Katherine Ewell’s KILLER debut


Today, Olivia is chatting with Katherine Ewell about her debut novel, DEAR KILLER!

Dear KillerRule One—Nothing is right, nothing is wrong.

Rule Two—Be careful.

Rule Three—Fight using your legs whenever possible, because they’re the strongest part of your body. Your arms are the weakest.

Rule Four—Hit to kill. The first blow should be the last, if at all possible.

Rule Five—The letters are the law. Kit takes her role as London’s notorious “Perfect Killer” seriously. The letters and cash that come to her via a secret mailbox are not a game; choosing who to kill is not an impulse decision. Every letter she receives begins with “Dear Killer,” and every time Kit murders, she leaves a letter with the dead body. Her moral nihilism and thus her murders are a way of life—the only way of life she has ever known.

But when a letter appears in the mailbox that will have the power to topple Kit’s convictions as perfectly as she commits her murders, she must make a decision: follow the only rules she has ever known, or challenge Rule One, and go from there.

Olivia with YA-Mag: Katherine, welcome to the Young Adult Magazine! I’m excited to have you here today discussing your debut novel, DEAR KILLER.

YA: First, I imagine everyone’s just obsessed with the fact that you were seventeen when you wrote this novel. 😀 How has that been for you? What are the ups and what are the downs of being a teen author?

Katherine EwellKatherine Ewell: It’s been really exciting to be such a young writer! It’s a strange experience, being thrown into the world of publishing before I’ve even left high school, but it’s an awesome one. It’s a dream come true, really. The fact that I’m a published author at my age is really satisfying because it’s something I’d always hoped that I could accomplish, ever since I started writing. Whatever else happens, I can always be proud of the fact that I’ve been published before the age of 20. Nearly everything is a positive—it does get hard to find time to pay attention to both school and writing sometimes, though!

YA: Have you ever reached out to or been inspired by other authors who published young, like Alexandra Adornetto (HALO) or Christopher Paolini (ERAGON)?

KE: I was always a massive fan of Christopher Paolini growing up, actually. Who doesn’t like dragons? In fact, it was really watching his success that made me believe that being published at a young age was an even remotely reasonable goal to strive for.

YA: So let’s talk about Kit Ward, who takes up her mother’s old nickname and profession as London’s Perfect Killer. How did you two meet?  What made Kit the perfect protagonist to tell this story?

KE: Kit and I met in the rain-drizzled alleyways of London, pausing beneath streetlamps in the middle of the night, nestled in a winter fog, soaked in the promise of murder… nah, but really, we met on the page. I’m not entirely sure when Kit came into full resolution, because I figured out a lot about her character as I went along. All I really know for sure is that no one else could have told this story. This is Kit’s story entirely, and no one could ever take her place. Her simultaneous fragility and brutality are what keep the story moving and keep things interesting.

Dear Killer quoteYA: What sets Kit’s story apart from other YA thrillers, like I HUNT KILLERS by Barry Lyga or I AM NOT A SERIAL KILLER by Dan Wells? What will readers find that isn’t anywhere else in YA books?

KE: Most straightforwardly, I suppose the main difference is the fact that the narrator/main character of Dear Killer isn’t trying to catch a serial killer—she is one! Kit is the protagonist of Dear Killer, but she’s also its villain. I think that duality is something special about Dear Killer that I haven’t really seen a lot elsewhere, and it’s also the reason I felt so compelled to write this story.

YA: What non-book influences helped spark Kit’s story? Any specific songs or shows?

KE: I LOVE Castle, the crime show. Though Dear Killer and Castle don’t have much in common other than the fact that they deal with murder, the fact that I was watching a lot of Castle before I started writing Dear Killer definitely helped me write my murder scenes.

YA: With a show like DEXTER, the victims are mostly criminals or amoral. With Kit, and her “evil side” Diana, there is no right and no wrong. How would Kit’s life be different if the situation was reversed? What was there in her moral nihilism that attracted you to that aspect of the story?

KE: If Kit were hunting criminals, the story would be entirely different, because it would mean she’d be working off of some moral code. A huge aspect of Kit’s personality, I think, is the fact that she tries very hard not to believe in any sort of morality. I was attracted to the moral nihilism part of the story because I’ve always loved stories where you’re not entirely sure who you’re supposed to be rooting for. We hear the story from Kit’s point of view, but at the same time, she keeps doing these awful, awful things. I wanted to write a story that makes the reader question their alliances—who’s the good guy? Who’s the bad guy? Is Kit’s moral nihilism reasonable at all, or has she got it all wrong? It was really fascinating to write.

