1--What is the title of your latest release?
SUMMER RENTAL
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Mean Girls meets Scream in this heart-pounding, suspenseful psychological thriller about a group of friends stranded on an island with a serial killer on the loose.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I have in mind four planned books in this thriller series – while they are all standalones, they occur in the same metaverse. The first book, Ski Weekend, took place in the mountains in winter on the west coast. I knew I wanted the follow-up thriller, Summer Rental, to have a completely different feel setting/atmosphere-wise so I set it in the summer on an island on the other side of the United States. I also grew up in Florida, so there’s that!
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Maybe not in the beginning of the book but definitely by the end!
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Smart. Quiet. Surprising.
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
That some houses in Florida really do have basements. I grew up in South Florida and always thought no houses in Florida had basements because I never saw one but apparently there are some in certain parts of the state.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
Both depending on the stage of writing I’m in.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Dark chocolate!
9--Describe your writing space/office!
Either in bad (if I’m feeling lazy) or in my office library. I took over my stepson’s bedroom when he graduated from college and got his own apartment. I redecorated it to make it into a perfect book nook and office. He’s not super happy about it, but I love it!
10--Who is an author you admire?
Christopher Pike is probably my favorite author as far as writing style for thrillers and horror. He’s such a talent! Regarding career path and business acumen, I love what indie/or hybrid authors like Colleen Hoover, Lucy Score, and Frieda McFadden have been able to do in getting their books out there. They are brilliant businesswomen, and it’s so great and encouraging to see what they have accomplished. Of course, I also love Stephen King and James Patterson and what they’ve built with their literary empires, reaching into all aspects of entertainment like movies and tv.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
For fiction, Remember Me by Christopher Pike is one of the first books I remember that made me fall in love with reading and writing. For nonfiction, The Four Agreements is a book on a personal level that has changed the way I think about people and life.
- Where is your favorite place to read?
Probably in bed. I don’t know if it’s my favorite, but its where I usually wind up doing all my reading late at night under the covers after everyone else has gone to bed.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
Of course, I love thriller and horror. I also love romance and fantasy with romance. I’ll give anything a shot and do read broadly, but those are the genres I read most often. I also read a lot of nonfiction, too.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
If it’s horror, Scream! I also love, love, love teen high school romances, so I’d say Clueless is a close tie.
15--What is your favorite season?
Fall of course! Halloween!
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I don’t really do a lot usually. Something with family, friends, and my dogs is ideal.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I love everything Mindy Kaling puts out. I’ve recently binge-watched the most recent seasons of Never Have I Ever and The Secret Lives of College Girls. I’m also a huge fan of Jenny Han and Shonda Rhimes, and all their shows are just fantastic. Whatever they touch is gold! Also, very excited for the next Saw movie to come out. I love the franchise and the producers are also producing the adaptation of my debut thriller, Ski Weekend. And anything Jason Blum does is always brilliant. I loved Megan!!!
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Sushi!
19--What do you do when you have free time?
It feels like never. I’m always doing book-related things.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
We are working on the film adaptation of my debut thriller Ski Weekend right now and I’m attached as an Executive Producer and screenwriter, so that’s a lot of fun! I can’t wait for things to pick up there. Summer Rental just came out so excited to see where that one goes (and also working on film/tv options on that end). The third thriller is in draft format. I don’t want to give away too much but, yes, it’s a season and another region in the U.S., lol!
Mean Girls meets Scream in this heart-pounding psychological thriller about a group of friends stranded on an island with a serial killer on the loose.
Riley March and her friends are headed to ritzy, remote Palm Key Island for one last blow-out party weekend before college. It's the vacation of a lifetime: beautiful beaches, epic nightlife, and hot guys like Riley's crush-superstar soccer player Sebastian Ramos. There's just one catch. Everyone on this trip is hiding something. Riley is hiding her past in order to fit in. Sebastian is hiding his feelings for Riley. And someone is hiding what really happened to Jordyn Chang, a classmate that mysteriously died last summer.
Things take a dark turn after one of their friends goes missing, and a hurricane cuts the group off from civilization. Trapped inside their rental house, a killer stalks them one by one. No one is safe. Everyone's a suspect. As the body count rises, Riley and her friends will have to confront the secrets they've been keeping if they want to stay alive...
Coming of Age | Young Adult | Thriller [Ic13 Books, On Sale: June 13, 2023, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780988256828 / ]
Murder, Revenge, and Horror Await the Guests at 21 Seashell Lane
Rektok Ross is the pen name of Liani Kotcher, a trial attorney turned young adult author and book blogger. An avid reader since childhood, Liani writes exactly the kind of books she loves to escape into herself: exciting thrillers with strong female leads, swoonworthy love interests, and life-changing moments. She graduated from the University of Florida School of Journalism and obtained her juris doctorate at the University of Miami School of Law. Originally from South Florida, she currently splits her time between San Francisco and Los Angeles with her husband, stepkids, and her dogs.
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