Siri Mitchell is a pivotal part of my book reviewing and blogging journey. Her Chateau of Echoes was the first book I reviewed on my blog. She was a sweet encourager in my early days of reviewing – back when she was writing contemporary romance/chick lit – and I even had the opportunity to provide some feedback on an Australian character she was writing into Moon Over Tokyo, the first time I had done so. I’m not sure I could speak for a week!!! To say I’ve valued Siri and her writing would be an understatement.

All that to say, I’m thrilled Siri is back on the blog to share about her latest read, her shocking bookmark habit, and her latest suspense thriller, Everywhere to Hide. Thanks to her publisher, Thomas Nelson, we have a copy to give away.

Enjoy getting to know more about Siri and her book!

Over to you, Siri…

Siri’s Reading Habits

When is your optimal time to read?

Over lunch. If I read too late in the evening, then I dream about the book all night.

Are you faithful to a genre, an author, or simply quality writing?

When I find an author I love, I will read through their entire backlist while I’m waiting (desperately) for their latest release.

Which factors most influence your selection of a book?

I’m always susceptible to an interesting idea – be it in fiction or non-fiction.

Your fiction pet peeve?

An ending that doesn’t resonate. An ending needs to match the arc, tone, and pacing of the entire book. I’ve been guilty of this pet peeve myself. On one particular story, I re-wrote an ending multiple times. Where I failed is that with all my read-throughs I only started with that last chapter. An edit or re-write can’t be treated as a self-contained unit. I should have considered that last chapter re-write within the context of the previous ten chapters.

What book have you read this year that you could not put down, and why?

This is How I Lied by Heather Gudenkauf. She has a way of writing her characters into excruciating situations. As a reader, I was turning the pages to find out what would happen next. As a writer, I just could not figure out how she was going to resolve the situation. It was ingenious. That’s all I can say without spoiling the book!

How do you mark your spot – folded page corner, bookmark, dollar bill, whatever is at hand?

I am going to be put on every reader’s blacklist with my answer, but if the book belongs to me, then I’m a corner-folder. Isn’t that terrible?

When reading, what makes or breaks a story for you?

A writer who writes with confidence can carry almost any story. A story featuring a character with poorly established motives? That makes me put a book down.

Snack/drink of choice while reading?

Coffee, except if it’s raining. If it is, then I’ll be drinking Smoky Earl Grey tea.

What book cover has really caught your eye?

Louise Penny’s new release, All the Devils are Here. After spending four years in Paris, anything having to do with France always catches my eye. And that gorgeous shade of blue is one of my favourite colours.

What book do you wish you had written? Why?

Any Dr. Suess book. A writer has to be so clever in order to write a children’s book. With a limited basket of words, Dr. Suess built such multi-layered stories. They’ve delighted children (and adults) for generations. And I would love to have his ability to rhyme with such panache!

What are you reading now?

Killers of the Flower Moon. It’s a non-fiction book about a series of murders that took place in the 1920s when the Osage tribe (in Oklahoma) was the wealthiest group of people in the world. It’s one of those stranger-than-fiction stories and it reads like a thriller.

Siri’s Everywhere to Hide

How does a woman protect herself from an enemy she can’t see?

Law school graduate Whitney Garrison is a survivor. She admirably deals with her mother’s death, mounting student debt, dwindling job opportunities, an abusive boyfriend, and a rare neurological condition that prevents her from recognizing human faces.

But witnessing a murder might be the crisis she can’t overcome.

The killer has every advantage. Though Whitney saw him, she has no idea what he looks like. He knows where she lives and works. He anticipates her every move. Worst of all, he’s hiding in plain sight and believes she has information he needs. Information worth killing for. Again.

As the hunter drives his prey into a net of terror and international intrigue, Whitney’s only ally, Detective Leo Baroni, is taken off the case. Stripped of all semblance of safety, Whitney must suspect everyone and trust no one—and fight to come out alive.

What do you love most about this story, or the process of writing this story?

I love my protagonist’s persistence; her determination not to give up – in any facet of her obstacle-laden life.

Share a little about one of your characters – what makes them unique?

Whitney Garrison, my heroine, has face blindness (prosopagnosia). It’s estimated that about 2% of the population has this condition. It affects the part of the brain which maps facial features and then stores those memories. A person with face blindness might remember that someone wears glasses or has a beard or a moustache. Hair colour and hairstyles might also be recalled, but the memory of how facial features relate to each other is absent. A person can be born with this condition or it can be acquired from a head injury or trauma. Some people who think they have trouble remembering names actually have trouble remembering faces. And face blindness exists on a spectrum. Those with the condition can also have difficulty in mapping geography, noting differences in skin colour, and distinguishing within groupings of similar objects such as cars.

Share a favourite line or paragraph from your book.

“Finding and locating a killer was the easiest thing going on in my life. Everything else, I had to figure out a way to live with. Killers were temporary. Everything else was permanent.”

You’ve written chick lit, contemporary romance, historical romance, and historical novels, and you’re now writing suspense. What appeals to you most about writing in this genre?

I have to work so dang hard at it. That probably sounds strange, but when I’m writing suspense, I can feel myself growing as a writer.

Thank you, Siri! It’s such an honour to have you visit and I’m so thrilled that you are still writing, just like I’m still blogging 🙂

Relz Reviewz Extras
All Things Siri @ Relz Reviewz
Visit Siri’s website
Buy at Amazon: Everywhere to Hide or Koorong