Hi everyone,
Today it’s my turn on the blog tour for Koethi Zan’s The Follower and I have a great Q&A for you all further down. First though, here is all the bookish info you need!
About the book:
SHE’D DO ANYTHING FOR HER HUSBAND.
Julie has the perfect life
A kind boyfriend, loving parents and good grades. She has everything ahead of her.
Cora’s life is a nightmare
A psychopath for a husband, a violent father and a terrible secret. There’s no way out.
But one night, their worlds collide
Locked in an isolated house together, they must work out what has happened – and who they can trust to set them free.
The Follower is out tomorrow, and you can pre-order your copy by clicking HERE!
Q&A with Koethi Zan
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I grew up in rural Alabama, went to law school, and then practiced entertainment law in New York City for sixteen years before writing my first book. I spent the final eight years of my legal career at MTV, where I worked on reality and scripted television shows, dealing with all manner of crazy situations. When I started writing full-time, I moved to upstate New York where I live with my husband and two daughters. In addition to writing, I’ve gotten very involved in local politics and activism, which would be a perfect setting for a crime novel. I’m taking notes.
How did you get into writing? Is it something you’ve always wanted to do?
Writing fiction was a childhood dream of mine that got more or less swallowed up by my legal career. But I’ve always been a serious reader and, over the years, I became interested in crime fiction and true crime. A few years ago, I had the idea for my first book and decided to give it a try, so I got up at five in the morning before the kids were awake and wrote an hour each day until I finished my first novel.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
I’m inspired by the psychological dimensions of true crime stories, as well as by writers I love. I tend to do a great deal of research into the psychological literature of my topic, in search of the questions raised for me by true events that I can’t understand. I love the challenge of taking a psychological question and spinning it into a narrative.
How would you describe your writing to anyone who hasn’t read your books?
My books are psychological crime thrillers with a feminist perspective. My intention is to write page-turners with gripping stories that also dig deep into the psyche of women going through difficult experiences and offer some kind of meaning, explanation, or connection.
Do you think social media helps in regard to promotion and drumming up publicity for a new book?
Yes, social media is the way we all communicate with one another now, and it’s so wonderful to be able to engage with readers in a different dimension.
What’s your most favourite thing about being an author?
The actual act of writing. It’s exhilarating and intellectually challenging to try to find the words to express your feelings and ideas. When a phrase lands just right, it’s the most incredible satisfaction. There’s nothing in the world like the feeling when your characters take on a life of their own and you feel that you’re just along for the ride.
What’s your least favourite thing about being an author?
At times it is a bit socially isolating not having an office job to go to every day. I miss my friends from work, and that feeling of camaraderie. Writing is definitely a lonely business.
Where do you see your writing career 5 years from now?
I’ll always write crime fiction, but I would like to branch out into historical novels as well. Hopefully I’ll have two or three more books out there in the world in five years.
What’s next for you?
I’m researching the next book now. It will be a crime novel but very, very different from my other books. Stay tuned!
I often wonder are authors voracious readers. Do you read much, and if so, what kind of books do you enjoy?
I read non-stop. It’s one of my greatest pleasures in life. I read literature, non-fiction, genre fiction, memoirs—you name it. I’ve been reading quite a bit of non-fiction lately. I recently finished STRANGERS IN THEIR OWN LAND by Arlie Hochschild and am reading Timothy Snyder’s BLOODLANDS right now. Sometimes truth is stranger (and more devastating) than fiction.
Can you tell me your all time favourite book, or if you have to, your top 5?
My all time favorite book is PALE FIRE, by Vladimir Nabokov. It’s obviously a literary masterpiece, but it’s also a cleverly crafted mystery with an unreliable narrator. I re-read it every couple of years and always discover something new.
Has there been any books you’ve read that you wish you had written?
So many. I’d say the one I most wish I’d written would be WE’VE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE by Shirley Jackson. Simply a perfect book. Creepy, evocative, and seamless.
When you’re not writing, how do you spend your time?
I am very involved in local politics as I mentioned earlier, but I also spend a lot of time in my car, unfortunately. That’s the downside of living in the country with kids. Theater rehearsals and ballet classes always seem to be thirty minutes away in different directions.
Have you any hobbies that aren’t book-related?
Kind of boring, obvious ones: cooking, hiking, and watching movies and good tv. My books are more exciting than my life, that’s for sure!
What’s your favourite holiday destination?
We spend a week on an island off the coast of Maine every summer. I do absolutely nothing except read in a hammock next to the sea. It’s heaven.
Favourite food?
Anything with habanero sauce.
Favourite drink?
It’s a tie: red wine and strong coffee.
My thanks to Koethi Zan for taking the time to answer my questions and to Anna at Vintage for having me on the blog tour!
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