Interview with Kit Frick for I Killed Zoe Spanos

I Killed Zoe Spanos

by Kit Frick
Publisher: McElderry Books
Release Date: June 30th 2020
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Thriller, Mystery


Synopsis:

“The YA thriller of the summer.” —Bustle

For fans of Sadie and Serial, this gripping thriller follows two teens whose lives become inextricably linked when one confesses to murder and the other becomes determined to uncover the real truth no matter the cost.

What happened to Zoe won’t stay buried…

When Anna Cicconi arrives to the small Hamptons village of Herron Mills for a summer nanny gig, she has high hopes for a fresh start. What she finds instead is a community on edge after the disappearance of Zoe Spanos, a local girl who has been missing since New Year’s Eve. Anna bears an eerie resemblance to Zoe, and her mere presence in town stirs up still-raw feelings about the unsolved case. As Anna delves deeper into the mystery, stepping further and further into Zoe’s life, she becomes increasingly convinced that she and Zoe are connected—and that she knows what happened to her.

Two months later, Zoe’s body is found in a nearby lake, and Anna is charged with manslaughter. But Anna’s confession is riddled with holes, and Martina Green, teen host of the Missing Zoe podcast, isn’t satisfied. Did Anna really kill Zoe? And if not, can Martina’s podcast uncover the truth?

Inspired by Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, Kit Frick weaves a thrilling story of psychological suspense that twists and turns until the final page.

Can you briefly describe I KILLED ZOE SPANOS and its characters?

Think YA Rebecca set in the Hamptons. When Anna Cicconi confesses to playing a role in the death of local teen Zoe Spanos, she’s charged with manslaughter and concealing a body. But Anna’s confession is riddled with holes, and Martina Green, teen host of the Missing Zoe podcast, isn’t satisfied. Did Anna really kill Zoe? And if not, can Martina’s podcast uncover the truth?

In its most boiled-down form, Martina is our detective and Anna is our unreliable narrator / possible villain. But spoiler alert—it’s not that simple!

Who would you say is your favourite character from the story and why?

I have a special place in my heart for the story’s minor characters like Kaylee, Anna’s best friend from home; Paisley, her eight-year-old babysitting charge; and Aster, Zoe’s younger sister and Martina’s best friend. Sometimes the secondary characters are the most fun to write.

How did the story occur to you? Did you find inspiration anywhere?

When the idea for I Killed Zoe Spanos was bouncing around in my head, I’d recently re-read Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca for the fourth (fifth?) time and couldn’t help wondering: What if Rebecca de Winter had gone missing today, in the age of Serial and The Vanished and Bear Brook and all the other excellent true crime podcasts that have sprung up over the last five years? Then I landed on the Hamptons setting—the American equivalent of the tony English seaside town in Rebecca—and I Killed Zoe Spanos evolved from there.

If you could choose one song to describe your book, which one would it be?

Sia’s “Chandelier.” Anna comes to Herron Mills in part to escape her “party girl” past and make a fresh start—but of course nothing goes as planned. I think she’d relate quite a bit to the girl in Sia’s high-flying anthem.

If your book was going to be made into a movie, who would play your characters?

The only piece of “dream casting” I have worked out is the part of Caden Talbot, the boy next door at Windermere. I always see Jordan Fisher in my head when I picture Caden!

What drink and place do you think will go with your book to have a perfect book date?

I Killed Zoe Spanos comes complete with its own mocktail: the Lemon Spritz! Think lemonade and seltzer; add a splash of rum to make it adult. :) Best consumed poolside or at the beach, of course.

Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish I KILLED ZOE SPANOS?

For more YA thrillers featuring podcasts, check out Sadie by Courtney Summers on the slim chance you haven’t already, as well as I Hope You’re Listening by Tom Ryan (coming in October 2020) and Holly Jackson’s Good Girl, Bad Blood (which I’m hoping will be coming to the US soon!). On the adult side, I highly recommend Elizabeth Little’s Pretty as a Picture, Denise Mina’s Conviction, and Kathleen Barber’s Are You Sleeping (re-released in paperback and developed for TV as Truth Be Told) all of which feature (fictional) true crime podcasts woven into the narrative.

