Becca Fitzpatrick
About Author
Becca Fitzpatrick graduated with a degree in health, and went to work as a secretary, teacher, and accountant at an alternative high school in Provo.
In 2003, her husband enrolled her in a writing class for her 24th birthday. It was in that class that Fitzpatrick started writing Hush, Hush, her debut bestselling book.
Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush, Hush saga, including Hush, Hush; Crescendo; Silence; and Finale all debuted as New York Times bestsellers.
These days when she's not writing, she's most likely running, prowling sales racks for shoes, or travelling. She lives in Colorado with her family.
Author link
Interview
DANGEROUS LIES
SIMON & SCHUSTER CHILDREN'S BOOKS
NOVEMBER 2015
Dangerous Lies, the latest novel from bestselling author Becca Fitzpatrick, follows a teenaged girl, Stella, who is put into a protection programme after witnessing a murder. Suddenly, her whole life and her identity changes - changes that Stella is ill prepared for.
Leaving behind her boyfriend and her drug-addict mother, Stella finds herself stuck in the back-of-beyond town of Thunder Basin where she is forced to reinvent herself with the ever-present danger that those she is trying to hide from might track her down....
We spoke to author Becca Fitzpatrick about Dangerous Lies and she answered the following questions for us:
Q: Your main character, Stella, witnesses a murder and so is made part of the Witness Protection Programme where she is forced to leave her identity behind. Why did you want to give your character such a break from the past in this story?
A: There's something romantic about fresh starts. Like, getting to reinvent yourself. But it can be scary too. Placing her in WITSEC was a way to make that happen.
Also, Stella's past is pretty traumatic. I wanted to give her a chance to discover that the world isn't entirely bad. She definitely believes it is in the beginning of the story.
Q: Did you need to do much research into how witness protection works?
A: Yes! I actually did a lot of research, thank goodness for the Internet. I also called the U.S. Marshals, but they were unable to provide information for the sake of the program's integrity, which I understand.
The deputy I spoke with did tell me that since nobody really knows how they operate, I could use my best judgement, and no one would be any wiser. I kept that advice in mind while writing.
Q: Why did you settle Stella in such an out-of-the-way place, Thunder Basin, Nebraska, and did you base Thunder Basin on a real place?
A: Thunder Basin is based on the town I grew up in. I've been told that Thunder Basin is as much a character in this story as the actual characters. I couldn't be happier about that.
Q: Stella isn't very likeable when we meet her but, as we learn more about her and as events change her, she becomes a more sympathetic character. How hard was it to make that change happen, and how do you keep the reader on the side of the early Stella?
A: My family moved my senior year of high school, so I had to reinvent myself. I was bitter and angry. A lot like Stella is in Dangerous Lies.
I think all of us, at some point in our lives, are angry and even unlikable. I think when we read about an unlikable character, and it stirs negative emotions in us, we're reacting to seeing a bit of ourselves in that character - a part of ourselves we don't necessarily like. I hope readers will give Stella a chance to grow. After all, don't we all deserve that chance?
Q: There are several instances in Dangerous Lies of strong female characters standing up against male bullying and corruption. How important is it for teenage girls (and boys) to see female characters as powerful rather than as victims?
A: It's very important, because strong girls and women exist in real life. If readers think Stella and Carmina are strong, it's not because I was trying to prove a point, rather, it came from who these women are. I've had incredible female role models in my life - strong, determined, honest women who value integrity and kindness.
Q: If you found yourself with a new identity, like Stella does, who would you want to be and where would you want to live?
A: I think it would be fascinating to travel into the past. I've been working on my family history - I have an old scrapbook filled with pictures from the early 1900s. I want to know who these men and women are and, if I'm being completely honest, take the knowledge I have from our time with me. I came across an old certificate that revealed my dad was a polio pioneer - one of the children who took place in the first national tests of a trial polio vaccine. I can't imagine how it must have felt, not knowing how this vaccine might affect your body. It would have been amazing to somehow reassure him and his family that this was the right step to take.
Q: Where do you write and how does your writing day tend to progress?
A: I like to write in silence, so most of my writing happens while my boys are at school, or at night, after everyone has gone to bed.
