1--What is the title of your latest release?
LOVE IN THE TIME OF SERIAL KILLERS
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Phoebe Walsh is a PhD candidate studying true crime, which is why she can’t help but view the world through that lens. She can’t help but be suspicious of her nice, hot neighbor . . . but she soon realizes that the only thing in danger is her heart.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
The boring answer is that I just set it where I live, in Central Florida. But I think Florida works really well as a setting because of its reputation for being kind of weird, but how interesting and dynamic a setting it can be when you get past the touristy stuff. Its summers are also SO humid, which is an atmosphere that worked well in the book.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Absolutely! We could watch Forensic Files together.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Prickly, wry, vulnerable.
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
As weird as this may sound, I feel like I learned that I am actually NOT as closed-off as I sometimes worry I am. Compared to Phoebe, I’m an open book.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
Typically, I edit as I go. I love the idea of a true, messy fast draft, but the truth is that I find it hard to move forward to the next part if what came before is too messy, and I am cursed to be a linear writer.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Spaghetti! Any kind of pasta, really. I can and will eat plates of it.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
When I was drafting Love in the Time of Serial Killers, I mostly wrote slouched on the couch in my living room – not very glamorous! Now, I have a little desk set up in my bedroom, with my bookcase filled with romances I love behind me and facing the TV where I can have a baseball game on while I work.
10--Who is an author you admire?
I admire so many authors, but one that really comes to mind is Rachel Lynn Solomon, author of adult romcoms like The Ex Talk and Weather Girl and YA novels like Today Tonight Tomorrow and See You Yesterday. Her writing is beautiful and filled with so much heart, and she herself is so generous and open with the writing community in particular. She’s a New York Times bestselling author and has worked for years to build up a very loyal readership (of which I am proud to count myself in that number!). I just think she’s incredible.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
I will always call Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl my favorite book just because it means so much to me on a personal level. In addition to everything else Anne represents, she was such a beautiful writer. She was so curious, observant, and empathetic – and prolific! All those qualities really inspired me as a young writer.
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.
I remember I got a call from my agent on my cell phone while I was at work – I probably missed it and had to call back because I typically put my phone on Do Not Disturb. When my agent told me about an offer from Berkley in particular, I remember going back to my desk afterward and getting back to work, and it just so happened that one of the defendants in the complaint we were filing that day had Berkeley in the name – obviously spelled differently from the publisher, and not in any way related, but I took it as a kind of sign.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
Definitely romance!
14--What’s your favorite movie?
My go to answer is Juliet, Naked, but I also love Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael; My Cousin Vinny; Mallrats; Clueless; 10 Things I Hate About You; and about a billion others.
15--What is your favorite season?
I would say fall – I like the back-to-school feeling, post-season baseball, Halloween and Thanksgiving, all the ‘seasonal’ stuff starting to come out and putting me in a mood to celebrate.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Just hang out with my family, keep it low-key. Ideally, I wouldn’t be asked to do a single thing for anyone.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I’ve been listening to the podcast Tall, Dark & Fictional a lot – I even recorded an episode with them! It’s two romance writers talking about all things romance, writing, tropes, whatever. It’s like hanging out with two friends and a lot of fun to listen to.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Probably Italian, since then I get so many pasta options.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
I read a lot! I wish I could give a more “exciting” answer than that, but isn’t reading pretty exciting?
20--What can readers expect from you next?
I have another romance coming out August 2023 from Berkley Romance – it’s workplace rivals-to-lovers, dual POV, and I’m obsessed with it. I also have a newsletter that comes out every two weeks at aliciabooks.substack.com, where I share about a song I’m currently listening to on repeat and lots of stuff about my life, writing, media I’m consuming, etc.
PhD candidate Phoebe Walsh has always been obsessed with true crime. She's even analyzing the genre in her dissertation—if she can manage to finish writing it. It's hard to find the time while she spends the summer in Florida, cleaning out her childhood home, dealing with her obnoxiously good-natured younger brother, and grappling with the complicated feelings of mourning a father she hadn't had a relationship with for years.
It doesn't help that she's low-key convinced that her new neighbor, Sam Dennings, is a serial killer (he may dress business casual by day, but at night he's clearly up to something). But it's not long before Phoebe realizes that Sam might be something much scarier—a genuinely nice guy who can pierce her armor to reach her vulnerable heart.
Women's Fiction Contemporary | Romance Comedy [Berkley, On Sale: August 16, 2022, Trade Size, ISBN: 9780593438657 / ]
Alicia Thompson is the author of the young adult novel Psych Major Syndrome. She also co-wrote an updated version of The Secret Language of Birthdays for teens, and has contributed stories to Girls' Life. She lives with her husband and two children in Riverview, Florida.
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