SISTER DEAR
Author: Hannah Mary McKinnon
Publication Date: May 26, 2020
Publisher: MIRA Books
Book Summary:
In Hannah Mary McKinnon’s psychological thriller, SISTER DEAR (MIRA Trade; May 26, 2020; $17.99), the obsession of Single White Female meets the insidiousness of You, in a twisted fable about the ease of letting in those who wish us harm, and that mistake’s dire consequences.
The day he dies, Eleanor Hardwicke discovers her father – the only person who has ever loved her – is not her father. Instead, her biological father is a wealthy Portland businessman who wants nothing to do with her and to continue his life as if she doesn’t exist. That isn’t going to work for Eleanor.
Eleanor decides to settle the score. So, she befriends his daughter Victoria, her perfect, beautiful, carefree half-sister who has gotten all of life’s advantages while Eleanor has gotten none.
As she grows closer to Victoria, Eleanor’s obsession begins to deepen. Maybe she can have the life she wants, Victoria’s life, if only she can get close enough.
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Eleanor was a character I wanted to wrap my arms around. I
felt like not only did she deserve a hug, but she needed a hug! She didn't
deserve the crappy way she was treated for every day of her life. I hate to
sound so cliché but it wasn't fair to her. It's even worse to be treated so
unjustly by your own mother, your own sister. I really found Eleanor to be a
relatable female character. Her plethora of mental health struggles alone made
her a character most women will relate too. Her constant struggle with self-esteem
was a vicious cycle. I think her food issues made her a character a lot of
women are going to understand. There can be such a love-hate relationship for
women with their food.
Putting all of that aside, Sister Dear shows her struggle to
maintain her mental health while trying to find those family relationships she
has always dreamt of. She's really had a tough go of it lately and it seems
like anything that can go wrong, will, and does. We get to see Eleanor at her
breaking point. Now I didn't exactly feel like Sister Dear was a thriller or
even suspenseful. I feel like it's more of a psychological women's fiction...
is that a thing? It should be, because even though it wasn't what I was
expecting, I enjoyed it a lot. It was a quick story that was bursting at the
seam with emotions and struggles.
I recommend Sister Dear if you like to dissect and think
about the human mind, nature vs nurture and all those psychological aspects. I
do, I have a degree in psychology after all. However, if you're going into this
thinking it'll be a whirlwind thriller, I'm sorry to disappoint but it won't
be.
I received an ARC
of this book with the hope that I would leave an Unbiased Opinion. I was not
required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just
that... my opinions.
EXCERPT:
Chapter 1
The police didn’t believe me.
A jury wouldn’t have, either, if I’d gone on trial, and most definitely not the judge. My attorney had more than a few reservations about my story. Ms. Allerton hadn’t said as much. She didn’t need to. I saw it in her eyes, could tell by the way she shuffled and reshuffled her papers, as if doing so might shake my lies clean off the pages, leaving only the truth behind in her inky, royal blue swirls.
After our first meeting I’d concluded she must’ve known early on—before she shook my hand with her icy fingers—that I was a liar. Before she’d walked into the room in shiny, four-inch heels, she’d no doubt decided she’d heard my excuses, or a variation thereof, from countless clients already. I was yet another person claiming to be innocent. Another criminal who’d remained adamant they’d done nothing wrong, it wasn’t their fault, honest, despite the overwhelming amount of evidence to the contrary, a wall of impending doom surrounding me.
And still, at the time I’d believed the only reason Ms. Allerton had taken on my case pro-bono was because of the amount of publicity it gave her firm. Reducing my sentence—for there would be one—would amplify her legacy as a hot-shot lawyer. I’d accepted her help. There was no other option. I needed her knowledge, her expertise, saw her as my final hope. I now know her motivations were something else I’d miscalculated. All hope extinguished. Game over.
If I’m being fair, the judgements Ms. Allerton and other people had made about me weren’t completely wrong. I had told lies, some, anyway. While that stripped away part of my claim to innocence, it didn’t mean I was entirely guilty. Not of the things everybody said I’d done. Things I’d had no choice but to confess to, despite that being my biggest lie of all.
But I’ll tell you the truth. The whole truth and nothing but. I’ll start at the beginning, and share everything that happened. Every last detail leading up to one fateful night. The night someone died because of me. The night I lost you, too.
I won’t expect your forgiveness. Our relationship—or lack thereof—will have gone way beyond that point. No. All I can hope for, is that my side of the story will one day help you understand why I did the things I did.
And why I have to do the things I’ve not yet done.
Excerpted from Sister Dear by Hannah Mary McKinnon, Copyright © 2020 by Hannah McKinnon.
Published by MIRA Books
Questions & Answers with
Hannah Mary McKinnon
Hannah Mary McKinnon
1. How did
publishing your first book change your process of writing, if at all?