Q: What's your favourite way to relax?
A: I like going for long walks. I love spending time with my family and friends. Skiing, gardening, and reading are other good escapes.
BLACK ICE
SIMON & SCHUSTER CHILDREN'S BOOKS
OCTOBER 2014
Best-selling author Becca Fitzpatrick (the Hush Hush series) has moved away from the paranormal with her new book Black Ice, a tense psychological thriller that sees teenaged Britt kidnapped on a mountainside and forced to lead two men safely down through a snowstorm. She has no idea what their plans are or whether they will release her once they reach safety. The new book will definitely widen the fan base for Becca's writing and there's enough romance to keep her current fans happy, so plenty of appeal for readers aged 14+.
Becca Fitzpatrick answered these questions for ReadingZone:
Q: What kind of books do you like to read and have you always been a reader?
A: Ideally, I'm reading widely -- romance, historical, western, YA, sci-fi. Every genre teaches me something about storytelling. Yes, I've always been a reader.
Q: Had you always wanted to be an author and how hard was it for you to get your first book published?
A: When I was eight, I watched the movie Romancing the Stone, and decided I wanted to be a romance writer, like the movie's heroine. It was extremely difficult to get published. Years and years of rejection came before my first book, Hush, Hush, sold.
Q: Authors sometimes deliberately write a book that's very different from an earlier book so they don't get 'pigeon holed' into one genre -- did that cross your mind when you started writing Black Ice, or were you more concerned about what your fans might expect from you?
A: The first draft of Black Ice included paranormal elements. There were ghosts! I wasn't consciously thinking about genre -- I was following my instincts and writing the story that felt most important to me at that moment.
In later drafts, the ghosts were cut and the criminal and psychological aspects took centre stage. Being a bit oblivious to the fact that I was switching genres definitely made the leap less intimidating.
Q: Was the writing process for this book (which is a standalone) very different from writing each of the books in the Hush, Hush series?
A: Not really. I outlined Black Ice in much the same way that I outlined each book in the Hush, Hush series. I knew the beginning, middle, and end before I started writing.
Q: There's a strong romantic triangle at the core of this story -- do you think that romance will always feature in your books and what draws you to writing about relationships?
A: The romance is my favourite part of writing any book. I love putting two people with great chemistry on the page together. It makes for sexy banter, which I always hope will lead to something more, ha!
Q: As in Hush, Hush, there's a character in Black Ice, Mason, who is difficult to decipher. Did you always know how Mason would turn out or do you like to keep yourself guessing as you write? Are there some characters who, as an author, you feel you never completely understand?
A: Since I outline, I do know all the characters' secrets before I start writing. But I'm open to change. If I get a better idea during the writing process, I'll go with it. After working with my characters over several months and drafts, I feel like I know them very well.
Q: The story features a trek through a mountain in a snow storm -- did you need to do much research into the dangers your characters could face?
A: I've lived in both Idaho and Wyoming, so I felt comfortable with the setting from the get-go. But to make certain I knew the world inside out, I road-tripped to the Teton Range before starting Black Ice. I also talked with wilderness and survival experts. Fingers crossed I never have to put what I learned to the test!
Q: Are you a regular walker / camper yourself? Have you ever ended up in a very dangerous situation, like your character Britt?
A: My idea of camping is staying in a two-star hotel. Fortunately, I did not base Britt's captivity on an experience from my own life.
Q: What are you writing now?
A: Nothing. My energy is going into touring and promoting Black Ice.
Q: How does your writing day go and what are your bad habits?
A: I typically write for a couple hours, break for lunch, then write for a couple more hours. Social media is my bad habit.
Q: What are the highs and lows of being an author and how much has the success of Hush, Hush changed your daily routines?
A: I don't feel like my day-to-day life has changed very much. I still get up, make my boys' breakfast, send them off to school, do laundry, wash the dishes, and squeeze in a little writing. Very glamorous, right?
I don't think the highs and lows are as drastic as they used to be. Writing isn't the only thing in my life, nor is it the most important. I do it for fun. When things go wrong, I shrug it off. When things go right, I celebrate briefly, then get back to work.
Dangerous Lies
Black Ice
Crescendo
