Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelsey Cox.
Hi Kelsey, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
PARTY OF LIARS is my debut novel, but writing has been my dream and passion for a very long time. I’ve always loved storytelling. I was that kid who would bring a book out to recess. I loved getting lost in a whole new world, meeting characters that became my friends. I’ve been writing stories for as long as I can remember and finished my first novel in high school. When I went to college at Stephen F. Austin State University, I discovered that I could major in creative writing. Studying the way stories were structured, how my favorite authors accomplished their magic, was fascinating to me. So I continued studying the craft in grad school at the Purdue MFA program. I just kept reading, writing, and studying stories.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road. I faced a lot of rejection, a lot of trial and error. Like I said, I’ve been writing since I was a child, and every short story or novel I wrote taught me something new about the craft. I started really pursuing publishing seriously in 2011, querying literary agents. For anyone that doesn’t know, if you want to be traditionally published by a Big Five publisher, you first need an agent. And the querying process is tough. Agents receive countless queries every day. I received a lot of polite rejections, but I received enough positive feedback as well–agents who requested to see more pages, or agents who wrote thoughtful responses about why they rejected the book–that I maintained hope. I was almost delusional in the way I believed so surely that I would one day accomplish my goal. And I think the delusion was important. To follow a big dream, you have to be a little delusional. Finally, I gave up on that novel and wrote a new one. After years of rejection, I finally landed my agent. But then the book didn’t sell to a publisher. So I had to start again. That’s when I wrote PARTY OF LIARS, which is the book that sold. So being able to finally share my book with readers is a true dream come true.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
PARTY OF LIARS is my debut mystery/thriller novel. In the book, a lavish Sweet Sixteen turns deadly in a rumored-to-be-haunted cliffside mansion in the Texas Hill Country. It is set in the San Antonio area–Bulverde, to be exact–and it explores themes of motherhood, paranoia, and obsession. PARTY OF LIARS came out July 1, 2025 and was an immediate USA Today Bestseller. I am extremely proud of this book and incredibly grateful to all the readers who have supported me already and who have reached out to me to share their love of the story and the characters.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Not to give up. For me, the road to publishing was very long. It took over twenty years for me to hold my own book. But I enjoyed the journey, because I was writing stories, which is my favorite thing to do, and I was learning and getting better every time. For anyone who wants to pursue something difficult, just make sure you enjoy the process, and then don’t give up. Keep showing up for the work.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kelseycoxbooks.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelseycoxwriter/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@kelseycoxwriter