What would you say is the most difficult part of writing a book?

Endings! Many writers despair of the “murky middle,” but it’s endings that give me the most trouble. Not because I don’t know where I’m writing toward, because I generally do, but because getting all the necessary information to the reader in a mystery novel in a way that is both organic and surprising is a real challenge. It takes many drafts to get it just right.

What’s next for you?

My next book is still a secret! (Ssh.) I hope to be able to spill some details soon.

Kit Frick is a novelist, poet, and MacDowell Colony fellow from Pittsburgh, PA. She studied creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College and received her MFA from Syracuse University. When she isn’t putting complicated characters in impossible situations, Kit edits poetry and literary fiction for a small press and edits for private clients. She is the author of the young adult novels See All the Stars and All Eyes on Us, both from Simon & Schuster / Margaret K. McElderry Books, as well as the poetry collection A Small Rising Up in the Lungs from New American Press. Her third YA thriller, I Killed Zoe Spanos, will release on June 2, 2020.

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Interview with Kalyn Josephson for The Crow Rider

The Crow Rider (The ​Storm Crow #2)

by Kalyn Josephson
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date: July 7th 2020

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Synopsis:

Princess Thia, her allies, and her crow, Res, are planning a rebellion to defeat Queen Razel and Illucia once and for all. Thia must convince the neighboring kingdoms to come to her aid, and Res’s show of strength is the only thing that can help her.

But so many obstacles stand in her way. Res excels at his training, until he loses control of his magic, harming Thia in the process. She is also pursued by Prince Ericen, heir to the Illucian throne and the one person she can’t trust but can’t seem to stay away from.

As the rebel group prepares for war, Res’s magic grows more unstable. Thia has to decide if she can rely on herself and their bond enough to lead the rebellion and become the crow rider she was meant to be.

Can you briefly describe the series, its characters and what’s happening in THE CROW RIDER?

THE CROW RIDER picks up where THE STORM CROW left off, with Princess Thia and her friends desperately trying to reach Trendell for the alliance meeting between the kingdoms. To convince them to ally with her against Illucia, Thia and her storm crow, Res, must make a show of strength, but Res is new an untrained, and struggles to control his powers.

To make it a bit fun, can you describe the series or THE CROW RIDER with emojis?

🛳️⛈️⚔️🦅👑 – one day there will be a crow emoji!

How did this new story occur to you? Was this more difficult to write than the first book?

It was easier in some ways, and more difficult in others. I already knew the characters and the world, so there was a lot less to come up with from scratch, but I had also established a lot of rules and timelines in the first book that I had to abide by in the second book, and since I hadn’t completely outlined book 2 before book 1 came out, that was a bit of a struggle! I did always know how the series would end though, so I was always writing toward that.

If you could choose one song to describe this new book, which one would it be?

The She-Ra theme song haha. Only mostly kidding. But I struggle with these questions! I don’t make book playlists or listen to music when I write so I don’t often associate songs with my books.

What drink and place do you think will go with your book to have a perfect book date?

A hot cup of tea and a comfy couch by the fire while it rains outside.

Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish THE CROW RIDER?

CROWN OF FEATHERS by Nicki Pau Preto! It’s also a bird riding book, but phoenixes instead of crows.

What would you say is the most difficult part of writing a book?

Not rushing. I prefer editing over drafting, so I’m constantly trying to rush through my drafts so I can get to edits. Part of that comes from this feeling that publishing is a race (which it’s not!) but you feel like you have to be constantly producing. I’ve been doing a lot better at slowing down though!

What’s next for you?

I can’t talk specifically about any new projects, but I’m working on a couple potential new books right now.

Kalyn Josephson currently works as a Technical Writer in the tech industry, which leaves room for too many bad puns about technically being a writer. Though she grew up in San Luis Obispo, California, she graduated from Santa Clara University with a degree in Biology and a degree in English (Creative Writing). Currently, she lives in the Bay Area with four awesome friends (because it’s the Bay Area and she’d like to be able to retire one day) and two black cats (who are more like a tiny dragon and an ever tinier owl). THE STORM CROW is her debut novel.

