And Then There Were Four by Nancy Werlin Published by Penguin on 2017
Genres: Action & Adventure, Family, Parents, Social Themes, Survival Stories, Violence, Young Adult Fiction
Pages: 416
Let's not die today. Not even to make things easier for our parents.
When a building collapses around five teenagers--and they just barely escape--they know something strange is going on. Little by little, the group pieces together a theory: Their parents are working together to kill them all. Is it true? And if so, how did their parents come together--and why? And, most importantly, how can the five of them work together to save themselves? With an unlikely group of heroes, sky-high stakes, and two budding romances, this gripping murder mystery will keep readers guessing until the last page.
Describe And Then There Were Four in 5 words.
“Parents planning to kill me!” (and my friends!!!)
How did And Then There Were Four come about, what was your inspiration? What made you think you had to write this story?
This story has a theme that I seem to need to write about over and over again in different ways. It’s my personal obsession:
“Sometimes, the people who mean you harm as the ones who say they love you.”
-Matthew Walsh, in my earlier novel The Rules of Survival.
This time, though, I went at it in the form of suspense fiction, with five teens on the run from parents who are conspiring together. The kids need to figure out what’s going on, and why, as well as how to defend themselves and survive.
What was the hardest scene for you to write in And Then There Were Four and why?
There’s a brilliant supervillain in the novel and one of the teenagers, Saralinda, has an opportunity to outwit him at the end.
What she does won’t be everybody’s idea of right and moral. In fact, I expect some readers to absolutely hate it.
I love it.
Can you share (without spoilers) a line or section of And Then There Were Four that is your favorite?
Saralinda says: “Love should not be complicated if you can possibly help it, and I believe you can help it by picking a good one from the start. How hard can that be, right?”
Since we’re talking 2017 books, what upcoming 2017 release (besides your own) are you most excited to read?
Malinda Lo’s suspense thriller A Line in the Dark, out this fall.
When you’re not writing, what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Being with friends and my husband Jim, and also, reading.
What are you currently reading?
Let’s Take the Long Way Home: A Memoir of Friendship by Gail Caldwell. (“It’s an old, old story: I had a friend and we shared everything, and then she died and so we shared that, too.”)
Any advice for aspiring writers?
Write not what you know, but what you love.
What’s next for you? Are you working on anything right now that you can tell us about?
I’m in the early stages of a new novel that I am not yet prepared to talk about, and I have a second ongoing project: a “draft zero” of a memoir in comics, about a villain that I knew, which I’m putting up on my Tumblr.
Tell us 3 random facts about you.
My favorite nail polish color is Opi – Pen & Pink
In my opinion, the best (because most versatile and adorable) shoe style is the Mary Jane.
I have been haunted since age 12 by some words of Voltaire, the French writer and philosopher.
Favorites
Favorite Song (right now): “The Impression That I Get” – Mighty Mighty Bosstones. It is stuck in my head!
Favorite Book (right now): The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry, so fantastic.
Favorite TV Show/Movie: Veronica Mars
Favorite Word: beloved
Favorite Color: turquoise
Favorite Curse Word: When I really need to express yourself strongly, I feel that the F word is the best word, and therefore I save it for those very special occasions.
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