With each book my process has become more streamlined, but the biggest change is that, five books in, I feel more in control. That doesn’t necessarily mean it gets easier. Self-doubt always, always creeps in, particularly when I’m writing my first “skeleton draft,” which is a first, very loose version nobody will ever see. It’s rough, dirty and…terrible—my skeleton drafts always have been. However, I’ve learned to trust my writing process. If I can get the bones of the story on paper, I’ll add layers and complexity as I go over the novel again and again in preparation for my editor’s eyes. I accept the finer details will come as I work through the story. Just like most people who draw, paint, or write music or books, the first draft will never be my best work. I’m glad I’ve accepted that because it stops me from being overly self-critical when I start a project. I’m also more disciplined than in the past because I have deadlines. And I’ve always loved deadlines—especially beating them.
With each book my process has become more streamlined, but the biggest change is that, five books in, I feel more in control. That doesn’t necessarily mean it gets easier. Self-doubt always, always creeps in, particularly when I’m writing my first “skeleton draft,” which is a first, very loose version nobody will ever see. It’s rough, dirty and…terrible—my skeleton drafts always have been. However, I’ve learned to trust my writing process. If I can get the bones of the story on paper, I’ll add layers and complexity as I go over the novel again and again in preparation for my editor’s eyes. I accept the finer details will come as I work through the story. Just like most people who draw, paint, or write music or books, the first draft will never be my best work. I’m glad I’ve accepted that because it stops me from being overly self-critical when I start a project. I’m also more disciplined than in the past because I have deadlines. And I’ve always loved deadlines—especially beating them.
2. What kind of research do you do, and
how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
It depends on the novel.
For Time After Time (my debut, a rom com) there were geographical considerations,
and, as the novel took place from the 1980s to the 2010s, I had to ensure my
references to pop culture were accurate. In The Neighbors, Her Secret
Son and Sister Dear (suspense / psychological thrillers) there were
similar geographical issues to consider, but I also had to research legal
details. I sought the help from an advisor from child services, a lawyer, a
medical examiner, and a police detective, to name but a few. I’m continually
amazed how people are so incredibly generous with their time, knowledge and
expertise when I call and say, “I’m an author, honest, and I have a few weird
questions.” For example, fellow author Bruce Robert Coffin is a retired police
detective, and he’s helped me get away with fictional murder multiple times. His
input is incredible!
I don’t do a lot of
research before I start writing but tend to put placeholders for areas that
need fleshing out, and go back to them after I’ve finished my first draft. That
way I’m not spending hours on facts that don’t make the cut, or getting
sidetracked by facts which are interesting, but potentially irrelevant to the
story.
3. Which thriller author inspired you to
get into this genre?
Jennifer Hillier. I was
waiting for my son at our local library when I spotted her debut, Creep,
on a shelf. Intrigued by the cover, I picked it up, read the blurb and took it
home. I devoured it in a matter of days and it was career changing.
When I was younger, I
mainly read thrillers, but after a personal tragedy in my early 20s, the only
thing I could stomach was light-hearted reads. Creep reminded me of my
love of thrillers, and I realized the second book I was working on, The
Neighbors, was far grittier than my debut. Jennifer’s book gave me that
final push I needed to cross over to the dark side. Fun fact: we live in the
same town and have become great friends. Jennifer is an inspiration and
fiercely talented, and I have all her books. I’ll read anything she writes!
4. What's the one element of a thriller
novel that is a MUST?
Plot twists and secrets. I
want to be surprised when I’m reading a thriller, although that can be said for
any genre, so I guess you need to throw in a dead body or two somewhere as
well.
5.
Where do you get your ideas?
So far, I can pinpoint
exactly how each book started. Time After Time is a story about a woman
who’s unhappy with her life, which was me when we moved to Canada and my HR
company crashed and burned, although the rest of the novel is fictional. The
idea for The Neighbors came to me when two houses on our courtyard went
up for sale, and I wondered who might move in. Her Secret Son stemmed
from a news segment I saw while I was at the gym (probably wishing I were
eating cake instead).
I’ll elaborate a little
more for Sister Dear: I heard a radio segment about a woman who’d found
a wedding ring at a playground and was trying to locate the owner through
social media. It got me thinking—what if the woman found out the ring’s owner
had a dream life, and felt jealous? The more I thought about it, the more
twisted things became. I realized the individuals had to be related somehow,
and if I made them half-sisters it would add to the drama and intrigue. It
seems some of the most despicable acts are carried out within families. That was
something I wanted to explore.
6. Has there ever been a moment in your
life that inspired one of your thriller novels?
No, I can honestly say
that, thankfully, my books aren’t true crime! I do sprinkle little details here
and there my family might recognize. Superman pajamas, a stuffed toy, those
kinds of things, but otherwise I don’t pull from my life.
