1--What is the title of your latest release?
THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
When Paris Peralta wakes up to discover her much-older celebrity husband dead in the bathtub – with the straight razor that killed him in her hand – it’s not the murder charge that worries her the most. Paris has worked hard to hide her past, and with the media frenzy now surrounding her, she’s terrified that someone from her old life will reveal who she used to be… and expose all the things she did in the dark.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
All my books are set in Seattle, which is where I lived for about eight years. This being my seventh novel, I thought it was finally time to set a book in Canada. Since the story has dual timelines, the present-day storyline is set in Seattle, and the past storyline is set in Toronto, which is my hometown (and where I live now).
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Honestly, I’m not sure. Paris is very guarded and secretive, and I think I might find it frustrating to be friends with someone who hides things from me (and everyone else, for that matter). I do think she’s a nice person, though, and I would totally take her yoga classes.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Independent, traumatized, strong.
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned how fast a chimney fire can start. It’s scary stuff. I used to dream of having a house with a wood-burning fireplace, but not anymore.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
Editing happens naturally for me during each stage of the writing process. During a first draft, I’ll reread everything I wrote the day before, and smooth, expand, or tighten as necessary, before I start writing new words.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Chocolate.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
It’s on the second floor, in a room that’s too small to be a bedroom but big enough to have a good closet. I have three windows and a beautiful view of the huge maple tree in our front yard that turns a vibrant red every fall.
10--Who is an author you admire?
Riley Sager. We’ve been friends a long time, and he just keeps getting better with every book.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
Heartsick by Chelsea Cain. It inspired to me to write thrillers. Until I read Chelsea’s work, I never realized that women could write such dark, violent stories. It showed me that there were no limits to what I could write about.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
It was June 30, 2010 when my phone – the landline – rang at 7 a.m. I was in Seattle then, and the display showed it was my agent in New York calling. I answered, trying very hard not to sound like I had just woken up. She told me we got an offer for Creep. We’d been on submission for two months, and after several rejections, I was starting to lose hope. So I was stunned by the news, but still half-awake, and the words wouldn’t come. After a couple of seconds, she said, “What’s going on? You’re not saying anything.” Even then, I still couldn’t bring myself to admit that as joyful as I felt about the book deal, I was still really sleepy.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
Thrillers. They’re my happy place, as weird as that sounds.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
It’s a tie between the Shawshank Redemption and Se7en.
15--What is your favorite season?
Fall. I love when the trees change colors, and the air smells like leaves, and the weather is crisp, but not cold.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I’m very low-key. Dinner somewhere nice with my husband and son, and then home to relax (and a birthday cake).
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
Top Boy. There are two seasons on Netflix (plus two seasons of Top Boy: Summerhouse, set ten years earlier), and it’s about drug dealers in London. The writing is excellent, the acting is stellar, and the story feels raw and gritty, but with heart. I’m surprised more people aren’t talking about it.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Filipino food.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
Sleep. (I now regret every nap I refused to take when I was a child).
20--What can readers expect from you next?
I’m working another psychological thriller, which I hope will be out in 2024.
A Novel
When Paris Peralta is arrested in her own bathroom—covered in blood, holding a straight razor, her celebrity husband dead in the bathtub behind her—she knows she'll be charged with murder. But as bad as this looks, it's not what worries her the most. With the unwanted media attention now surrounding her, it's only a matter of time before someone from her long-hidden past recognizes her and destroys the new life she's worked so hard to build, along with any chance of a future.
Twenty-five years earlier, Ruby Reyes, known as the Ice Queen, was convicted of a similar murder in a trial that riveted Canada in the early nineties. Reyes knows who Paris really is, and when she's unexpectedly released from prison, she threatens to expose all of Paris's secrets. Left with no other choice, Paris must finally confront the dark past she escaped, once and for all.
Because the only thing worse than a murder charge are two murder charges.
Thriller Psychological | Thriller Domestic [Minotaur Books, On Sale: July 19, 2022, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9781250763167 / eISBN: 9781250763174]
Jennifer Hillier is a Mystery/Thriller author that never disappoints!
Jennifer was born in Toronto, which is where she spent the first three decades of her life. When her husband was offered a transfer to Seattle, she didn't know which would be worse: leaving Canada or moving to the West coast. She spent her first few months on American soil bemoaning her existence and writing her first novel. Now nicely settled in the Pacific Northwest, the only thing she misses - other than family and friends - is snow. She's always been drawn to dark fiction, even though she sleeps with the lights on when her husband isn't home.
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