Interview with Maureen Johnson for The Hand on The Wall

The Hand on the Wall (Truly Devious #3)

by Maureen Johnson
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: January 21st 2020

Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller

Synopsis:

New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson delivers the witty and pulse-pounding conclusion to the Truly Devious series as Stevie Bell solves the mystery that has haunted Ellingham Academy for over 75 years.

Ellingham Academy must be cursed. Three people are now dead. One, a victim of either a prank gone wrong or a murder. Another, dead by misadventure. And now, an accident in Burlington has claimed another life. All three in the wrong place at the wrong time. All at the exact moment of Stevie’s greatest triumph . . .

She knows who Truly Devious is. She’s solved it. The greatest case of the century.

At least, she thinks she has. With this latest tragedy, it’s hard to concentrate on the past. Not only has someone died in town, but David disappeared of his own free will and is up to something. Stevie is sure that somehow—somehow—all these things connect. The three deaths in the present. The deaths in the past. The missing Alice Ellingham and the missing David Eastman. Somewhere in this place of riddles and puzzles there must be answers.

Then another accident occurs as a massive storm heads toward Vermont. This is too much for the parents and administrators. Ellingham Academy is evacuated. Obviously, it’s time for Stevie to do something stupid. It’s time to stay on the mountain and face the storm—and a murderer.

In the tantalizing finale to the Truly Devious trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson expertly tangles her dual narrative threads and ignites an explosive end for all who’ve walked through Ellingham Academy.

Can you briefly describe the TRULY DEVIOUS series and its characters, what’s happening on THE HAND ON THE WALL?

Truly Devious is about Stevie Bell, a true-crime aficionado who wants to be a detective. She’s come to Ellingham Academy, which is one of America’s most prestigious and unusual schools, with the hopes of solving the 1936 kidnapping of the founder’s wife and daughter. The kidnappers sent a mocking riddle signed Truly, Devious. This is an extremely famous case, considered the crime of the century, so the idea that a high school student is going to solve it eighty years later seems absurd to many. While Stevie is at her new school, some strange things happen, including an updated version of the Truly Devious letter being projected on to her wall at night. When a fellow student dies in a freak accident, Stevie is convinced it is murder and sets out on her own investigation that combines past and present. As this investigation continues over the books, Stevie will uncover things that have been buried for many decades, and others will die. In The Hand on the Wall, Stevie discovers how past and present are intertwined, and everything will come to an explosive conclusion up on the mountain.

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

Possibly Nate, the writer who is haunted by the fact that everyone wants him to finish his second book. For reasons.

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

The story comes out of my love of mystery and out of some classic crime cases. I wanted to take some of the things I love and have loved about many mystery novels—like the remote mansion as both setting and character, the amateur detective, the analogue clues that you can touch and see. I wanted to make a proper game that readers could play along with.

If you could choose one song to describe each books in the series, which ones would it be?

For Truly Devious, Digital Witness by St. Vincent 

For The Vanishing Stair, Mistake by Fiona Apple

For The Hand on the Wall, let’s go with Bad Guy, because we are going to find out WHODUNNIT.

From the TRULY DEVIOUS series, which book...

A. Has your favourite cover?

I truthfully like them all, but maybe The Hand on the Wall. I really like green.

B. Was the most difficult to write?

The Vanishing Stair. The middle is always hardest for me.

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

I get asked this a lot, and I genuinely have no idea. It’s just not how I think.

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

Ideally, you’ll want to be snowed in for the last book, and you’ll want something hot to drink. Hot chocolate? Something stronger? 

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

There is a giant world of classic mysteries out there. The British Library Crime Classics series is amazing—all of these great mysteries from the 30s and 40s that fell out of print, they’ve brought them back. Get your country house murder on!

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

Starting. Or finishing. And that middle bit.

Maureen Johnson is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of several YA novels, including 13 Little Blue Envelopes, Suite Scarlett, The Name of the Star, and Truly Devious. She has also done collaborative works, such as Let It Snow (with John Green and Lauren Myracle), and The Bane Chronicles (with Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan). Her work has appeared in publications such as The New York Times, Buzzfeed, and The Guardian, and she has also served as a scriptwriter for EA Games. She has an MFA in Writing from Columbia University and lives in New York City.

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Release Day Launch: Unforeseen Heartbeat (Second Chances #2) by Maureen Mayer

Unforeseen Heartbeat (Second Chances #2)
by Maureen Mayer
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Release Date: February 24, 2014

Synopsis:

Used… Broken… Confused…

It only took one drunken mistake four years ago for Maddie Harrington to learn that when you fully give yourself over to a man, you should never expect anything in return. Since that night, her views on love have become distorted, believing men would only want her for the pleasure her body could bring them. She in turn finds herself hooking up with random guys, but never keeps them around long enough to see if there could possibly be something more.

That is…until Hunter Bryant enters the picture.

When the handsome pre-med student shows up in the right place at the right time, captivating her with his stormy gaze, she immediately pushes him away, thinking he’s no different than any other guy. The deeper Hunter delves into her life, trying to break through her iron-clad walls, the more she begins to question whether she is truly capable of opening her heart up to another man. 