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Interview with Tanaz Bhathena for Hunted by The Sky

Hunted by the Sky (The Wrath of Ambar #1)

by Tanaz Bhathena
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Release Date: June 23rd 2020

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Synopsis:

Gul has spent her life running. She has a star-shaped birthmark on her arm, and in the kingdom of Ambar, girls with such birthmarks have been disappearing for years. Gul's mark is what caused her parents' murder at the hand of King Lohar's ruthless soldiers and forced her into hiding to protect her own life. So when a group of rebel women called the Sisters of the Golden Lotus rescue her, take her in, and train her in warrior magic, Gul wants only one thing: revenge.

Cavas lives in the tenements, and he's just about ready to sign his life over to the king's army. His father is terminally ill, and Cavas will do anything to save him. But sparks fly when he meets a mysterious girl--Gul--in the capital's bazaar, and as the chemistry between them undeniably grows, he becomes entangled in a mission of vengeance--and discovers a magic he never expected to find.

Dangerous circumstances have brought Gul and Cavas together at the king's domain in Ambar Fort . . . a world with secrets deadlier than their own. Exploring identity, class struggles, and high-stakes romance, Hunted by the Sky is a gripping adventure set in a world inspired by medieval India.

Can you briefly describe HUNTED BY THE SKY and its characters? 

Set in a world inspired by medieval India, HUNTED BY THE SKY follows the story of a girl named Gul, who has vowed vengeance against a tyrant king for ordering the murder of her parents. Trained in warrior magic by a group of rebel women, Gul infiltrates the king’s palace with the help of a reluctant stable boy named Cavas, who has some dark secrets of his own. 

Who would you say is your favourite character from the story and why? 

Honestly, I love both Gul and Cavas, but there’s another character who has really become a favourite—a character who I can’t mention right now for fear of spoiling the book. 

How did the story occur to you? Did you find inspiration anywhere? 

I was struggling with a SF dystopian novel that I’d drafted, which was going nowhere. I loved the characters I’d created, but didn’t like the plot and the setting was weak. A friend of mine suggested trying out fantasy instead of science fiction. That’s when the gears began turning in my head. I decided to change the setting to one inspired by India—more specifically medieval India, a historical period I was obsessed with as a teen. I was also inspired by a group of women from north India called the Gulabi Gang (the Rose Gang), which works for women’s welfare. The Sisterhood of the Golden Lotus was born and I had my main character’s new name—Gul. 

If you could choose one song to describe your book, which one would it be? 

“Bad Bad Girls” from the movie, Chak De India 

If your book was going to be made into a movie, who would play your characters? 

Ishan Khattar for Cavas. I would love Tara Gupta, the model on my cover, to play Gul. 

What drink and place do you think will go with your book to have a perfect book date? 

Have a cup of lemongrass chai at the Lake Palace Udaipur in Rajasthan and take the book with you. Ambar will come alive. 

Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish HUNTED BY THE SKY? 

Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri, The Tiger at Midnight by Swati Teerdhala, and The Bloodprint by Ausma Zehanat Khan 

What would you say is the most difficult part of writing a book? 

Every book has its own challenges. For this book, I had to learn more about creating a magical system and a whole world with its own history and myths. It was quite challenging initially, but also a lot of fun! 

What’s next for you? 

The sequel to HUNTED BY THE SKY!

Orders of a hardcover book will receive limited edition swag and be entered to win a $100 gift card. Open to residents of US and Canada.

Tanaz Bhathena writes books for young adults. Her sophomore novel, The Beauty of the Moment, won the Nautilus Award for Young Adult Fiction and has also been nominated for the Ontario Library Association’s White Pine Award. Her acclaimed debut, A Girl Like That, was named a Best Book of the Year by numerous outlets including The Globe and Mail, Seventeen, and The Times of India. Her latest book, Hunted by the Sky, (releasing June 23 2020) is the first of a YA fantasy duology set in a world inspired by medieval India. Her short stories have appeared in various publications including The Hindu, Blackbird, Witness, and Room.

Born in India and raised in Saudi Arabia and Canada, Tanaz lives in Mississauga, Ontario, with her family.

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