Kellye Garrett on writing Like A Sister

 

FORMER REALITY STAR DESIREE PIERCE FOUND DEAD IN LINGERIE IN BRONX WITH COCAINE AND NO SHOES.

Like A Sister started with a headline. Similar to the one above which is how my main character Lena finds out her estranged sister has passed. The actual one was about a former reality star found dead in the Bronx in New York City with ‘no pants and cocaine.’

It was from the New York Daily News, a newspaper over here known for writing click bait headlines long before click bait was even a thing. It struck me when I first saw it. Not just because yet another amazing Black woman’s life had been cut short. It also struck me how disrespectfully the headline was worded.

I had the same thought as Lena. That the paper wouldn’t have gone the “bit much” route if this young woman had been white.

Differences like this are something I notice a lot as a writer, former journalist, and lover of all things pop culture. Even before I had the idea for Like A Sister, I knew that I wanted to see someone like myself in whatever I wrote next. A single black woman who lives in a metropolitan area and often is overwhelmed by the Strong Black Woman cape meant to protect her – that same cape that often makes her want to crumble under its weight.

This is something I personally deal with a lot – especially over the past two years as I dealt with both the world crumbling due to COVID-19 and my own world crumbling due to the death of my grandfather. Although the circumstances were different – my grandfather died of natural causes at 92 after living a life filled with love and loved ones – I felt bad when I felt bad. I didn’t allow myself to mourn because there was so much to do. Wrapping up a life, especially one as long and beautiful as my grandfather’s, is not an easy thing. And the Strong Black Woman in me didn’t ask for help. I just did it myself.

And that wasn’t the only thing I wanted to see more of in the books on my shelves. I also yearned for more stories of single women living in urban areas. Don’t get me wrong, I love an unreliable married mom living on a suburban cul de sac chock full of secrets. It’s just not my reality.

So like many writers, I wrote a story I wanted to read. Needed to read.

I’ve been a crime fiction lover since I picked up my first Joan Hess cozy as a preteen. Back then, I’d wander the shelves of my local bookstore and camp out in the mystery section like it was a national park. I’d been so excited to see so much crime fiction being written and published by black authors. Only to be so disappointed over the years as more and more of those stories disappeared. It wasn’t much better for books by other crime writers of color.

It’s one of the reasons that Walter Mosley, Gigi Pandian, and I created Crime Writers of Color in 2018. We wanted a safe place to network and share opportunities. To cheer each other on and cheer each other up. To discuss the unique challenges of being a person of color in publishing.

Today we have over 350 members – and counting. And there’s been a resurgence of crime fiction written by and about people of color.

But even today, a lot of our stories are focused on racism – a subject that’s still extremely prevalent in the States. And again don’t get me wrong. We definitely need those stories, but it’s not our only story. We should have all types of books, just like our white counterparts.

That’s why Like A Sister isn’t a story about racism. A story that isn’t focused on dealing with racism but more on the things we all can relate to – just from a decidedly Black perspective. Anyone with a sibling can understand the tricky politics that go into the relationships. As I say in my dedication, I love my sisters even when I hate them – and I know the feeling’s mutual. Lena having to navigate strained familial relationships including the guilt of being estranged from her sister and the anger at her absentee dad are just as important part of the book as the twists. 

Honestly, I still can’t believe this book will be on shelves for everyone to read – especially other black girls and women who are as obsessed with crime fiction as I was and still am. I hope everyone who decides to pick it up understands – and enjoys – what I was trying to do. It wasn’t to try to break down any barriers. It wasn’t to make any statements. It wasn’t to focus on our trauma.

I simply dreamed of writing a fun, twisty beach read. And I hope I succeeded.

Like a Sister by Kellye Garrett (Simon and Schuster) Out Now

She found out her sister was back in New York from Instagram. She found out about her death from the New York Daily News. But she's the only one convinced it wasn't an accident . . . Desiree Pierce, a Black reality TV star, is found dead on a playground in the Bronx. Her death is quickly declared an overdose by the police and the media - tragic, but not a crime. Lena Scott, Desiree's sister, knows that can't be true. Torn apart by Desiree's partying and by their father, a wealthy and influential hip-hop mogul, the sisters haven't spoken in years. But some things about Desiree couldn't have changed, even with time. Nobody is listening to her, but Lena is determined not to let anyone brush off her sister's death. She will find justice, even if it means uncovering the family's darkest secrets - or putting her own life at risk. Because there are two sides to every story - the one being told, and the one nobody wants you to know . . .

More information about Kellye Garrett can be found on her website.

You can also find her on FaceBook, follow her on Twitter and Instagram @kellyekell. She is also the co-founder of Writers of Color. Writers of Color can be found on Twitter @CrimeWoC, On Instagram @crimewoc and on FaceBook.

