E. Lockhart is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the LIARS novels: We Were Liars, Family of Liars, and We Fell Apart. We Were Liars is also an original series on Prime Video. Her other books include Again Again, Genuine Fraud, and The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks. She has been a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the National Book Award and an honoree for the Printz Award. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Tell us about The Pools. What inspired this story?

The Pools is set in a small New England town known for its hot springs. For the people of the town, swimming is as natural as breathing. The pools are a gathering place, a community center, a constant in everyone’s lives. What happens if, one day, something very bad happens to the people who go in the water? Also, it’s very romantic.

You have written mostly realistic fiction. What prompted you to try out a different genre when writing The Pools?

I see The Pools as very much in line with what my readers expect from me. Stories with big shocker plot twists, set in the real world, with a single, fairy-tale inflected paranormal element layered in. That’s how I would describe We Were Liars and Family of Liars — and The Pools, which is a love story about two people divided by this horrible supernatural thing that happens with the hot springs.

Does your writing process look any different when switching between genres?

I just sit on the couch in my office and imagine what the worst thing that could happen next might be.

What do you enjoy most about writing stories with fantastical elements?

Taking a step towards the fantastical intensifies the emotional journey you’re able to take a reader on. I love writers like Jaclyn Moriarty and Holly Black for this reason.

We all loved the adaptation of We Were Liars and can’t wait for Season 2, which will be based on the prequel novel Family of Liars. How has it been watching your books come to life? What are you excited to see in season two?

Thank you! The young cast for the Family of Liars storyline is exceptional — Costa D’Angelo as Pfeff, Elysia Roorbach as Penny, Parker LaPaine as Carrie and Madison Wolfe as Bess. I didn’t work on Season 2, but I visited set and got to hang out with the actors and see them at work. Buckle up!

Was there anything that surprised you about the adaptation?

First season, the showrunners and writers built out new and deeper story lines for Johnny, Gat and Mirren, as well as for the adult characters. The novel We Were Liars is 100% from Cadence’s point of view. I was in a development room for the show, and then spent a couple weeks in the real writers’ room in order to write the finale, so I learned a lot from listening to people talk through storylines for those characters.

What are you currently watching?

Sterling Point, of course. Megan Park’s movie My Old Ass was one of the best YA films I’ve seen, and this is her new show.

What are you currently reading?

Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty – wonderful realistic fiction about the intersecting lives of triplets, by the author of Big Little Lies.

What are a couple of books you recommend over and over?

Two YA books I recommend over and over are Boxers and Saints by Gene Luen Yang (it’s an action-comedy about the Boxer rebellion in China, if you can believe it, and so incredibly artful); and A Deadly Education by Naomi Novek, which is the most innovative and emotionally astute magic school book I’ve read.

What have been your favorite reads of 2026 so far?

The Land and its People by David Sedaris — unapologetic, glorious prose, huge personality, queer and funny. Sedaris kills me every time. And Five by Ilona Bannister, a crime thriller with a really innovative structure that digs deep and was constantly surprising.

What are you working on next?

I’m writing a screenplay adaptation of my novel, Again Again, which is a love story that takes place in multiple universes.

The Pools by E. Lockhart

Long ago, in a New England town famous for its hot springs, something awful happened. Something that kept people away from the pools even if they weren’t sure if the stories were true. These days, even though they really should be, no one is afraid of the water. The chemistry is undeniable when the new girl Lexie meets the town golden boy Chester. They look perfect on the outside, but she’s running from a past life and he has plenty of his own hidden secrets. Their connection to each other feels bigger than their pasts. One winter morning, Lexie’s life will change forever when five people, including Chester, go swimming in the pools. The events that occur there will rock the small New England town.

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