YA:  What is the story behind the title DEAR KILLER?

KE: Dear Killer was actually called something completely different until after it was sold. My editor basically said “Great, we like your book, but the title doesn’t work. The letters are addressed “Dear Killer,” so why not go with that?” So we did. I love the title now—it was such a great suggestion.

YA: If you could cast the Dream Film of DEAR KILLER, who would be perfect for Kit, her mum, Alex, Michael, and Maggie?

KE: Oooh, fun question. Sophie Turner (from Game of Thrones) for Kit, Charlize Theron for her mum, Alex Pettyfer for Alex, Nicholas Hoult for Michael, and Emily Browning for Maggie.

YA: Who is your favorite fictional serial killer?

KE: Hannibal Lecter. So creepy.

YA: Do you have any pet projects you’re working on?  What can you tease our audience with about them?

KE: I generally try not to talk about what I’m writing… but I’m writing. I’ll give you that!

YA: Last one! If you could spend one day with Kit, what would you do together? What would you want to tell Kit about her past and her future while you visited?

KE: Eeeek! If I spent a day with Kit, I’d probably spend the entire day being terrified. I’d probably get her to show me around London, though—it seems like something she’d like to do. I’d like to tell her that her past isn’t normal or healthy, and her future is dangerous. Though she probably could have guessed that on her own.

YA: Thank you very much, Katherine! And once more from all of us at YA Mag, congratulations on your debut with DEAR KILLER! 

~*~

Readers, be sure to check out Katherine Ewell at her website www.KatherineEwell.blogspot.com. Or follow her on Twitter @KateEwell.

DEAR KILLER, published by Katherine Tegan Books, is available starting April 1st at your favorite retailers and local independent bookstores!


Olivia Hennis is a transplanted New England girl dropped by a tornado into the magical Land of Jersey.  For more info, follow her on Twitter.

 

 


 

 

dear-killer-book-katherine-ewell

Today, Olivia is chatting with Katherine Ewell about her debut novel, DEAR KILLER!

Dear KillerRule One—Nothing is right, nothing is wrong.

Rule Two—Be careful.

Rule Three—Fight using your legs whenever possible, because they’re the strongest part of your body. Your arms are the weakest.

Rule Four—Hit to kill. The first blow should be the last, if at all possible.

Rule Five—The letters are the law. Kit takes her role as London’s notorious “Perfect Killer” seriously. The letters and cash that come to her via a secret mailbox are not a game; choosing who to kill is not an impulse decision. Every letter she receives begins with “Dear Killer,” and every time Kit murders, she leaves a letter with the dead body. Her moral nihilism and thus her murders are a way of life—the only way of life she has ever known.

But when a letter appears in the mailbox that will have the power to topple Kit’s convictions as perfectly as she commits her murders, she must make a decision: follow the only rules she has ever known, or challenge Rule One, and go from there.

Olivia with YA-Mag: Katherine, welcome to the Young Adult Magazine! I’m excited to have you here today discussing your debut novel, DEAR KILLER.

YA: First, I imagine everyone’s just obsessed with the fact that you were seventeen when you wrote this novel. 😀 How has that been for you? What are the ups and what are the downs of being a teen author?

Katherine EwellKatherine Ewell: It’s been really exciting to be such a young writer! It’s a strange experience, being thrown into the world of publishing before I’ve even left high school, but it’s an awesome one. It’s a dream come true, really. The fact that I’m a published author at my age is really satisfying because it’s something I’d always hoped that I could accomplish, ever since I started writing. Whatever else happens, I can always be proud of the fact that I’ve been published before the age of 20. Nearly everything is a positive—it does get hard to find time to pay attention to both school and writing sometimes, though!

YA: Have you ever reached out to or been inspired by other authors who published young, like Alexandra Adornetto (HALO) or Christopher Paolini (ERAGON)?

KE: I was always a massive fan of Christopher Paolini growing up, actually. Who doesn’t like dragons? In fact, it was really watching his success that made me believe that being published at a young age was an even remotely reasonable goal to strive for.