Dana Perry on Writing The "Ripped from the Headlines" Thriller.

 

Many mystery/thriller authors like to talk about how their books are “ripped from the headlines” - inspired by real life news events in the media.

Well, I’m one of those authors.

I think I’m pretty well-suited to do this “ripped from the headlines” thing too because I’ve had two careers.

For a long time, I was a journalist - working as an editor at the New York Post, New York Daily News, Star magazine and NBC News. I covered a lot of big crime stories over the years. Son of Sam. O.J. Jon Benet Ramsey. Casey Anthony. Jodi Arias. And even the murder of John Lennon.

So when it comes time to write a fictional story for my career now – which is writing thrillers - I have a wealth of real-life material to draw on for inspiration. 

My new book Her Ocean Grave for instance, is about a missing teenaged girl on the resort island of Martha’s Vineyard - and a woman detective who becomes convinced the girl’s disappearance is part of a larger conspiracy of teenaged sex scandals and murder by wealthy and powerful men on the island. The headline this was “ripped from” was the sensational Jeffrey Epstein case when he lured hundreds of teenaged girls to his homes - in New York City, Florida and the Caribbean - for sex. I decided to write a story about something like that happening in a quiet, peaceful place like Martha’s Vineyard.

My first Dana Perry novel, The Silent Victim, came from covering a lot of high-profile New York City violent crime cases against women - and writing a fictional story from the perspective of a victim who goes on to fight crime herself. The second Dana Perry book, The Golden Girl, about the shooting death of a woman police officer, was inspired by stories I covered over the years of real women on the NYPD police force.

Now I’m obviously not the first - or the only - writer to utilize this “ripped from the headlines” concept in their novels. The term “ripped from the headlines” first became popular with the original Law & Order series which regularly fictionalised crime stories featured in the New York City tabloids. 

Many other authors do it too. 

One of the most famous was Joyce Maynard’s To Die For, inspired by the real-life Pamela Smart murder case in New Hampshire where a woman was convicted for hiring young boys to kill her husband. That went on to be a best-selling book - as well as a hit movie with Nicole Kidman.

Of course, you can’t just take a real crime story and switch a few facts around. The true story is only the inspiration for the one you tell in your thriller. 

Basically, I like to call it the “what if?” approach. 

What if the story didn’t really happen the way it did in real-life news?

I did that with a celebrity shooting on the streets of New York in a novel called Shooting For The Stars a few years back. The idea was what if a celebrity was gunned down by a fanatic fan the same way John Lennon was in 1980? Except in my book, the fanatic fan didn’t do it. What if Mark David Chapman wasn’t the one who pulled the trigger? What if Lennon was killed by someone else for some other reason? Then I was off and running with my novel...

Of course, the idea for the crime is just the beginning.

You still have to write the book.

But I do think using real-life crimes as inspiration helps make a fictional work more believable and realistic than something made up out of thin air.

Of course, it’s been easier for me to find those great story ideas than most thriller authors because of my years as a working journalist.

And so when people ask me the question all authors are asked: “Where do you get your ideas from?” - well, I have the perfect answer for them.

“Hey, no problem at all,” I say. “I just go to work in the newsroom every day.”

The Ocean Grave by Dana Perry (Published by Bookoutre June 2, 2021)

Over the cliff edge, she sees a broken body on the jutting rocks below, the waves crashing all around. She can’t see the girl’s face, which is covered by her long, brown hair. But she knows her. She met her just yesterday… When Samantha Claymore doesn’t return home after an afternoon bicycle ride on Martha’s Vineyard, Detective Abby Pearce acts immediately. She knows from experience how quickly a lost girl can become a tragedy. Back on the island for the first time since she ran away as a teenager, Abby hopes solving Samantha’s case will make up for her past mistakes… But, as the media swarm and Samantha’s grieving mother joins the search, the police find no trace of the beloved sixteen-year-old—even when a reward is offered for her return. Trawling through old case files, Abby discovers that Samantha is not the only girl to have gone missing in the small community of Martha’s Vineyard. She’s convinced more could follow, but her team insists there’s no link to be found. Until Samantha’s best friend is found dead at the bottom of a cliff the next day… After searching Samantha’s bedroom and trawling through the files on her computer, Abby digs into the death of Samantha’s father five years ago at sea, following the trail to one of the island’s most powerful families. The same people who failed to protect Abby the night she was forced to leave as a young girl. Is there anyone left on this quiet island who Abby can trust? Can she find Samantha before more innocent lives are taken?

Dana Perry is the pen name for thriller author R.G. Belsky. Belsky has also written 14 novels under his own name, including the ongoing Clare Carlson series. He is a longtime New York City journalist who worked as a top editor at the New York Post, the Daily News, Star magazine and NBC News. 

You can follow him on Twitter @DanaPerryAuthor