Please welcome Kirstyn Petras author of The Next Witness
The Next Witness
by Kirstyn Petras
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GENRE: Thriller
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INTERVIEW:
1. What or who inspired you to start writing?
- I don’t know if it was one thing in particular, it’s been a part of who I am for as long as I can remember. My bags growing up had a notebook and a book. I think my love of reading from a young age naturally evolved into wanting to write my own stories, and then it just spiraled from there.
2. What elements are necessary components for this genre?
- I’m not going to pretend to be an expert on any one genre - I like combining different genres and bending rules as necessary. But I think for thrillers/dark writing in general, not being afraid to let your characters be hurt. Let there be real consequences associated with the world in which you create. Let your readers fear for your character’s safety, and don’t promise a happy ending. If the world you are creating is terrifying, there probably won’t, or shouldn’t, be one.
3. How did you come up with your idea for your novel?
- So the novel was initially inspired by my AP US History class when I was a junior in high school. I think one of the things that people don’t really get about the US education system is how much of, not just world history and the effects of US action abroad, but how much of our own domestic history is left out until students reach the upper levels of high school. Hell, there have been cases of students in Tulsa who didn’t know what the Tulsa massacre was until college. So you have this moment of, if you’re open to it, a pivotal shift in the understanding of what American ideology and philosophy really encompasses. I think my way of processing that as a teenager was to take that idea to its extreme - this dystopian society that involved the erasure of history. Then I spent the next decade reworking and rewriting and learning and growing and allowing that initial plot thread to develop into the story it is now.
4. What expertise did you bring to your writing?
- A lot of this story, as I’ve said, was shaped by my education and understanding of US politics. I received a Master of Arts with Honours in International Relations from the University of Edinburgh, and a Master of Science in Global Affairs from New York University. I think having that backing certainly helped certain aspects of the story - the building blocks to build a universe with some footing in reality, and then stemming off into what is fictional.
5. As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?
- I’m working on another book now, not in the same universe. Eventually, if writing was my career, that would be fantastic. That’s the dream. But for now, I’m taking what I learned from this experience and putting that into this new story. I also want to see how people respond to this story, what works and what doesn’t, and see where things go from there.
6. If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and why?
- I wouldn’t want to be anyone from this book. I think readers will understand why as they read - this isn’t a universe in which someone should want to live. That said, I came up with the character of Melody when I was 15. She grew up with me. I poured a lot of my heart into her, and certainly care a lot about her.
7. Can you give us a sneak peek into this book?
- Absolutely. Here are snippets from each of the POV characters: Melody Karsh, Derek Lin, and Alexander Covington.
Derek
“Well, we thank you very much, Detective Covington, for your time and encourage the public to cooperate fully. And now, a word from our sponsors.”
“Clear!” Morgan called, and Covington stood up. He ripped the microphone off his blazer, and, without a word, strode out of the studio. Morgan started screaming the second he was out of earshot.
“Do you want us shut down?! Do you have any idea what you've done?!”
“Morgan, what is he going to do?” Denise asked, leaning back. “Look, he didn't want me to ask a question, and I did anyway. They never actually announce stories like this. I wanted to know why - how far she could have gotten - the fact he didn’t answer doesn’t make that look good, does it?”
Morgan gaped at her, before returning to the mixing booth. Derek followed her and peeked over her shoulder to watch the playback.
There, on the screen, were the pictures of the so-called terrorists. And there was her picture. She'd been at the bar, waiting for Sean, however long ago. He'd seen her picture, the background of Sean's phone, heard Sean talk about her, mope about her, drink himself stupid over her.
“We have a problem.” He muttered to Morgan.
“What?” Morgan jumped, not having seen him following her. “Why?”
“Because I’m pretty sure that girl’s been gone a hell of a lot longer than you think.”
Melody Karsh
“Why wouldn’t you be able to fight more?” Melody pressed him.
Logan shook his head; she could see it out of the corner of her eye.
“You may think Derek’s not afraid to die, but he is. I’ve known him for a long time. The guy’s scared. And you know what? I am too. You’re the one walking through this with nothing to lose anymore. The rest of us? We’re fucking terrified. I don’t want to die alone in a cramped little cell with the shit kicked out of me, so numb I can’t feel what finally kills me. I want to live, even if it means living with Covington screaming at me every day for the next 30 years. I don’t care. It’s better than the alternative.”
“So, this brings me back to my original point. Why did you leak it?”
“Why did you come back?” He challenged her. “What are you actually doing here? What are you gaining from helping in this?”
Melody looked out into the gray sky.
“Well, they feed me, don’t they?”
“If that’s all you care about, why do you even leave the house?”
“If you’re so terrified of dying, why do you?”
“For no other reason than sheer necessity.”
She had no response to this, and he stood up and left a few minutes later, leaving her alone in the freezing, sunlit afternoon.
