1--What is the title of your latest release?
THE FAMILY INSIDE
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Struggling widow Iris is facing homelessness when she’s offered the chance to move with her rebellious daughter into her new partner’s family mansion—but is there a more sinister reason behind his offer?
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I’ve always loved upstate New York and surrounding areas. It’s so beautiful every season and there’s always a reason to visit. Also, I currently live near the Delaware river and there are a lot of old mansions nestled right on the cliff’s edge overlooking the river. I always thought it would be amazing to live in one of those homes. Until that day comes, I can write about it!
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Yes! I love Iris. She is kind and always tries her best. Iris would do anything for her daughter and the people she loves.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Kind, protective, thoughtful.
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
To try not to be too hard on myself. Like many, I suffer from imposter syndrome and second guess myself a lot. This time around, I trusted my characters to take me where they wanted their story to go.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
Before I start writing, I always read over the last chapter or two so I can pick up on where I left off with plot, characters, tone, and mood. It helps get me into the story and keep things a little more cohesive. While I’m reading, if I do see something I can change, I’ll change it, but I don’t deep dive into edits until I’m totally done.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I’m a huge fan of cheese—so mac and cheese, grilled cheese, cheesecake—yum!
9--Describe your writing space/office!
I write in our spare bedroom, which I use as a library/closet/office. I like to have as many plants and books around me as possible, yet I don’t really like too much clutter.
10--Who is an author you admire?
On a macro scale, I admire every author. It’s hard to put your art out there and I wish I could high five everyone. On a micro scale, I admire female authors juggling being moms while also holding down a full-time job. Writing really is a labor of love.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
I don’t think there was one specific book that changed my life, but rather a series of books that I read after college that pushed me back into reading. Some off the top of my head are: GONE GIRL, by Gillian Flynn, THE NIGHT CIRCUS, by Erin Morgenstern, and THE DIVINERS, by Libbra Bray.
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 was beyond excited! I had been writing and working toward publication for about a decade before I got the email. The great news was it was a two-book deal, first the THE NIGHT IT ENDED then THE FAMILY INSIDE.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
Thrillers! I love reading many genres, but I’ve always favored thrillers.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
It would have to be a tie between EVER AFTER and THE MUMMY.
15--What is your favorite season?
Autumn, but as I get older, I’m realizing how much I like spring.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
In a perfect world I’d be on a beach somewhere reading all day, but in reality, I normally celebrate with dinner and trying to have as much self-care time as I can.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
Some recent loves I highly recommend are MARE OF EASTTOWN and HOUSE OF THE DRAGON (both on HBO), and PROJECT HAIL MARY by Andy Weir.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Mexican. I can eat beans and rice every day.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
I try to spend my free time reading and writing. Sometimes, when I’m trying to fill up my well or brainstorm a new idea, I’ll binge watch something new or listen to an audiobook while shopping for diapers and toddler clothes.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
Fingers crossed it will be my third book, which I’m editing now. This one is both the hardest book I’ve ever written but also the one I’m having the most fun with.
A Novel
It takes a special family to turn a home into a nightmare.
Since her husband’s unsolved murder three years ago, Iris Blodgett’s life has unraveled. Awash in grief and buried in debt, she can’t pay her mortgage—and now that she’s lost her job, she has no idea how she’ll provide for her unruly teenage daughter, Ellory.
Facing eviction, Iris turns to her new beau, prominent architect Hugh Smoll, for a shoulder to cry on. But the seemingly perfect Hugh offers her something more: an invitation to move in to his mother’s centuries-old mansion while he renovates the property.
It seems like the perfect solution, but when Iris and Ellory arrive at Ravencliff, the family inside isn’t quite what they expected. Iris didn’t even know Hugh had siblings, much less that they’d all be living together.
With repairs underway, the house gives up its dark secrets one by one. Before long, Iris unearths a chilling family history—and the terrifying reason she and Ellory were invited in the first place…
Thriller Domestic [MIRA, On Sale: January 28, 2025, Trade Paperback / e-Book , ISBN: 9780778334460 / eISBN: 9780369736376]
Katie lives in a New Jersey river town with her husband, baby boy, and shih-poo where she writes books about women and their dark, secret selves. The Night It Ended is her debut novel.
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