We chat with author Kara Thomas about The Champions, which is another dark YA thriller set in the same town of Sunnybrook. When a mysterious accident befalls a member of the all-star high school football team, the town’s deadly history stands to repeat itself—and the price of discovering the truth is higher than anyone could imagine.
Hi, Kara! Welcome back! How has the past year been since we last spoke?
Very busy! In addition to releasing The Champions, my second book for adults, Lost to Dune Road, came out on April 16th of this year. More importantly, I also got three chickens, named Noodle, Waffles, and Popcorn.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Meet Samantha from the American Girl Series
- The one that made you want to become an author: There are so many, but probably the Nancy Drew series!
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Gone Baby Gone by Dennis Lehane
Your latest novel, The Champions, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
High school football turns deadly.
What can readers expect?
Readers can expect a whole new story set in the same world as The Cheerleaders. Some familiar faces return, but The Champions is set six years after the events of The Cheerleaders.
What led you to return to Sunnybrook? Did anything in particular inspire The Champions?
I never intended to write another book in the same world as The Cheerleaders. To me, Monica’s and Ginny’s stories always felt finished. The idea for The Champions came to me in 2020, when I was struggling writing the YA I was contracted to write. I knew I was working on the wrong story at the wrong time, which lead me to the seed of an idea that became The Champions.
The Champions is loosely inspired by events that happened at my high school. While there was (thankfully) no murder involved in the real scandal that rocked our football team, the story I wanted to tell had so many similarities with The Cheerleaders. I could see this story occurring in Sunnybrook so I thought, what’s stopping me? Luckily, my editor was on board with the idea of turning the idea into a companion novel to The Cheerleaders.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I loved writing the scenes between Hadley, the main character, and Peter, her rival. Readers of The Cheerleaders will remember Peter as Monica’s annoying little brother. Peter is still annoying, but I enjoyed exploring how his own life was impacted by what happened in Sunnybrook six years ago.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing The Champions?
The Champions is my tenth published novel, and I would be lying if I didn’t say that writing becomes more difficult with each book. I’m always trying to level up with each book, and the first, second, and third drafts rarely match up with the vision I have in my head. With The Champions, I had the challenge of satisfying readers who wanted more of Monica and Ginny’s stories while balancing a plot that dealt with completely new characters and conflicts.
What are three songs that would pair well with The Champions?
Hall of Fame by The Script
No Body No Crime by Taylor Swift
Team by Lorde
What’s next for you?
I don’t know! I worked so hard to release two books this year, and while I’m so proud of both The Champions and Lost to Dune Road, I’m looking forward to a little bit of a break. I love being able to get excited about other peoples’ books through my job as a librarian, and I am very slowly working on a new mystery/thriller for adults.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
The best book I’ve read this year is The God of the Woods by Liz Moore. I recently got an advance copy of Rory Power’s new YA novel Kill Creatures, and even though it’s not out until 2025, it’s at the top of my TBR!
