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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Blog Tour: His Witch To Keep (Keeper Of The Veil #2) by Zoe Forward

His Witch To Keep (Keeper Of The Veil #2)
by Zoe Forward
Publisher: Entangled: Covet
Release Date: November 9th 2015
Rate: 4,5 stars (Enjoyed it)

Synopsis:

A paranormal category romance from Entangled's Covet imprint...

Wanting her was one thing. Keeping her was another...

Serenity Danssaert was already in way over her head. Not even her MI6 training or her powers as one of the seven Pleiades witches is going to save her sister. Then Alexi Jovec shows up. A secret operative working for unknown forces, he's impossibly sexy and dangerous...and the guy who bailed on Serenity after a red-hot, racy night.

So bonding to him as her destined—the One—is so very wrong.

While Alexi’s need to own Serenity—body, soul, and beyond—is nearly unbearable, it's also forbidden. He's the last man who could ever be her destined. Besides, Hades's right-hand man cannot bond with a chosen Pleiades witch. He may be the one man who can protect her, but she can never be his to keep.

I was provided with a digital copy of His Witch To Keep and therefore I had to read all the books in the series, in order, to get the full bookish experience.

In my opinion, this second book in the Keeper of The Veil series is just as fascinating, romantic and fun as the first one. If you have read the first book before reading this one, you have met the main character before. She was presented as a badass girl and in this second book we get to meet her even more. I was glad to see that underneath that badass exterior she was a passionate, honest and loyal woman and that made me like her even more.

Moreover, we get to meet the mysterious Alexi, who has been protecting Serenity from the beginning. He's a death reaper and he's not allowed to have a family, but neither he or Serenity can't deny the chemistry and attraction between them. 

The plot was not repetitive nor boring and the story is well-written with developed characters and unique moments between them. I was glad to see that other characters were involved in the series and that it was not awkward or strange having them interact with the main characters. 

As a couple, I was just dying for these two to realize that they were meant for each other and when they did I just started fangirling a lot. That's one of the reasons I rated so high this book because it's not easy to make me fangirl over a couple.

Comparing the two books, I would say that the first book was more focused in explaining the world and interacting with the magic that the author wanted to have in this series. However, in this second book we barely see any magic. 

I received this copy in exchange of an honest review and I just can't wait to read more books in this series!

Zoe Forward is a hopeless romantic who can’t decide between paranormal and contemporary romance. So, she writes both. In addition to being a mom to one rambunctious kindergartener and wife to a conservation ecologist who plans to save all the big cats on the planet, she’s a small animal veterinarian caring for all the small furries, although there is the occasional hermit crab.

When she’s not typing at her laptop she’s tying on a karate belt for her son or cleaning up the newest pet mess from the menagerie that occupies her house. She’s madly in love with her globe trotting husband of ten years and happiest when he returns to their home base in North Carolina.

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Welcome to Wardham, The Wardham Series (Three book bundle) by Zoe York

The first three books in the Wardham Series by NYT and USA Today bestselling author Zoe York, have been put together into one delicious bundle!

Welcome to Wardham, The Wardham Series (Three book bundle)

by Zoe York

Publisher: ZoYo Press

Release Date: March 28th 2014

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

Welcome to Wardham, a sleepy village ready to explode with new-found passion. This bundle contains the first three titles in The Wardham Series by Zoe York.

Between Then and Now (novella #0.5) 

Their story didn’t start with a fairytale romance. Their marriage wasn’t chosen for love. But they still chose each other, time and again. 

Romance is the last thing on Ian's mind. He's juggling the family farm and a second job, his kids are a crazy handful and every time he gets close to his wife, Carrie, she snaps at him. Their relationship has always had a sizzling physical connection, and he needs to find a way to leverage that into reconnecting on a deeper level before it’s too late. 

What Once Was Perfect (Book #1) 

She shuttered her heart and walked away. Now he has a second chance to get it right. 

Kyle and Laney shared a perfect summer 12 years ago, and have never moved past their breakup. Now she’s back for the holidays and they have a chance to work out things out and move on with their lives. But moving on doesn’t make sense when you’ve finally reconnected with the only person you’ve ever truly loved. 

Where Their Hearts Collide (Book #2) 

The girl next door meets the cop of her dreams at exactly the wrong time. 

Karen’s finally decided what she wants to do when she grows up. Too bad it’ll mean leaving behind her new neighbour, who’s stirred up a different kind of grown up feelings. But when he rebuffs her attempt to have a fling before she leaves Wardham, Karen knows it’s for the best. A clean break, no messy emotional entanglements. Too bad Paul’s right next door, and everywhere she goes. And he makes a pretty convincing case for getting entangled. 

The Wardham Series continues: pick up When They Weren’t Looking (Book #3), available now, and look for Beyond Love and Hate, a Wardham novella coming in June 2014.

Between Then and Now

What Once Was Perfect 

Where Their Hearts Collide

Want to see what inspired the novels?

Pinterest Inspiration boards: 

Between Then and Now / What Once Was Perfect / Where Their Hearts Collide

Zoe York lives in London, Ontario with her young family. She has an English degree and works at a university, so it was probably a foregone conclusion that she'd write a romance novel one day. She's currently chugging Americanos, wiping sticky fingers, and plotting super-secret books about heroes in and out of uniform.

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