I am SO excited and honored to be sharing the cover reveal of Kristen Bird’s new book, I Love It When You Lie + a fun Q&A with the author herself!
Q&A WITH AUTHOR KRISTEN BIRD
◦ First and foremost, share a little about your new book.
When Tara, June, & Clementine Williams return to their grandmother’s cabin in the Appalachian woods on the eve of her funeral, each of them bring along a man causing problems in their lives. By the end of the weekend, the sisters decide that at least one of those men may belong in the grave with their beloved Gran.
◦ Which comes first for you – the plot or the characters?
The characters come first for me, though sometimes their dilemma will appear along with them. For example, in this book I knew immediately that the opening lines would describe three sisters standing around a grave, their arms entwined with one another.
◦ Who is your favorite character in this book and why?
My favorite voice in the novel is Stephanie, the sister-in-law of these three women. Even though she’s an outsider in many ways, she knows all the family dirt and must decide how much to reveal. I enjoyed her way of seeing the world as well as her sassy attitude. I felt the most compassion for June, the middle sister, because she’s been through infertility, and the grief she’s experienced over the past few years compounded with the loss of her grandmother is almost too much to bear. My husband and I struggled with infertility as well, so her sense of loss felt particularly close to home.
◦ What part of this book was the most fun to write?
The part of books that I find most fun to write are the little details that make a character feel real. Clementine’s desire to write erotica Jane Austen fan-fiction and Tara’s penchant for to-do lists and ridiculous self-help books made me laugh sometimes as I was writing.
◦ How does I Love It When You Lie compare to your first book, The Night She Went Missing?
I Love It When You Lie is more about the bond between sisters and the fierce nature of Southern women while The Night She Went Missing is about how far mothers will go to protect their children. I Love It When You Lie also deals with social issues, such as race and misogyny, which are two topics that I didn’t expect to tackle in this novel but became important as the plot unwound.
◦ If a film were made of I Love It When You Lie, who would you cast as the leading roles?
I’m working on drafting a fourth novel right now (the third is in the editing stages!), and I’ve noticed a mention of Julia Roberts in every single book I write. So, naturally, the amazing and red-headed Julia Roberts would need to be Tara. I’d love to see Dakota Johnson as June and Florence Pugh as Clementine. For Gran, I’d love to age up Margo Martindale.
◦ Where do you draw inspiration for your books?
I read feature-length news articles, which help me get ideas for plot, but my characters come mostly as compilations of people I know. It’s no coincidence that I have two younger sisters and a brother, much like the family dynamics in the novel. (But, I promise, none of us have ever buried a body together. Yet.)
◦ Last book you loved?
My favorite reads of the summer were Samantha Downing’s For Your Own Good and Bonnie Garmus’s Lessons in Chemistry. If you haven’t read them, drop everything and pick these up today!
◦ What are you currently reading?
I’m reading The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill and absolutely loving her unique structure. She ends each chapter with a letter from an aspiring writer/fan that comments on the previous chapter, and it adds such a unique layer to the already-intriguing mystery.
◦ Any other projects in the works?
I’ve in the editing stages of a third suspense novel, and I’m currently drafting a passion-project of mine that is top secret for now. More to come! 🙂
COVER REVEAL: I LOVE IT WHEN YOU LIE
Click here to pre-order I Love It When You Lie.
