How Acclaimed Debut Author Darby Bozeman Writes

About this episode

Darby Bozeman discusses her journey from teacher to author and her debut thriller.

Acclaimed debut author Darby Bozeman spoke with us about her journey from middle school English teacher to published author, and her debut thriller, SUMMER’S NEVER OVER. Darby Bozeman, originally from Portland, Oregon, relocated to the American South for graduate school, earning a master's degree in teaching from the University of Georgia. Before pivoting to full-time writing, she spent five years as a middle school English teacher. Her dual-timeline debut thriller, Summer’s Never Over (Berkley Trade Original; on sale June 9, 2026), is described as We Were Liars meets God of the Woods, and is set at a summer camp where a counselor died in a suspicious fire five years prior. The book was recently chosen as a June selection for the Book of the Month Club. Publishers Weekly called it an “Impressive debut…an addictive thriller ideal for summer reading.” Bestselling author Ashley Winstead wrote, "Darby Bozeman has the perfect beach read in this sinister summer camp thriller, where the paradisical woods of Dread's Cove hide not only hot bodies and cold waters, but dark secrets.” [Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at…

People in this episode

Host: Kelton Reid

Guest: Darby Bozeman

Topics covered

• writing process
• debut authors
• narrative writing
• thriller genre
• teaching inspiration

Keywords

• Darby Bozeman
• SUMMER’S NEVER OVER
• debut thriller
• narrative writing
• Book of the Month Club

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Georgia, Book of the Month Club

Books & works: SUMMER’S NEVER OVER

Places: Portland, Oregon, American South, Dread's Cove

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