How #1 International Bestselling Author Raphael Montes Writes

#1 international bestselling author Raphael Montes spoke with us about his dual career in TV and fiction, finding commercial success while maintaining authenticity, and the US publication of his hit book THE SECRET DINNER.

Raphael Montes is the internationally acclaimed, #1 bestselling Brazilian thriller writer best known for The Secret Dinner, a dark and provocative novel set in Rio de Janeiro described as "a mixture of Alfred Hitchcock's suspense with Quentin Tarantino's black comedy.” He is published in over 25 countries with over 8 million copies sold.

Set in Copacabana, The Secret Dinner—a biting, dark satire of foodie culture, wealth excess, and youth desperation—is landing in the US for the first time and has been named a summer most-anticipated by Crimereads, in addition to two mentions in The New York Times.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Riley Sager said of the book, "The Secret Dinner is a potent combination of gallows humor, Hitchcockian suspense, and trenchant social commentary. Bold and bloody, it's a thriller with real bite." 

Also a screenwriter, Raphael is the showrunner of Scars of Beauty—the most-watched original show on HBO Max in Latin America—and Netflix’s award-winning series Good Morning, Verônica.

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In this file Raphael Montes, Milena, and I discussed:

How he leveraged early Bookstagram and BookTok to great success

The themes of power, ambition, food, and class behind The Secret Dinner

Switching between screenwriting and fiction to beat writer’s block

Why he believes literature should provoke moral questions and self-reflection in readers