About the Book:
They say it was suicide, but Nicole knows damn well she didn’t kill herself and won’t take this lying down.
16-year-old Nicole, high school drama queen (onstage and off), dies and finds herself on Substation Fifteen, an afterlife campus for teenage suicides. She can’t, for the life of her, remember how she died, but she’s sure it wasn’t by her own hand. In thirty days Nicole faces the all-important Evaluation. If she can’t piece together the mystery of what actually killed her she won’t be moving on. Her only route to uncovering the truth is a fact-finding trip to Earth, beginning at her own funeral, where the facts she finds may be harder to piece together and accept than death itself.
Our journey unfolds simultaneously “up there” in Substation Fifteen and in Northern California, told by three, first-person teenage narrators: Nicole’s best friend, Isabel, a germaphobic young witch with undeniable gifts; Nicole’s romantic rival, Cassie, a tough girl hiding heartbreaking vulnerability; and Nicole “Dead Girl” herself, whose adoring single dad raised her on abundant love and one really big lie. This tale of hope and redemption will appeal to fans of afterlife storylines like13 Reasons Why, If He Had Been With Me, and The Lovely Bones.
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Author Interview:
1: Tell us a little about yourself and what got you in to writing?
I’m the youngest of three children and the only girl. I’ve always had an active imagination, and I have always loved stories. My mom taught me to read when I was three and I’ve been devouring books ever since. When I was nine my parents gave me a diary and I began writing. In addition to enjoying the process of putting my own words on paper, I discovered that I loved reading my words back to myself, pretending that someone else had written them. Maybe that’s a strange thing for a child to do, I don’t know, but for me, it helped me gain confidence in my ability as a story teller.
2: Do you have a favourite time and place where you write?
Mornings are usually best for me because I get up early and things are quiet then. But afternoons can work well too, after lunch. Evenings are not typically great writing times for me. I fade when the sun goes down!
As to “where” is my favorite place to write… anywhere that’s quiet. Cafes never work for me. Too noisy and I find myself getting drawn into the conversations around me. But on the hand I am never “quiet” when I’m writing. (I’m actually speaking these words right now!) Also, in order not to bother anyone else while I’m improvising aloud as I write and endlessly revise dialogue, I need to be alone, preferrable in an empty room with a closed door.
3: Where do your ideas come from?
Not totally sure. Sometimes, as with my current novel, The Little Things That Kill, the seed of the story came from a newspaper article. But other ideas, like how to solve a problem in a particular scene, may come from a song lyric I hear on the radio or a line from a podcast interview or a conversation with a stranger. I also try to be as open as possible to the Muses – that is, the goddesses from ancient Greek mythology who were thought inspire all literature, science and the arts. Sometimes, if I’m lucky, great ideas just “come” and for that I’m always grateful. But effort is also involved. There’s a writer saying that I totally agree with: “When the Muse comes calling, make sure she finds you working.” Which means… get yourself to the keyboard, keep showing up, and your characters will let you know how they want their story to be told.
4: Do you have a plan in your head of where the story is going before you start writing or do you let it carry you along as you go?
A little of each. I start with a kernel of an idea and a character and/or a set of characters. I usually know where I want the story to end up. But the coolest part of writing, for me, is not knowing every twist and turn. So, in a way, I’m discovering the story along with my characters and my readers! To do that, I need to know my characters really well and trust them to lead me. Sometimes it feels like I’m just taking dictation! 😉
5: What genre are your books and what drew you to that genre?
I love kids. I have degrees in human development and education. I’ve always written for young readers, starting out as a picture book writer/illustrator with my first published book People Are Like Lollipops. That book was so much fun to write and illustrate and I sold to a publisher so quickly (also fun) that I thought, “Ok, I can do this forever!” But I was drawn to writing deeper stories for older children and those stories weren’t snatched up by publishers. I kept writing though. I found a publisher for my kids’ and teens’ non-fiction books. I wrote and designed computer games for kids the likes of Microsoft, Disney, etc. I never stopped writing (even during the 7 years I wrote screenplays and no one in Hollywood wanted them). I’m a writer. That’s a huge part of who I am and I never let anyone convince me otherwise. That’s made all the difference in my career. If you’re a writer… keep writing.
6: What dream cast would you like to see playing the characters in your latest book?
Ooh. Great question! Because the three main characters in my latest book are sixteen-year-old girls, I would cast unknown actors in the film version.
7: Do you read much and if so who are your favourite authors?
I do read a lot, in a wide variety of genres. I read biography (for example, My Life in France by Julia Child). I’m also a fan of American history. Doris Kearnes Goodwin is a writer I always learn from. I also enjoy much lighter stuff… like caper fiction by Carl Hiassen or Dave Barry. Two novels I recently read and enjoyed immensely (for different reasons) were: The Art of Racing in The Rain by Garth Stein and The 100-Year-Old Man who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson
8: What book/s are you reading at present?
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby and Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult.
9: What is your favourite book and why?
If I had to choose just one, (with the caveat that my response could easily change depending on when I answer the question) I’d say Wicked by Gregory McGuire because it was inspired by The Wizard of Oz (one of my all-time favorite films from childhood that still resonates with me) and because Wicked is such a uniquely imaginative story with some absolutely brilliant character development and so many layers of moral and political themes going on.
10: What advice would you give for someone thinking about becoming a writer?
Stop thinking and start writing! Sorry, that slipped out and I don’t mean to be glib, but if you’re “thinking about becoming a writer” what’s holding you back? Writing is probably one of the most personal ways of expressing oneself… digging deep into memory and stretching one’s understanding of self and others. Writing can take all kinds of forms… the private stuff in one’s journal that is never intended to see the light of day, to memoir and fiction that is written FOR an audience. Bottom line, to be a “writer” all you need to do is write. And to dothat all you need is a paper and penor some kinda techie device. For someone “thinking about becoming a writer” I’ve got a question for you: “What is it about the thought of being a writer that appeals to you?”
11: What are the best Social Media Sites for people to find out about you and your work?
AnnieFox.com and Tiktok.com/@anniefoxauthor
About the Author:
Sometimes she writes for little kids (PEOPLE ARE LIKE LOLLIPOPS, ARE YOU MY FRIEND? ARE WE LOST?). Sometimes she writes for adults (TEACHING KIDS TO BE GOOD PEOPLE). More and more these days, she writes for teens (THE GIRLS Q&A BOOK ON FRIENDSHIP, THE MIDDLE SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL SERIES). Her debut YA novel THE LITTLE THINGS THAT KILL, is coming on February 13, 2024
Annie lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, David, and Gracie the Dog.
Reading Nook 