Heidi Jo Brady Author Gillian Flynn says it is "hard to write afterGone Girl" as she works on her fourth novel Flynn's newest release will be "a character-driven psychological thriller" that is "definitely in the same vein" asGone Girl The book will also involve a mom, the author teased Gone Girlis a tough act to follow — andGillian Flynnknows it. When asked how her next book is coming along, the author and founder of the Zando imprintGillian Flynn Booksadmitted to PEOPLE that trying to write a new novel in the shadow of the beloved thriller is no small feat. "Oh, my goodness, it's going! It's hard to write afterGone Girl," Flynn told PEOPLE. Specifically, she said, it's difficult not to compare the 2012 smash hit — which was famously adapted into a2014 filmstarringBen AffleckandRosamund Pike— to her forthcoming fourth novel. "I hope that people like it," she continued. "Gone Girlis just lightning in a bottle, never gonna be replicated. So I have to kind of accept that and finish writing the dang book." Shutterstock And in order to do that, Flynn has to "stop getting in my head," she admitted, adding that it's "not a helpful place to be when you're writing a book." TheSharp ObjectsandDark Placesauthor also teased a bit about the work-in-progress, which — fans of Flynn may be excited to learn — is another thriller like her previous page-turners. "It's a character-driven psychological thriller. I don't wanna say too much more," Flynn told PEOPLE, teasing that "it's definitely in the same vein" asGone Girl. Plus, she added, "I love my main character, as always." There is another notable throughline in Flynn's work that she has no plans of breaking with the forthcoming novel: it will mirror her current life stage. Ballantine Books "I wroteSharp Objectswhen I was single and it was very much about — it's probably the closest to me — a single woman in her early 30s who's struggling with some stuff," the author said. "Then I wroteGone Girlwhen I was getting married and had just gotten married, so I was thinking a lot about marriage and gender roles." "Now, I'm writing something where it involves a parent, a mom," she said. "I do sort of trace my origin story as we move along to different books." Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories. Merrick Morton/20th Century Fox Film Corp/Courtesy Everett Flynn also noted that despite its success, she doesn't know ifGone Girlwould have gotten published in today's market. "It's a weird book, when you think about it," she explained. "It's a whoddunit, and you find out who done it in the middle, [with] two main characters who aren't very likable." But the "weird" worked, and the book was an immense success.Gone Girlsold more than 20 million copies after debuting at No. 2 onTheNew York Timesbestseller list in 2012, and later became a hit David Fincher-directed movie (for which Flynn also wrote the screenplay). The novelist also served as a co-writer when herSharp Objects(2006) was adapted into a2018 HBO series starring Amy Adamsand she is currently working on an HBO limited series based on her bookDark Places, which was previously adapted into a2015 film. Read the original article onPeople
