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.

Writing Dead Lands by Lloyd Otis

Dead Lands is a crime thriller with a heady mix of love, betrayal and secrets. It’s set in a time when many attitudes were vastly different in some cases, then they are now. However, unfortunately there are some attitudes that still remain, making aspects of this story very relevant today.

The seed was planted for this story after I became the victim of identity theft. It became a trying time in which someone pretended to me and in the end, I had to appear in court to prove who I was.  Something like that sticks with you. That became the story’s starting point, and the theme of identities runs throughout the narrative.

With that in place, I had to think about the other layers of the story and how they would interlace with each other. I had to decide which character would have their identity questioned, which character would be telling the lies, and who would be hiding the secrets? Setting it in the past enabled me to highlight the complexities of proving guilt and in terms of the people leading the charge, I needed strong characters. Breck and Kearns fitted the bill and having them operate within a fictional unit offered some flexibility. In Breck, we have a bit of a maverick, a different kind of officer operating in a turbulent part of 70s South East London.  Amongst the temptations and whispers of corruption, he’ll do his job and he wants to do it the right way. That’s what he signed up for. But ultimately, if he feels something is up, he’ll follow his nose. Work provides a temporary barrier for his feelings of discontentment and relationships are particularly important in this story.  We see this with Troy, from being a city high-flier to a man on the run, forced to turn to a small net of people that may or may not be able to help him. 

In Kearns, we have a strong-willed character desperate to do what she thinks is right. Females in the workplace were marginalised forty years ago, so I wanted to make her a focused and respected officer. She’s also a parent too and that allows her certain sympathies. The past haunts her as much as anyone. 

What the story of Dead Lands does is to piece together these taut relationships and lingering fears, with one or two moments included to make us question a few social attitudes.  

A strong backdrop in the form of the ‘march’, based on a real-life event that gained both local and national press coverage, ensures that the story’s dark hanging cloud remains hovering in a distance. As we countdown, it comes into play while the story reaches its dramatic climax.  

The location of Dead Lands in a sense sets itself. It’s gritty with a bit of sunshine every now and again, that covers a distinct period in UK history. The right environment for a story about a man accused and arrested for murder, with an alibi he can’t use.

Dead Lands by Lloyd Otis published by Urbane Publications

When a woman's body is found a special team is called in to investigate and prime suspect Alex Troy is arrested for the murder. Desperate to remain a free man, Troy protests his innocence, but refuses to use his alibi. Trying to protect the woman he loves becomes a dangerous game - questions are asked and suspicions deepen. When the prime suspect completes a daring escape from custody, DI Breck and DS Kearns begin the hunt. Breck wants out of the force while Kearns has her own agenda and seeks revenge. Breck has his suspicions and she wants to keep it from him, and a right-wing march provides an explosive backdrop to their hunt for Troy. 

Buy it from SHOTS A-Store.

-->