Today we are very excited to share an interview with Author Kate Weston (Murder on a Summer Break)!
Meet the Author: Kate Weston
Kate Weston is an ex-stand-up comedian (never won any awards) and a bookseller (never won any awards at that either). She now writes books for teenagers. Her first book, Diary of a Confused Feminist, was longlisted for the CWIP Prize and nominated for the Carnegie Medal. This is her third book for teens.
About the Book: Murder on a Summer Break
Amateur sleuths and wannabe influencers Kerry and Annie are back on the case when a social media festival inspires some killer content—and several on-camera influencer deaths—in this page-turning and sidesplitting sequel to Murder on a School Night from author and comedian Kate Weston.
After catching the menstrual murderer red-handed, Annie and Kerry are now the Tampon Two, Barbourough’s most famous—well, only—detective duo. So Annie (and decidedly not Kerry) is enjoying her five minutes of fame.
Except life in the spotlight seems to be a magnet for death these days. After a famous prankster is found dead with a condom stretched over his entire head, the Tampon Two are on the scene at their small village’s Festival of Fame to catch another killer.
Honestly, Kerry doesn’t know how she ended up here again, but this might be her one chance to prove to the folks at the local paper that she has what it takes to be a reporter—and to prove to herself that she doesn’t need her boyfriend, Scott, to save the day. Or even Annie, who definitely has stars and hearts in her eyes investigating all these influencers.
With Annie distracted, Kerry has to work quickly, before one more live stream can be cut off by yet another grisly death. And this time, the murderer might be following her—and not just on social media—in their quest to create some truly killer content.
~Author Chat~
YABC: What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
The inspiration really came when I was writing Murder on a School Night. I’d already started toying with some of the realities (or not) of social media and the pitfalls of craving popularity. But my interest in the hold that social media has over us and the way we view content was piqued during the pandemic when I, like most people, couldn’t stop scrolling TikTok. I couldn’t work out why I was wasting so much time watching other people doing their day-to-day stuff. It wasn’t making me feel good because I found myself constantly comparing myself to other people, yet I couldn’t stop watching. It also made my cat angry because he could hear that I was watching videos of other cats, and he was furious. Our relationship took a while to heal.
YABC: Who is your favorite character in the book?
Annie and Kerry are always going to be my favourite characters in the Murder on a… books, because each of them is a small part of me. Annie is my more outgoing side and Kerry is my more introverted side. So, I have a lot of affection for both characters! But aside from those two, I would say that my favourite character in this one was more the one that I had the most fun writing rather than them being a good character. I really enjoyed writing Ethan, he’s a terrible person but it felt cathartic to send up a lot of things that I’d experienced or seen in real life…
YABC: What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?
I don’t want to spoil anything but there is a scene with a séance which I really enjoyed writing (I’ve always wanted to write one, I’m a huge fan of The Craft). There are some other scenes I’m really proud of but I don’t want to spoil anything and I also worry that it’s slightly unhinged of me to say that I enjoyed the murder scenes?
YABC: Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?
Keep writing. You have to keep going through self-doubt. Even when you’re convinced something’s terrible, keep writing it because you’ll come out the other side and you can always fix things that you don’t like. Re-writing isn’t a failure, it’s just experimenting, and I’ve often got to know characters the best in some of my ‘deleted scenes’ where I’m just playing around with them. The words always serve a purpose, even if they’re deleted. But also, not all writing is actually writing. Sometimes the big writing stuff happens when you’re out for a walk or doing something else, and your brain’s still whirring away on a problem or a plot point.
YABC: What do you like most about the cover of the book?
The illustrator for both Murder on a Summer Break and Murder on a School Night was Eleanor Laleu. I love her work and she did an incredible job of bringing Annie and Kerry to life. It’s always so thrilling to see your characters actually drawn out like that. I was also very lucky to have David DeWitt designing both covers. The two of them together are a dream team.
YABC: What new release book are you looking most forward to in 2024?
I can’t wait for people in the US to read This Book Kills by Ravena Guron, which I think is publishing this month for you guys. It’s an incredible book that I read in basically one sitting. Also a book that’s actually publishing in 2025 but that I’m very excited about is Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven. I figure there’s not too much of 2024 left so maybe I can sneak that in under the radar?
YABC: What’s a book you’ve recently read and loved?
Last Seen Online by Lauren James. I read most of it in the space of an afternoon. I love the combination of blog and present day, and I the mystery is so compelling.
YABC: Which was the most difficult or emotional scene to narrate?
There’s a scene where Kerry has a panic attack which was hard for me to write because I also get panic attacks. It’s very hard to write something that’s so unpleasant for you, you have to go back and revisit horrible memories. But I think those are important scenes because they might help people who also get panic attacks to feel like they’re not alone. I hope they help people. I used to get them a lot when I was younger and felt like I was dying, so to see someone else experiencing it in a book would have definitely helped me!
YABC: What is the main message or lesson you would like your reader to remember from this book?
Not everything that you see online is true or exactly as it’s presented. You’re seeing a small snippet out of context. It’s easy to show snippets of your life and make them perfect with a filter, cropping out the mess and the stress. It’s not easy to show life with all its ups and downs and nuance in a tiny square or reel. The majority of the time you’re not seeing people’s complicated feelings or the worst part of their day. I’ve started to view most videos on social media like a story being told by an unreliable narrator.
YABC: Is there an organization or cause that is close to your heart?
Mental health and period health are two things close to my heart. They’re both discussions that still seem to carry a lot of shame and I think if we talk about them more we can erase this shame. I have OCD and was recently diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Pre-Menstrual Dysphoric Disorder and Adenomyosis. I’ve been going to the doctor struggling with my periods and mental health for nearly 20 years now but have only just been diagnosed. PMDD especially seems to be something that not enough people are aware of, so it isn’t being picked up quick enough despite current stats that 72% of people with PMDD report thoughts of suicide at some point in their lives and 34% have made a suicide attempt at some point in their lives. With stats like that I really believe it should be something that people are aware of when they start menstruating so that they can look out for themselves and their friends. There are things that can be done to ease conditions like PCOS and PMDD, and if we erase the shame around them hopefully more people can access help more quickly and easily. People don’t need to suffer for as long as they currently are with these conditions. The same applies to OCD, which can make you feel completely on your own, but talking about it can help you realise that you’re not.
YABC: What advice do you have for new writers?
Just keep going. Don’t stop. Your writing gets better the more you do it and everyone has days where what they’re writing is absolute rubbish. No words are wasted. Not even the deleted ones. They’re all a stepping stone to get where you’re going. Also read, read books like yours, read books that aren’t like yours, read as much as varied as you can.
Title: Murder on a Summer Break
Author: Kate Weston
Release Date: 9/10/24
Publisher: HarperCollins
Genre: YA mystery
Age Range: 13-17
