. She’s a wonderful public speaker who’s knowledgeable and funny. She was listed as one of the top presenters from that weekend. We’d love to have her back again!
— Bianca Marais, bestselling author and cohost of The Shit No One Tells You About WritingBartz speaks about her books, the thriller genre, and the craft of writing with confidence, authenticity, and humor. She’s always welcome at the Gaithersburg Book Festival!
— Jud Ashman, mayor of Gaithersburg, MD, and founder and chair of the Gaithersburg Book FestivalAndrea Bartz’s presentation at our virtual writers’ retreat was phenomenal! Andrea has an uncanny ability to break down complex storytelling techniques into digestible, actionable advice for aspiring authors. And what’s more, her wisdom is sprinkled with inspiration and humor!
— Cecilia Lyra, literary agent and co-host of The Shit No One Tells You About WritingAndrea Bartz is a compelling and entertaining speaker, whether she is talking about her books and the issues that her books raise, as well as writing and publishing… Highly recommended!
— Daniel Goldin, Boswell BookstoreWhat an amazing presentation! Bartz illustrated key structural points so clearly and gave tactical approaches to complex writing challenges. Every last attendee agreed they would happily attend any seminar Bartz gave in the future!
— Maddie Margarita, VP Southern California Writers AssociationPraise for The Spare Room
“Bartz’s latest showstopper kept me up all night turning pages. Propulsive and sexy, The Spare Room left me gasping for air as I followed its main character into the fiery heart of a dark, complicated romance. Kelly Doyle must contend not only with two new lovers but her own expectations surrounding relationships and sexuality. This is one visit you won’t want to end.
— Ana Reyes, New York Times bestselling author of The House in the PinesSexy, atmospheric, deliciously creepy, and ingeniously plotted: the best kind of up-all-night page-turner.
— Lucy Foley, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Apartment and The Guest ListAn enticing, twisty, and seductive thriller about obsession, desire, and revenge.
— Nita Prose, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The MaidPraise for We Were Never Here
Beneath the thrilling cliffhangers and impeccably paced plot lies a very sharp portrait of female friendship and how magical and intense it can be.
— NPRA thrilling tale.
— Oprah DailyA book that skillfully examines toxic friendship at its most extreme . . . When the reckoning arrives, it shows that sometimes, we should fear our friends a lot more than strangers.
— The New York Times Book ReviewPraise for The Herd
Perfect for fans of Big Little Lies.
— The Washington PostAndrea Bartz breathes new life into the psychological thriller by setting her novels in bitingly modern settings. Her first book, The Lost Night, is set in Williamsburg’s party scene; The Herd is a biting satire of a women’s workspace like the Wing, and the darkness that may lurk behind that perfectly coiffed sitting room.
— O: The Oprah MagazineA uniquely timely whodunit set in an exclusive, women’s only co-working space.
— The Boston GlobePraise for The Lost Night
If you couldn’t get enough of TBS’s Search Party or more recently Netflix’s Russian Doll, pick up a copy of The Lost Night . . . [A] haunting debut.
— GlamourPoised to be one of the most talked-about books of the winter.
— BustleI Know What You Did Last Summer meets The Girl on the Train in Andrea Bartz’s addictive debut novel.
— Marie Claire -
Books by Andrea Bartz
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Media About Andrea Bartz
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and Availability
- 212 572-2013
- Andrea Bartz travels from New York, New York
Featured Title
The Spare Room
“Sexy, atmospheric, deliciously creepy, and ingeniously plotted: the best kind of up-all-night page-turner.”—Lucy Foley, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Apartment and The Guest List
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