Today we are very excited to share an interview with author Elizabeth Agyemang!
Read on to learn more about the author, the book, and a giveaway!
Meet the Author: Elizabeth Agyemang
Elizabeth Agyemang is an illustrator, printmaker, and storyteller. She writes about history, folklore, romance, and fairy tales and draws from elements of her African heritage. Heart-Shaped Lies is her debut young adult novel.
About the Book: Heart-Shaped Lies
John Tucker Must Die meets A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder in this tongue-in-cheek mystery about three feuding exes of a social media prank star who are forced to work together to uncover the truth behind his death when his deactivated account resurfaces online with claims that one of them murdered him.
Kiara, Priscilla, and Nevaeh have nothing in common—except they just found out that they’re all dating Tommy Harding, the internet’s most famous teen prank star.
KIARA is the girlfriend who the cameras know and love, the academic star who Tommy parades around in public to keep his image in check.
PRISCILLA is Tommy’s co-star. As a beauty influencer and an accomplice to Tommy’s notorious antics, she’s always known that the two of them could be the Internet’s power couple—if only he would confess to his girlfriend what really goes on during their ‘rehearsals’.
And NEVAEH is the good girl, the pastor’s daughter who’d never dream of dating a boy who’s already taken.
When a viral post from Tommy’s social media account exposes his cheating ways during their high school class trip to Florida’s biggest theme park, the girls are crushed—and furious. Tommy claims his account was hacked. Now, Kiara, Priscilla, and Nevaeh want him out of their lives. Forever. After all, Tommy doesn’t just hold their hearts—he holds their secrets, too.
But when Tommy’s body is found the next morning, their so-called wish becomes a twisted reality. Because Tommy may be gone, but the internet is forever. And the girls are about to go from strangers to suspects….
~Author Chat~
YABC: What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
So a little backstory to how Heart-Shaped Lies came to be. I was on submission for another project, a time travel romance set between the 1920s and the modern-day Pittsburgh. My editor was considering the book and really liked my voice, but wondered if I’d be interested in writing a thriller (now mystery) that had “The Boy Is Mine” vibes, but with the girls teaming up to get revenge. I loved that idea and immediately started coming up with stories and brainstorming characters. I was also thinking about a setting, and I was brought back to my high school senior trip to Florida. So the inspiration for the book was a prompt, plus a lot of brainstorming characters and setting. As someone who has grown up between the dawn of the internet and the height of prank stars and influencers, I’ve always found them fascinating and wondered what it would be like to write a story where, like the internet, we are all watching at the edge of our seats as a stranger’s life unfolds. For the main characters, Kiara, Priscilla, and Neveah, I wanted to write about girls who are all still coming into who they are and grappling with the friendship, rivalry, and heartache of growing up not just in high school but with the internet watching you.
YABC: Who is your favorite character in the book?
Oh, this is a tough one. Does it count if I say I have a favorite thing about each of my characters? Like, what I love about Kiara, Priscilla, and Neveah is that they’re so different yet find themselves connected—for better or for worse—due to the mystery that unfolds. I wrote the book in close third person to craft unique voices for them. Kiara is more focused and thoughtful, Priscilla is the more snarky, explosive personality, and Neveah is shy and naive. Obviously their toxic “boyfriend” Tommy is what ties them together at first, but in some way, all three girls have an unhealthy relationship not just with Tommy but with themselves and their own image. Kiara is obsessed with being the perfect student, Priscilla with being the perfect influencer, and Neveah with being the perfect church girl. And Tommy sees that insecurity in all of them and uses it to connect with them and exploit them. They also have to navigate how these insecurities manifest both in who they turn to for love and how they treat each other. Yes, the story is about how a toxic relationship can really make you lose your sense of self, but it’s also about how girls have to navigate the world in these archetypes, and how they are pitted against each other. So that’s a long way to say that I find something compelling about all of the characters and their motivations, lol.
YABC: What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?
I loved writing the scene between Priscilla and Alex when they are on the gauntlet ride. For context, Alex is another romantic love interest for Priscilla, and they have a frenemies dynamic that I really enjoyed putting on the page.
YABC: What came first, the concept, landscape, characters, or something else?
The concept.
YABC: If you could only write one genre for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
It would be a speculative/fantasy romance. I really enjoyed writing a thriller that ended up being more of a mystery, but fantasy is where my heart is, and I hope to be able to tell those stories in the future.
YABC: How do you keep your “voice” true to the age category you are writing for?
I find writing a voice really depends on the character. I also tend to like third person, though I am dabbling in first person, and I think each character speaks to you. So my job as a writer is putting that specific voice on the page.
YABC: What can readers expect to find in your books?
Characters that you love to hate or hate to love, or maybe just love. Romance, because I love a love story. Stories about Black characters who find themselves navigating the world (whether that’s in a contemporary, mystery, fantasy, paranormal you name it). Expect drama, love, lore, myths, secrets, and the unexpected.
YABC: What is your favorite snack when writing?
I don’t snack! I’ve always been a savory person, so if I’m going to eat, I prefer to make it a whole meal. That said, I listen to a lot of music when I write, and I sometimes play a song over and over again. I made a playlist for Heart-Shaped Lies that can be found here. The songs I listened to the most were “Forgive Me” by Chloe x Halle and “get him back!” by Olivia Rodrigo.
YABC: If you were able to meet them, would you be friends with your main characters?
Haha, I would be rooting for them. I would be friends with Kiara, would stalk Priscilla on IG but would probably beef with her too much to really be friends, and Neveah would be the friend I would check in on once in a while to see how she’s doing or send a motivational message.
YABC: What’s your least favorite word or expression, and why?
Imposter syndrome. I have major beef with the whole concept, because I don’t think there is one way to do or be anything—whether it’s a student, a writer, an online creative, an adult, a teen, what have you. Because at the end of the day, we can only just be ourselves, so what is there to be an “imposter” of?
YABC: What do you do when you procrastinate?
I watch TV.
YABC: What fandom would you write for if you had time?
I would love to write for Final Fantasy. I was always a Zack x Areith, Cloud x Tifa shipper. Also Princess Mononoke. An absolute fave.
YABC: What’s up next for you?
I have a middle-grade graphic novel coming soon. It’s called How to Be a Heroine, and it’s kind of like Tron meets Sixth Grade. It’s about a girl navigating middle school and fitting in—only for her favorite video game to come to life and take over her school. Prior to that I had my debut graphic novel Fibbed come out, which draws on African folklore and themes of environmentalism and follows a young girl trying to save her village forest from a corporation that is stealing the magic from its community. As for YA books, I’m hoping I’ll be able to write more in the YA or new adult space but all I can control is the stories I write—not whether they end up in stores! So I’m just having fun with it.
YABC: Is there anything that you would like to add?
I just want to say thank you to YA Central for conducting this interview. I’m so happy to have been able to share a little bit more about Heart-Shaped Lies, and I appreciate you welcoming me onto your platform to do so. For you readers, you’re all awesome. And finally, I want to thank everyone who picks up Heart-Shaped Lies. We’re living in an age where time is so valuable and so rare. I appreciate everyone who has taken the time to hear Kiara, Priscilla, and Nevaeh’s story!
Title: Heart-Shaped Lies
Author: Elizabeth Agyemang
Release Date: 11/26/2024
Publisher: Delacorte Press
ISBN-10: 0593484495
ISBN-13: 9780593484494
Genre: Young Adult Mystery
Age Range: 12+
~ Giveaway Details ~
One (1) winners will receive a hardcover copy of Heart-Shaped Lies (Elizabeth Agyemang) ~US Only!
*Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter the giveaway*
