What's Your Fancy? Novelist Jessica Knoll Shares Her Essentials

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“When I get mad about something,” Jessica Knoll says, “that’s normally a good jumping off point to build a story.”

For her latest book, Bright Young Women, Knoll—the bestselling author of Luckiest Girl Alive and The Favorite Sister—began getting mad watching a documentary on the serial killer Ted Bundy. “I was working on a book in 2019, but it wasn’t going anywhere,” she says. “Around the same time, there was a Bundy documentary that came out; I’m a thriller writer so I’m into true crime, I watch it, I read it, I listen to it. So, I watched the film and also followed the discourse, and there was a lot of chatter about how it was enraging that we know so much about him but nothing about the women whose lives he interrupted.”

That’s where Bright Young Women, a novel about two such characters—one a survivor of a sorority-house attack, another whose best friend has gone mysteriously missing—comes in. Knoll was able to use fiction to help give a voice to people who are so often lost in the coverage of high-profile crimes. “I was irate on behalf of the victims that Bundy was remembered as handsome, charming, and brilliant,” she says. “Really, he had to falsify his transcripts to be accepted to law school and barely lasted seven months before he was failing out.”

Here, Knoll—who’s already hard at work on her next novel—shares the essentials for her writing practice.

Original Cold Brew Coffee

"This is the closest thing to a controlled substance that I’ll allow myself to have at 8 a.m. I pour it into a Yeti so that the ice doesn’t melt and give it a couple splashes of oat milk; it tastes like a milkshake to me. Sometimes, if I really just need that gasoline-to-my-veins feeling, I’ll drink it black."

Ember Temperature Control Smart Mug

"In the 'colder' months, this mug keeps my hot coffee hot. I was always that person who was microwaving the life out of her coffee, and my husband bought me this for Christmas and I haven't looked back!"

Unisex Throwback Sock

"L.A.'s version of winter is weird. Oftentimes, my house is colder inside than it is outside because nothing in L.A. is insulated since it never really gets cold. If we don't put on the heat, the temperature in the house will hover around 54 degrees. I am always cold when I'm writing, and these are the coziest, cutest socks. I have them in every color, and they also look cute pulled up over leggings with sneakers if I manage to leave the house that day."

Dreyer's English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style

"Essential reading for everyone, even if you're not a writer by trade. Benjamin Dreyer is the copy chief at Random House and in his words, we all write, whether it's emails or Instagram captions, and we all want to write better. It's a fun, whimsical read with takeaways that stick. Sometimes if I’m struggling to craft something, even just reading how he writes—and I find this with many books—makes me feel less constrained. It shakes off the shackles, somehow."

Lucite Frame

"I love picture frames. They remind me of old, powerful men who have framed pictures of their families on their desk. I want to feel like that! So, I've made a concerted effort over the last few years to fill my house and office space with more framed pictures, and these have a gorgeous heft to them while still feeling cool and sleek."

100% Mineral Mattescreen Sunscreen

"Day to day, I don't like to wear makeup, but sunscreen is a non-negotiable for me and this one from Supergoop has a light tint that evens out my skin tone and makes me feel a bit more put together, and means that if the urge strikes, I can sit on my front porch and write for a few hours without worrying about getting fried."

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