Maddie soon finds herself forced to make a difficult decision, one that will forever change both of their lives. Will she shut Hunter out of her life for good or will she finally open up her heart and allow herself the life she never dreamed she deserved?

**Please note: Unforeseen Heartbeat can be read as a standalone, however it is highly recommended that you read book one in the series, Relinquishing Liberty.**

Bittersweet Catastrophe (Second Chances #2.5) by Maureen Mayer

- EXCERPT -

"My hands landed on the warm, soft skin at the swell of her hips where her shirt had ridden up. I didn’t know if I was afraid to move or if I just wasn’t ready to let her go, but we both remained frozen in place until she stumbled a bit, causing my hands to slide higher up along her ribs. When she finally caught her balance, my hands were just at the edge of her sports bra, and I could feel the weight of her breasts as they grazed against my thumbs. This was dangerous territory. I could feel myself quickly becoming aroused by the scorching heat of her delicate skin, and I knew Shayne Jr. was about to make an unwelcomed appearance. I had to think of something else and fast! Cold showers, kittens, little baby Jesus, grandma naked…yup that did it!"

Unforeseen Heartbeat

by Maureen Mayer

I yawned as I stretched my arms up over my head, and the blanket slipped away from my still naked body. My dress from the night before was lying scattered on the floor next to my bra and panties, and I smiled at the thought of how quickly Jeremy had peeled them off of me the moment we returned from the club. I grabbed a clean oversized SSU shirt from the laundry basket and slipped it on before heading to the kitchen to make some coffee.

Rubbing the sleep from my eyes as my feet slapped across the cold kitchen floor, I smacked right into the fridge door. Jesus, what the…

And that’s when I saw it. All six-foot-four of Robbie’s boyfriend, Lance, was standing there naked as a jaybird…and at full attention. It was one of those moments where I knew I should look away; divert my attention to anything but the rigid appendage pointing directly at me like an English Setter. He slowly brought the carton of orange juice up to his mouth, but not before I saw a smirk tug at the corner of his lips. And then I saw it move…

“Eww, eww, eww!” I squeezed my eyes shut and continued yelling until Robbie came running out his room. I opened my eyes just enough to see that he was rocking his birthday suit just as proudly as Lance. Oh, for Pete’s sake…

“Not you, too!” I turned around so I wasn’t tempted to look.

“What’s wrong, baby girl? What’s with all the shouting?” Robbie walked over to Lance, snaking the carton of juice out of his hands to take a swig for himself.

“Will y’all put some damn clothes on!? Since when do we walk around the apartment with everything hanging out and flapping in the breeze?”

Robbie chuckled, somehow managing not to sputter juice everywhere. “Hmm, I don’t remember reading anything about required attire in your little roommate agreement.”

I spun around and rolled my eyes at him before turning my attention back up to the ceiling. “Seriously? I didn’t think it was necessary to include that, since we’re civilized human beings and all. Or at least I thought we were.”

“Sorry about that, Maddie. I didn’t think you’d catch me out here. I’ll make sure to at least put boxers on next time.” Lance winked and pulled me into an awkward side hug that almost resulted in it touching my leg.

“Hey, you know this is my apartment, too. I should be able to walk around with my Johnson sprung free if I want to. You’re more than welcome to join me. It’s no secret that I’m not offended by the female anatomy.”

“That’s because you’re gay, dipshit! My lady bits don’t get you all hot and bothered. Me, on the other hand…it’s just…ughh! It’s just weird, okay!”

“Baby girl, are you trying to tell me that my sexy ass gives you lady boners?” I could hear Lance chuckling at Robbie’s comment, and I turned to glare at him. At least he had his boxers on now.

“Both of you, please, just keep some clothes on when you’re outside of the bedroom. Seriously, what if I had company over?” I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling extremely awkward the longer our conversation went on. It was becoming more difficult to keep eye contact with Robbie, considering the current state he was in.

“Is Jeremy still here?” Robbie wasn’t exactly his biggest fan, and I could hear it in his tone.

“No. He left hours ago. Don’t try to change the subject. Just promise me you’ll keep your…member…covered from now on. Okay?”

Robbie smiled and grabbed a dishtowel, covering himself as he crossed the kitchen in my direction. My body stiffened in response to his close proximity, but he leaned in just close enough to press a kiss against my forehead. “I promise, baby girl. It won’t happen again.”

He took off toward his bedroom with Lance in tow. They were sickeningly sweet together, but I really was happy that they had each other. When Robbie first moved in, I was a little apprehensive about living with a guy. Just one look at him and I knew it would be impossible to avoid falling into bed with him. He was six-foot-two-inches of delicious eye candy: jet black hair, ice-blue eyes and a killer smile. When he told me he was gay, I was both relieved and disappointed. Why was it the hot ones were always gay? I swore it was like the universe was plotting against me every time I came across a decent, good-looking guy.

Maureen Mayer was born, raised and currently resides in Buffalo, NY with her loving and supportive family and boyfriend of 9+ years. She’s always had a love for the outdoors, and when the city isn’t buried under snow, she can be found hiking, fishing, camping or lying on the beach. She’s a sucker for off-color humor, but holds a sweet spot for sick and twisted horror films. When she’s not writing, you can find her curled up in bed with her kindle, diving into a steamy romance novel and falling in love with the latest book boyfriend.

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