Anyone who has been following Book Nerds for say ohhh.. the last two months? Will know that I absolutely loved the book Bad Girls Don’t Die by Katie Alender. So much, that it’s the first book I recommend to people now. “I need a book for a 12 year old, have anything in mind?” Sure, Bad Girls Don’t Die! “My grandma loves reading, any suggestions?” Bad Girls Don’t Die. “My dog is so fidgety…” Read her Bad Girls Don’t Die… seriously. It works. Okay, maybe reading it to a dog won’t make it calm down. But it sure did make me want to sleep with my light on for awhile, and lock away my sister for a few weeks. So naturally, when I started planning for Haunted October I wanted to interview my favourite author who scared the spooky out of me. Which is exactly why I contacted Katie, and to my surprise, she wrote back and said she’d love to do an interview… which is why you now have the following post :) Enjoy!

Bad Girls Don’t Die

What made you originally come up with the idea for BGDD?
The idea originated as a daydream about two sisters who fill their spare time (and their emotional emptiness) with made-up stories about their family, which then start to affect reality as the younger sister treats them as actual truth. It grew from that seed into what it is today.

Why was Kasey the ‘bad’ one? Why do you think it’s usually the younger sister who is evil, possessed, stark-raving mad, etc?
That’s an interesting pair of questions. The answers are very tied together. Partly because I don’t see Kasey as “bad.” She’s just younger and more vulnerable. In a way, it’s more of a narrative device than any sort of decision. If a story is about a character who is encountering change or a threat of some sort, you tend to find that character and build the story around him or her. Alexis is 15, she’s ready to start seeing the world differently (in my opinion; I don’t know if she would consider herself that way!), and to tell her story, she needed to be in a position of some strength. We are naturally protective of our younger siblings, and Kasey was a natural fit for the story.

Strangely enough, having the younger sibling be possessed/mad/what-have-you is upsetting the balance of power between siblings. Alexis is used to being the protector, the defender, even the aggressor when it comes to looking out for Kasey. Suddenly Kasey finds her own power. And Alexis grows through that.

I have a feeling this can all be positioned in terms of the classic archetypes, although obviously none of that was in my head when I was writing it.

Was Sarah’s evil tendency’s based on anyone?
No, not on anyone in particular. There’s that classic idea of the innocent child turned evil, which is deliciously scary.

Did you have a certain artist/song/album/soundtrack you listened to when writing BGDD?
I have “inspiration playlists” for all of my books. I don’t listen to them when I’m actually writing, because it’s too distracting. But I listen to them a lot when I’m not actually sitting at the computer. It helps get my head into the story and (especially) the mood. The playlist for Bad Girls Don’t Die can actually be found in the “Alexis’s Darkroom” section of my website. Probably the “theme song” is “Girl Next Door” by Saving Jane.

How is BGDD2 coming along? Are you excited as you were the first time around?
It’s coming! Like a freight train, actually. I’m very excited about it. It’s a lot of fun to write. There are some character dynamics that I’m really enjoying.

Halloween

What is your favourite Halloween memory?
Oh, golly. I guess the years my dad was in the Jaycees and I got to help out in the haunted house. I was probably nine or ten years old, and I got to dress up all scary and jump out at people. The bad part was that when it was break time, I had to walk through the house and tell everyone it was time to take five. And they just assumed I was a visitor and tried to scare me.

Do you have a favourite Halloween costume from when you were a kid?
Well, I can name a few of them. I was a sad clown, a ballerina, a baby (wearing sweltering polyester footie pajamas in South Florida in the 85-degree heat), a sort of Mariachi lady (improvised)… You know, I can’t say I had a favorite. I’ve never been very suave about costumes, LOL. A couple of years ago, we had a party and I dressed up as a farmer. That’s a pretty cute costume. And being matching Dalmatians with Winston (my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel) was a hoot. And last year I was a nun, which meant I got to wear VERY comfy shoes.

What’s your favourite ghost story/urban legend/myth?
I adore the movie “The Others.” It’s elegant (both visually and in terms of the way the story is treated), classic, and extremely spooky without being gory. I can’t handle gore. Also, the story of the monkey’s paw is so scary to me! There was an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer that used that legend to perfection.

Out of all of the Halloween-ish mythical creatures (vampires, witches, faeries, etc), which is your favourite?
I have to be true to myself and say ghosts. There’s such an interesting dynamic to these forces that are basically just energy, but can be so dangerous. Plus, ghosts aren’t just looking to suck your blood or eat your brains–they all want something different. I find the idea of fairies intriguing, but I haven’t ever delved into that mythology at all.

Do you have any Halloween traditions?
Actually, I kind of do, and it’s even mentioned in Bad Girls Don’t Die. I have a devil-horn headband that I tend to wear to work every year, just like the one Megan wears to school.

Does Winston (Katie’s pup) get dressed up for Halloween? If so, what’s he gonna be this year?
Winston usually has the misfortune of having to dress up. I don’t know what he’s going to be this year. I usually end up making our costumes on Halloween morning!

Do you have a favourite Horror/Thriller/Suspense Author?
Well, you can’t beat Stephen King. Even if some of his books are too scary for me.

Out of all of the cultural celebrations for Halloween throughout the world, what do you think is the most interesting one?
I don’t know that much about very many of them, but I do like the Day of the Dead stuff that you find in Mexico (and possibly other Latin cultures?). There’s something about celebrating death, even in a macabre way, that stands out in contrast to how much we avoid thinking about it for the rest of the year. Death has been sealed off in hospitals and behind closed doors and closed caskets. People used to live with death, right in their faces–the family would keep their dearly departed on display in the parlor for days! I’m not a “dark” person at all and I’m not fascinated with death or anything. But I am a little fascinated by the idea that we can honor and possibly even delight our departed loved ones by celebrating them even after they’ve passed on. And then, of course, there’s All Saints Day on November 1, to bring things back to the light side, so to speak.

We were talking a few weeks ago about you interviewing yourself, so in honor of that, what is one question that you wish someone would ask you and what is your answer?
Straight-up birthday cake wish? I wish that people who really love my book (or any book) would think to ask, “Is there anything I can do to help ensure this author keeps writing books?” And my answer would be, yes! Spread the word a little. Mention the book to your school librarian, or to your local bookseller, or put a review on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Especially if your copy is a review copy, or a copy you borrowed from a friend, or got from an ARC tour. I am thrilled to bits when people read and enjoy my book, but at the end of the day, my publisher (and all publishers) make their decision based on sales. I would love to keep writing books for the rest of my life, and if, as a reader, you would like to support that, taking two minutes to pass the word along is an amazing way to do it. Mind you, I don’t mean you have to do this for every book, or even for my book, if it left you cold. But if you find a writer or book you feel passionate about, channel that passion.

Also, with the advent of e-books upon us, please think long and hard before you read pirated material.

Thanks so much for the great interview! And much thanks to Katie as well for answering my questions!

You can find out more about Katie and her book Bad Girls Don’t Die at KatieAlender.com.

You can also find my review of Bad Girls Don’t Die here!