This week on Page to Picture, Kim sits down with SJ Gathercole, the brilliantly chaotic mind behind The People We Trust, a mystery-meets-romance that delivers queer joy, messy secrets, and enough tension to keep you doom-scrolling through chapters at 3 a.m.
SJ opens up about her journey from book-obsessed kid to university creative writing major, to losing confidence after a harsh professor, to rediscovering her voice through fanfiction during lockdown. She shares how The People We Trust evolved from a totally different draft (with a different main character!) to the gripping story we have now, complete with private investigators, complicated pasts, murder, and a slow-burn romance that actually feels real.
Kim and SJ dive into creative resilience, why queer representation in crime fiction matters, and how Gareth and Scott became the unlikely duo who anchor the story with honesty, chaos, and heart.
Plus, the wild publishing feedback SJ got (“just take the gay part out” — girl, be serious), and why self-publishing was the best move she could’ve made.
If you love murder mysteries, queer love, found confidence, and characters who feel like real people making real mistakes, this episode is for you.