June 2023
Let's hang IRL, an interview with Katie Garner, and a shameless plug for my talented writer friends
What’s new
Hey, Angelenos, save the date! I’ll be discussing The Hurricane Blonde in person at Book Soup on August 10. Would love to see you there! Come watch me read uncomfortable bits in front of my parents, so we can ALL feel awkward together!!
In all seriousness, when The Lady Upstairs came out during the pandemic, I was lucky enough to do several Zoom events—but it’ll be my first time doing real, live, in-person events for The Hurricane Blonde. Wish me luck!! (And feel free to request an in-person visit from your local library or favorite indie bookstore! I WILL GO ANYWHERE THAT WANTS ME.)
Paste Magazine listed The Hurricane Blonde as one of its must-read thrillers of summer 2023! Honored to be included in truly epic company.
Finally, Library Journal had a good review of The Hurricane Blonde!
“Filled with twists and turns to keep the pace moving, this noir’s themes (racism, misogyny, family dynamics) are made for group discussions. Perfect for book clubs and all public library shelves where thrillers are popular (and where aren’t they?).”
Request for your own local library shelves using these steps, or preorder here.
Interview with Katie Garner
Katie Garner was born in New York and grew up in New Jersey. She has a degree in Art History from Ramapo College and is certified to teach high school Art. She hoards paperbacks, coffee mugs, and dog toys and can be seen holding at least one of those things most of the time.
Katie lives in a New Jersey river town with her husband, baby boy, and shih-poo where she writes books about women and their dark, secret selves. The Night It Ended is her debut novel (and it just published TODAY!).
Editor’s note: I had the pleasure of reading THE NIGHT IT ENDED a few months ago and really enjoyed the twisty ride! If you’re looking for dark academia, a humdinger of a twist, and an icy, snowy relief from summer, check it out.
My official blurb: “Katie Garner's debut novel is a chilly, twisty ride—think dark academia meets Gillian Flynn. THE NIGHT IT ENDED is both a brooding Gothic mystery set at a boarding school for wayward girls and a jittery domestic thriller and just when you think you've got a handle on the story, Garner pulls the rug out from under you. I couldn't put it down.”
What tabs do you currently have open on your computer? Feel free to share as many or as few as you like.
Teva - Always on the hunt for comfortable shoes.
Starbucks - Their Summer game is going on now, and I’m a sucker for free bonus stars. Plus my husband has been having too much fun playing the mini game.
Audible - I always need a library full of audiobooks for when I’m driving or doing the laundry.
Understance - Not a plug, I just need a new bra. TMI! [Editor’s note: Okay, but this IS a plug from me: Understance has great deals on bras.]
Target - This tab is open 24/7 and serves as my list of things to buy for the house. It feels like I’ll be buying toilet paper, diapers, and dog food in perpetuity!
Tell me about the last internet rabbit hole you went down.
Sometimes nothing is more cathartic than getting lost down a rabbit hole. Years ago I learned about a site called tvtropes.org and became obsessed with it for a while. I’ve recently rekindled my love for it and am having a blast getting lost reading about all the different tropes in the world! Some can give a good laugh.
What have you learned about your process of book writing? How has it changed?
THE NIGHT IT ENDED is actually the 7th book I’ve written and I’ll never forget when I was writing Book #2, which was a straight-up adrenaline thriller, I was asked if I was a plotter or a pantster. I had no idea what they were talking about. I never went to school to be a writer and wrote for fun. I wrote what I wanted and that was it. But when I learned about ‘tent poles’ and Acts…I never went back to being a pantster. Before, I’d write a summary and maybe do a quick chapter by chapter outline. But I never stuck with it, and the stories always morphed. Now, they still morph, but I try to be very detailed with my plots now.
What factors have to come together for you to feel your most creative?
Silence. Hours of silence and solitude.
Just kidding!
Well, kind of. That’s what I used to need to feel creative. Now it’s no longer possible, so I had to change my methods of balancing life and still staying receptive to ideas when they form. To feel my most creative, all I really need is a rosebud of inspiration. For example, yesterday I thought of a couple of small plot twists I’d love to read (or write) in a book. I was listening to an audiobook and thought how cool it’d be if xyz happened instead of abc. I wrote the ideas down and if they fit organically into Book #3, awesome! If not, maybe #4—or never!
What do you think people would be most surprised to discover you're obsessed with?
I’m obsessed with coffee, thinking of ways I can fit a new bookshelf in my house, and kissing my baby’s chubby cheeks.
What are you craving to see (or see more of) in books, movies, tv, or other art?
Realistic endings. Not every story needs to (or should!) end with a happily ever after.
Which book would you like to live in for a day, and why?
Pride and Prejudice, so I can live with the Bennet’s for a day.
Also, any book with a pool! My bucket list includes swimming at night, so I need to make it happen somehow.
Grab a copy of Katie’s debut novel, The Night It Ended, today!
My open tabs
This month I am:
Not making reservations at a restaurant run by an alleged cat killer, that’s for sure.
Loving Jane Fonda sounding off on her life in Hollywood. Now there’s a woman who knows a thing or two about terrible directors!!
Making a lot of 😱😬😭 faces reading Charlotte Weber Fox’s account of her relationship with artist Peter Beard when she was a very (VERY) young woman in his life.
Wildly, unabashedly proud of my writer friends!
I got to read an early copy of Heather Levy’s HURT FOR ME, and her second novel is—somehow—even better than her first. If you’re looking for a sexy, twisty thriller that’s also about the value and power of chosen families, and a deep dive into kink subcultures, check it out.
Layne Fargo’s third book, THE FAVORITES, will live in the world in 2024/2025!! Here’s a thing about me: I will never, ever, ever wait in line for Taylor Swift tickets, but you know what I would wait in line for? THIS BOOK, which is a retelling of Wuthering Heights set in the world of professional ice dancing. THE FAVORITES > Taylor Swift. (Fight me, Megan Collins, I know you want to!)
Wendy Heard’s book YOU CAN TRUST ME is, as I suspected, one of the hit thrillers of the summer! Wendy has mastered the art of writing un-putdown-able books, and YOU CAN TRUST ME is perfect for a day at the beach (or a pool or an airplane or really, anywhere you can sink into a great story well told for a few hours). Told in alternating POVs from con artist best friends, it’s the eat-the-rich White Lotus-esque thriller you want to read this summer.