We chat with author Jennifer Fawcett about Keep This For Me, which is a gripping, atmospheric suspense novel about a woman investigating a serial killer’s connection to her mother’s disappearance.
Hi, Jennifer! When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was a kid. I was one of those kids who got excited when we were asked to write a story or poem—anything creative—for class. Initially, I turned my love of stories into a pursuit of acting, which lead to playwriting, which then led to writing novels.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: On my own, The Witch of Blackbird Pond. My parents read me books all through childhood. The one I made them read on repeat was a picturebook called Emily, the Goat (I grew up on a goat farm. It was very relatable!)
- The one that made you want to become an author: Anne of Green Gables, or maybe Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, or maybe It
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Where to start?! God of the Woods, by Liz Moore, Idaho by Emily Ruskovich, anything by Tana French…
Your latest novel, Keep This for Me, is out October 7th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Violence repeats, an unwanted legacy.
What can readers expect?
Readers can expect a dark, twisty thriller in an ominous setting. Keep This for Me is about the daughter of a serial killer’s last victim, who is trying to figure out what actually happened to her mother the night of her abduction, but as she gets closer to finding out the truth, she’s getting lured into a dangerous trap.
Where did the inspiration for Keep This for Me come from?
Keep This for Me is inspired by a true story. In the early 1980s, a young couple’s car broke down and they waved down a transport truck for help, not knowing that the driver was a serial killer. He killed the man and held the woman hostage for a few hours before killing her too. I entered this story by trying to imagine what must have been going through her mind in those few hours in the truck. That trucker was caught, but years later, his son grew up to do the same thing. I wrote this book to explore the ripples that come out of a random act of violence.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I loved writing Jason Ward, the son of the serial killer. He’s angry, he’s misunderstood, he’s grown up with the label of “monster” stamped on him because of what his father did, and he knows he could be a monster, too. He can feel how easy it would be to cross a line into extreme violence, to let some of that rage out, but he also knows what would come after. He calls it “mental freefall.” He’s teetering on the edge until the end, when he’s finally forced to make a decision.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
It’s so easy to reduce victims, especially young women, into just that word. To erase the rest of what makes them a person, like they’re only defined by the last thing that happened to them. In Keep This for Me, a young couple’s car breaks down and they flag down a transport truck for help. Little do they know, this truck is driven by a serial killer who attempts to kill the man and abducts the woman. I knew that Ana, the young woman in my book, was dead, but I didn’t want her to be a murder victim, so I had to figure out what actually happened to her after she was abducted. It’s the same thing that Fiona, my protagonist (Ana’s daughter) is trying to figure out.
What do you hope readers take away from Keep This for Me?
It’s a serial killer story that goes beyond the initial shock of violence and asks if darkness can be inherited or if it is chosen.
What’s next for you?
I’m working on the next book. Stay tuned!
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up?
Here are some books I’ve loved recently: The Ascent by Allison Buccola, The Quiet Tenant by Clemence Michallon, and Middletide by Sarah Crouch