Alexander Covington
He released his foot from the man’s hand, watching disdainfully as his men half carried, half dragged the man away. He started to follow, but out of the corner of his eye he saw something that made him pause. He turned around and saw someone staring at him with large brown eyes completely devoid of any expression. The bottom half of the face was covered in a black and white scarf, and the hair was covered with a black knit cap. By the slight curve of the body, he guessed it was a girl hiding under the layers of baggy clothing. Then his eyes traveled down, and he saw the gun in their hand.
Pointed directly at his heart.
His brain stopped.
But then there was a yell from behind the person, and she whipped around, going to the aid of one of her fellow terrorists. She was pointing the gun at someone else.
Alexander felt himself stumble back, as though her looking away had released him from a spell. He should have had more bravery. He should’ve been able to move, to react, do something. But that look, beyond cold, had shaken him in a way he couldn’t quite describe.
He needed to get out of here, and away from whoever that was. And, he added a mental note, he needed to ask whoever they’d just taken in, just how many Party members they’d corrupted, or how many people Karsh had taught to use a gun.
8. When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step?
- N.B. Turner, another author, primarily short stories and an incredibly talented writer, was the one who really pushed me to first submit the book. He and I have been friends for over a decade, and now we’re the cohosts of Dark Waters, a literary podcast focused on dark fiction. He actually read the first draft from way back when. He’s always been so supportive of the story. I think having someone who has had some success in having their work accepted say hey, this is good, do something with it, was the reassurance I needed to try.
9. Do you outline your books or just start writing?
- Outlines give me such bad anxiety, to be honest. The closest I’ve gotten was a poorly drawn plot bubble map with arrows pointing between the different POV characters, and it quickly became irrelevant because most of it changed. For the most part, I just start writing with a vague idea of what’s to come, and let the characters take me where they want to go.
10. How do you maintain your creativity?
- I try to not force my creativity. If the words aren’t coming, I can’t make them. So I’ll take a break. Try a new baking recipe. Train contortion for a few hours. Take a break from the story entirely. Exercise those muscles in a different way. And then see if whoever is stuck wants to tell me how to get them unstuck.
11. Who is your favorite character in the book? Can you tell us why?
- Jackie. She’s one of the few people who is actually competent.
BLURB:
Alexander Covington is hunting a traitor: Melody Karsh, a missing girl accused of treason, a Party member who has forsaken her country. But, letters are appearing in mailboxes, being slipped beneath doors, and in the pockets of passersby. “Free Melody” is being spray painted on walls. Her image – cold, shivering, pathetic – has captured the public’s attention and sympathy.
Melody has no idea that her name is being used to start a movement, not until the executions of those demanding her freedom start airing on television.
Derek Lin would feel sympathy, if he didn’t blame Melody for the deaths of those who have disappeared without a trace, caught up in the investigation to find her.
Melody must choose to join the fight or stand aside. Derek will become a leader or break under the pressure. Alexander will decide how many bodies must fall to save his own life.
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EXCERPT:
“Well, we thank you very much, Detective Covington, for your time and encourage the public to cooperate fully. And now, a word from our sponsors.”
“Clear!” Morgan called, and Covington stood up. He ripped the microphone off his blazer, and, without a word, strode out of the studio. Morgan started screaming the second he was out of earshot.
“Do you want us shut down?! Do you have any idea what you've done?!”
“Morgan, what is he going to do?” Denise asked, leaning back. “Look, he didn't want me to ask a question, and I did anyway. They never actually announce stories like this. I wanted to know why - how far she could have gotten - the fact he didn’t answer doesn’t make that look good, does it?”
Morgan gaped at her, before returning to the mixing booth. Derek followed her and peeked over her shoulder to watch the playback.
There, on the screen, were the pictures of the so-called terrorists. And there was her picture. She'd been at the bar, waiting for Sean, however long ago. He'd seen her picture, the background of Sean's phone, heard Sean talk about her, mope about her, drink himself stupid over her.
“We have a problem.” He muttered to Morgan.
“What?” Morgan jumped, not having seen him following her. “Why?”
“Because I’m pretty sure that girl’s been gone a hell of a lot longer than you think.”
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Kirstyn Petras is a fiction writer and commodities reporter but primarily identifies as caffeine in a human suit held together by hair spray and sheer force of will. She currently resides in Texas, though claims home as a combination of New York and Edinburgh. When not writing, she trains contortion and aerial hoop. She has been published in Punk Noir, and is the co-host of Dark Waters, a literary podcast exploring all that is dark, ready, and wonderfully twisted.
https://twitter.com/Kirstyn_Petras
https://cinnabarmoth.com/kirstyn-petras/
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE
Kirstyn Petras will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
RAFFLECOPTER:
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f4155
Thanks for hosting!
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