Kaira Rouda is an award–winning, USA Today and Amazon Charts bestselling author of contemporary fiction that explores what goes on beneath the surface of seemingly perfect lives. 

She lives in Southern California with her family and is working on her next novel. Please sign up for her newsletter to learn about new releases and exclusive content on her website, and follow her on social media.

Q: What five words would you use to describe Jill is Not Happy?

Kaira: Jill: Ripley in yoga pants.

Q: How did the idea of Jill is Not Happy come to mind? What was the inspiration?

Kaira: The story popped into my head during a road trip my husband and I took to the Utah National Parks. Beautiful, and somewhat scary landscape and I thought, wow, this would be a great place to kill someone, fictionally speaking. My husband is, of course, accustomed to this line of thinking. He sleeps with one eye open. 

Q: Your main characters are Jack and Jill. Did they start out with these names, or did you decide to incorporate the childhood nursery rhyme and its elements later in the crafting of the story?

Kaira: They started out that way. I’ve always been fascinated by how scary and violent nursery rhymes are — and this one is no exception. In the story, friends and acquaintances think it’s so sweet and tell them oh, Jack and Jill, like the fairy tale. Nope, their relationship is definitely a nursery rhyme. 

Q: Without spoilers—was there a twist or moment in the book that surprised even you as you were writing?

Kaira: Yes. And that is my absolute favorite part of the writing process. When my characters scare me, I have to close the computer and head downstairs from my office for a break. I know if they surprise me with a scary twist, readers will be surprised and scared, too. At least I hope so. Jill is very much on a mission throughout the entire book and some of the tactics she uses to get what she wants, well, they are terrifying. 

Q: You’ve written more than 20 novels. How has the process changed from your first books to writing now?

Kaira: I don’t know that the process changes — although hopefully I’ve gotten better at the craft with each story. For me, a novel starts with a character and a title. Once I have those elements, I can start writing. As you may have guessed I’m a discovery writer (a nicer way to describe pantsers :-D). I discover the story as I write it.  

Q: If Jill is Not Happy were a movie, who would you cast as Jill? What about Jack?

Kaira: I am terrible at casting questions, but how about January Jones for Jill and Paul Rudd for Jack. But truly, if someone would like to make a movie, they can pick whoever they’d like.  

Q: You have a knack for writing about people with seemingly perfect lives who are oftentimes hiding behind their perfect exteriors. What draws you to writing such troubled and complex characters?

Kaira: The recurring themes in my novels — power dynamics between men and women, facades and social pretense, narcissism and the suburbs, violence and dark humor — keep bubbling up in my work. I call it writing about grown-ups behaving badly, delving beneath the surface of seemingly perfect lives. These novels and my dark and unreliable characters help me process the world where, as we all know, people like this truly do exist.  

Q: What do you hope readers will feel after they finish reading Jill is Not Happy?

Kaira: I hope they feel happy they read the book. And I hope they want more from Jill someday. She’s a fun character to write and she’s already begging for a sequel.

Q: Can you share anything about what you’re working on next?

Kaira: I can! I am excited to say my next novel, We Were Never Friends, is out February of 2026. In this story, you’ll meet the sorority sisters of Theta Gamma Mu — Roxy, Amelia, Beth, Jamie and Sunny. They’ve been summoned to Roxy’s luxurious Palm Springs vacation home to celebrate the engagement of her son to Beth’s daughter. But the refurbished 1920s home is eerily reminiscent of the hotel where tragedy struck during Spring Break 25 years ago. Long-simmering tensions and shocking secrets begin bubbling to the surface like bodies —because while the weekend was supposed to be about celebrating the future, it’s not so easy to bury the past…. I love the tagline: Sisters? Forever. Friends? Never.