About the book:
1. How did you come up with the story of I Killed Zoe Spanos?
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? The idea for the novel came from a marriage between two obsessions of mine: Rebecca and true crime podcasts. Then I landed on the Hamptons setting—the American equivalent of the tony English seaside town where Maxim resides in his Manderley estate—and I Killed Zoe Spanos evolved from there.
2. Who is the main character(s) in I Killed Zoe Spanos?
There are two! Anna Cicconi comes to Herron Mills Village for a summer nanny job, and by the end of the summer, she’s become more and more certain that she had something to do with the death of local teen Zoe Spanos—to the point where she confesses to manslaughter and concealing Zoe’s body.
Martina Green is the best friend of Zoe’s little sister Aster and the host of the Missing Zoe podcast, which she began when the police investigation into Zoe’s disappearance wound down and Zoe still hadn’t been found. Anna’s confession doesn’t sit right with Martina, and through her podcast, she sets out to uncover the truth about what really happened to Zoe.
3. Which of the characters from I Killed Zoe Spanos are you the most similar to?
There are small pieces of me in all of the characters, but not one character in this book is a clear reflection of my teen self. That being said, I probably have the most in common with Zoe: high-achieving student, mostly a good girl, and there’s one piece of her story that’s very much a reflection of a high school experience I had—but I can’t say what because spoilers!
4. What was the hardest part to write in I Killed Zoe Spanos?
The ending! 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. I Killed Zoe Spanos was no exception.
5. Where can readers purchase I Killed Zoe Spanos?
I Killed Zoe Spanos is available from many US retailers, Chapters Indigo in Canada, and Book Depository is great for orders outside of the US and Canada. You can find lots of buy links on my website. If all goes to plan, there will be signed copies available at many of the Barnes & Noble branch locations in the greater Pittsburgh area and definitely at my local indie Riverstone Bookstore. Call Riverstone at (412) 366-1001 to order a signed copy; they ship!
Thindbooks Blog: There is also a book box that is curating this book which you can check out under my book box guesses tab!
6. Are you writing any other books that you can tell us about?
I’m working on a new YA thriller for Simon & Schuster … but that’s all I can say for now! I hope to be able to spill some details soon.
About You:
1. If you won a prize for something, what would it be and why?
Worrying. If they gave out awards for overthinking everything, I’d be raking in the prizes. Hahahasob.
2. If a director wanted to make I Killed Zoe Spanos into a movie and wanted you to act in it, who would you be and why?
If I could go back in time (like to when I was seventeen) I would love to play Anna! (But realistically this theoretical director should cast someone much more age-appropriate lol.)
3. What is your favorite food to cook/bake?
I looooove to cook. I’m Italian on my dad’s side, and some of my favorite recipes are Italian. I just made a big batch of sauce and meatballs, which is my mom’s recipe, via my aunt on the Italian side of the family, via her mom, my grandma. (My grandma didn’t write anything down when she cooked, but fortunately we have some recipes passed down through my aunts and uncles.) It’s one of those half-day-to-make endeavors, so I usually make a big batch once a year. My mom used to send me home with containers of sauce and meatballs, and now I deliver them to my mom and dad!
4. What do you like to do in your free time?
I love to wind down at the end of the day by cooking and listening to a podcast. My husband and I love to play board games (a few favorites are Dominion, Seven Wonders, Alhambra, and Ticket to Ride) or chill out with The Great British Baking Show or a true crime docuseries on Netflix.
5. What is your Hogwarts House? Does that house match you well?
I hate that J. K. Rowling has forever ruined this formerly fun question for me with her transphobic and trans exclusionary nonsense. So instead I’ll say I’m a Virgo, and yes, I’d describe myself with all the classic Virgo traits, good and bad: reliable, practical, intelligent, highly self-critical, and a real perfectionist!
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