YA: So let’s talk about Kit Ward, who takes up her mother’s old nickname and profession as London’s Perfect Killer. How did you two meet?  What made Kit the perfect protagonist to tell this story?

KE: Kit and I met in the rain-drizzled alleyways of London, pausing beneath streetlamps in the middle of the night, nestled in a winter fog, soaked in the promise of murder… nah, but really, we met on the page. I’m not entirely sure when Kit came into full resolution, because I figured out a lot about her character as I went along. All I really know for sure is that no one else could have told this story. This is Kit’s story entirely, and no one could ever take her place. Her simultaneous fragility and brutality are what keep the story moving and keep things interesting.

Dear Killer quoteYA: What sets Kit’s story apart from other YA thrillers, like I HUNT KILLERS by Barry Lyga or I AM NOT A SERIAL KILLER by Dan Wells? What will readers find that isn’t anywhere else in YA books?

KE: Most straightforwardly, I suppose the main difference is the fact that the narrator/main character of Dear Killer isn’t trying to catch a serial killer—she is one! Kit is the protagonist of Dear Killer, but she’s also its villain. I think that duality is something special about Dear Killer that I haven’t really seen a lot elsewhere, and it’s also the reason I felt so compelled to write this story.

YA: What non-book influences helped spark Kit’s story? Any specific songs or shows?

KE: I LOVE Castle, the crime show. Though Dear Killer and Castle don’t have much in common other than the fact that they deal with murder, the fact that I was watching a lot of Castle before I started writing Dear Killer definitely helped me write my murder scenes.

YA: With a show like DEXTER, the victims are mostly criminals or amoral. With Kit, and her “evil side” Diana, there is no right and no wrong. How would Kit’s life be different if the situation was reversed? What was there in her moral nihilism that attracted you to that aspect of the story?

KE: If Kit were hunting criminals, the story would be entirely different, because it would mean she’d be working off of some moral code. A huge aspect of Kit’s personality, I think, is the fact that she tries very hard not to believe in any sort of morality. I was attracted to the moral nihilism part of the story because I’ve always loved stories where you’re not entirely sure who you’re supposed to be rooting for. We hear the story from Kit’s point of view, but at the same time, she keeps doing these awful, awful things. I wanted to write a story that makes the reader question their alliances—who’s the good guy? Who’s the bad guy? Is Kit’s moral nihilism reasonable at all, or has she got it all wrong? It was really fascinating to write.

YA:  What is the story behind the title DEAR KILLER?

KE: Dear Killer was actually called something completely different until after it was sold. My editor basically said “Great, we like your book, but the title doesn’t work. The letters are addressed “Dear Killer,” so why not go with that?” So we did. I love the title now—it was such a great suggestion.

YA: If you could cast the Dream Film of DEAR KILLER, who would be perfect for Kit, her mum, Alex, Michael, and Maggie?

KE: Oooh, fun question. Sophie Turner (from Game of Thrones) for Kit, Charlize Theron for her mum, Alex Pettyfer for Alex, Nicholas Hoult for Michael, and Emily Browning for Maggie.

YA: Who is your favorite fictional serial killer?

KE: Hannibal Lecter. So creepy.

YA: Do you have any pet projects you’re working on?  What can you tease our audience with about them?

KE: I generally try not to talk about what I’m writing… but I’m writing. I’ll give you that!

YA: Last one! If you could spend one day with Kit, what would you do together? What would you want to tell Kit about her past and her future while you visited?

KE: Eeeek! If I spent a day with Kit, I’d probably spend the entire day being terrified. I’d probably get her to show me around London, though—it seems like something she’d like to do. I’d like to tell her that her past isn’t normal or healthy, and her future is dangerous. Though she probably could have guessed that on her own.

YA: Thank you very much, Katherine! And once more from all of us at YA Mag, congratulations on your debut with DEAR KILLER! 

~*~

Readers, be sure to check out Katherine Ewell at her website www.KatherineEwell.blogspot.com. Or follow her on Twitter @KateEwell.

DEAR KILLER, published by Katherine Tegan Books, is available starting April 1st at your favorite retailers and local independent bookstores!


Olivia Hennis is a transplanted New England girl dropped by a tornado into the magical Land of Jersey.  For more info, follow her on Twitter.