Q&A with Amelia Diane Coombs

 

Photo by Jessica Whitaker Photography

 

 

Amelia Diane Coombs is the author of the new novel Drop Dead Sisters. Her other books include the young adult novel All Alone with You. She lives in Seattle.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Drop Dead Sisters, and how did you create your character Remi and her family?

 

A: A few years ago, I decided I wanted to try branching away from young adult (what I’ve previously written for years) and try my hand at writing for adults. My agent and I talked and brainstormed a lot before we landed on a very loose pitch that turned into Drop Dead Sisters.

 

Initially, I wanted to write about two best friends who get themselves mixed up in a crime, but my agent suggested the book be about sisters instead. Like Remi, I’m the youngest of three, and I figured there was a lot to explore with that dynamic and I took my agent’s advice as I dove into the draft.

 

Turns out, I have a lot to say and while Remi’s dynamic with her sisters isn’t very similar to my own, I pulled from my own experiences as I worked on the book; Remi and I also share a lot of parallels with our anxiety.

 

Other than the fact that they’re both big campers, Remi’s family isn’t anything like my own. At all. I loved exploring these wacky characters to serve as a foil to Remi’s anxiety, as well as to help provide comedic relief around darker topics.

 

Q: How was the novel’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: The book’s title was actually one of the very last pieces to fall into place. It had a different title while I drafted, not to mention a second title when it went on submission and was acquired.

 

So, it was a long journey to get to Drop Dead Sisters, but I instantly took to the title when my team presented it to me. I love how punchy it is, and how it alludes to the mystery aspect.

Q: The Publishers Weekly review of the book says, “Coombs laces the proceedings with plenty of black humor, à la Alfred Hitchcock’s The Trouble with Harry, and works in surprisingly moving meditations on sisterhood.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I was quite flattered, to be honest. Mixing in dark humor with more emotional, weighty scenes can be extremely difficult, and it was something that I was, intentionally, trying to do with the book, but I wasn’t sure if I was successful or not.

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?

 

A: Maybe this is an odd answer, but I really want readers to have fun with the book. The book itself was such a blast to write, and I hope some of my joy seeped into the pages.

 

There are darker themes and topics, not to mention a dead body, but my hope was for the book to be a fun romp with some heart at the center.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I actually just received the first pass of edits on the sequel to Drop Dead Sisters! I’m not sure how much I can say about it right now, but the sequel, Sisters Before Misters, comes out next year, and I’m so excited to hang out with these characters again.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Amelia Diane Coombs.