In These Vengeful Hearts, Katherine Laurin brings us a taut mystery that is perfect for any fan of Riverdale or Pretty Little Liars. We recently had the chance to ask her all about her debut novel, writing, and more!
Hi Katherine! Thank you for taking the time for our questions! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and These Vengeful Hearts?
Of course! These Vengeful Hearts is my debut YA novel. It’s all about revenge and the secrets and the price we pay for both of them. I had so much fun writing this story. A secret society of girls running the show behind the scenes at their high school left me so much room to explore my main character’s motivations for revenge.
I’ve always been obsessed with books. I will probably die in an avalanche caused by the precarious piles of books I’ve yet to read. I live in Colorado with my husband, two boys, and Chihuahua named Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis.
Where did the idea for the story come from?
I love secret societies, and this story came from an image I had in my head of a girl getting an invite to one in her locker. It all spun out from this one little piece of the story.
One of the things I loved most in These Vengeful Hearts was the dramatic and tense mystery surrounding the Red Court. Do you have any favorite books, movies, or TV series that helped fuel your creation of the mystery in the story?
I have to say that I am a HUGE Gossip Girl fan. I loved the mystery and insidious nature of Gossip Girl. I also love the noir feel of Riverdale. For books, I am constantly devouring YA thrillers like One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus and The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas. I just can’t get enough of that breathless feeling you get when you’re hooked on a book and racing to find out what happens next.
What was your process with writing the mystery and keeping the twists in the story straight?
This is a great question! I think keeping track of the details can be overwhelming. I’m a plotter, so I always start with a strong outline. I need to know where I’m going before I start. But, even with an outline, my stories always manage to surprise me. When I’m drafting, I have a log of the plot elements I need to adjust based on any new twists I uncover along the way.
The high school atmosphere is…tense, to say the very least, in this story. What were your high school years like and was there anyone in this story based on past high school classmates?
It was not nearly this interesting! High school was pretty normal for me. I was a chronic overachiever, not unlike Ember, so I was always running from sports practices to French Club to study groups.
Heller High the building is actually my exact high school. It’s the only school I know well enough to set a story in. I don’t think there are any characters that are based on real people, but I definitely wove elements of my experience into the story. For example, there’s a mention in the book of a senior prank where students led cows from a nearby field up to the third floor of the building. This happened at my school before I got there! The story goes that the seniors led cows up the stairs, but the cows wouldn’t walk back down and had to be lowered one-by-one in the elevator. Absolutely legendary.
Who was your favorite character to write in These Vengeful Hearts?
It’s not a character, actually. It was every interaction between Ember and her best friend Gideon. They’re soul friends and their relationship was so fun to write. I could bask in their snarky (yet ultimately caring) conversations for days.
In high school, do you think you would have asked the Red Court for a favor?
Heck. No. I’m such a lame rule follower. It’s kind of a problem for me. I could never cheat on a student council election or ask for a grade I didn’t earn. However, I do love some drama and would have been following their every move and then speculating over coffee with my friends trying to figure out who was in the Red Court.
What book releases, outside of your own, are you looking forward to in the last few months of 2020?
Oh boy. All the books. I cannot wait for Those Who Prey by Jennifer Moffet, a fellow 2020 YA debut. I love Tiffany D. Jackson, and I’ve already preordered Grown. I have Karen McManus on auto-buy, and I’m so excited for The Cousins.
Can you tell us anything about what you are working on next?
I’m always working on my next book. Right now, I’m editing another YA thriller. Hopefully, I’ll have an update to share soon!