7.
What is your writing process like?
Very structured, and the
more I write, the more I plan. My novels start with an idea—something that pops
into my head such as the radio segment for Sister Dear, or a newspaper
article or a discussion I overheard. I noodle the thoughts around for a while
as the main characters take shape. The next step is to write an outline. I
start by jotting down the big picture plot points, which I then use as
stepping-stones to build and write the rest of the outline. I fill out
personality questionnaires for my main characters to understand them better,
and search for photos on the internet to build a gallery I stick on my
pin-board. By this point I’m raring to go.
At first, I write a basic,
largely unedited manuscript that’s about two-thirds of the final word count,
then layer and develop until I’m happy calling it a first draft, and send it to
my wonderful editor, Emily. That’s when the real editing work begins, which is
incredibly exciting because I know the story will become a thousand times
better with her expert input.
8. Do you find it easier to write
character and dialogue for the opposite sex because you are the opposite sex?
(A woman writing a man’s part and dialogue for example).
I love writing men
and women equally, dialogue, and otherwise. My first experience of writing a
male point of view character was in The Neighbors, and I adored working
on Nate’s chapters. In Her Secret Son, the entire book is written from
Josh’s point of view, and it was such a great challenge to do so. Sister
Dear is exclusively told by my protagonist Eleanor, but next year’s book
features three characters, two women and one man. The one after that will be a
man’s point of view and I’m itching to get started because I can hear his very
distinctive voice in my head.
To be honest, I try not to
overthink whether I’m writing a man or a woman. The important thing is to give
them a voice, develop their character, and make them seem as real to the reader
as they are to me.
9. When you're not working on your latest
novel, what do you like to do for fun?
I love getting outdoors for
a hike, I’m a huge fan of the movies (I love the trailers!), I go to the gym
and participate in a few obstacle runs in the summer (I live for the mud and
obstacles, I’m rubbish at the running part). We have three teenage boys, so my
husband and I spend time with them as often as they’ll let us. Watching films
as a family is one of my favourite things. There’s something deeply comforting
about us having a laugh together and just hanging out.
10. What
kind of advice would you give to aspiring thriller READERS?
Try different sub-genres,
of which there are many. Perhaps you love police procedurals, or psychological
thrillers may fascinate you. Maybe you don’t want something overly graphic, so
cozies might be to your taste, or alternatively you could go hard-boiled noir.
I think some people have the impression thrillers are all blood, guts and gore,
but that’s not the case. There’s something for everyone. Take Jill Orr, author
of the Riley Ellison Mystery series. Sure, people die in her books, but her
novels are laugh-out-loud funny. She’s a comedic genius.
11. What
advice do you have for writers?
Read as much and often as
you can and listen to audio books. I wrote an article about how the latter make
you a better author here. Write, even if
you think it’s rubbish, because an empty page is impossible to edit. Another
tip someone once suggested was to skip ahead if I couldn’t get a grasp on a
chapter or scene, that I should focus on another part of the manuscript and
trust myself enough to backfill later. It was revolutionary to me, and it beats
the heck out of staring at a blank page or shoving my hand in the cookie jar.
Also, I was advised to read my manuscript out loud. Every. Single. Word. Doing
so helps avoid repetition, improves cadence, and zaps stilted dialogue. And,
finally, share your work. It can be scary, but it’s the only way you’ll get
feedback and improve your craft.
12. What
is the first book that made you cry?
I have
absolutely no idea, but the last one was Then She Was Gone by Lisa
Jewell. I was a blubbering mess, which doesn’t happen very often! Stiff British
upper lip and all that.
13. What
is your writing Kryptonite?
Self-doubt. Having some
isn’t a bad thing, but you can’t let it rule you or you’ll never finish a
manuscript. Also, if I don’t have a deadline I tend to procrastinate, so I set
my own, and make sure I beat them.
14. Have
you ever gotten reader’s block?
Yes, absolutely. When I was
in my thirties we had three kids in 16 months (twins the second time around,
I’m not an alien, I promise) and while my husband was a stay-at-home dad, I was
the CEO of a European IT recruitment company. I was so busy, I don’t think I
picked up a novel in five years, and I missed them dearly. I’m so glad reading
books is such a large part of my job now, and I love every minute.
Author Bio:
Hannah Mary McKinnon was born in the UK, grew up in Switzerland and moved to Canada in 2010. After a successful career in recruitment, she quit the corporate world in favor of writing, and is now the author of The Neighbors and Her Secret Son. She lives in Oakville, Ontario, with her husband and three sons, and is delighted by her twenty-second commute.
Social Links:
Twitter: @HannahMMcKinnon
Instagram: @hannahmarymckinnon
Facebook: @HannahMaryMcKinnon
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