Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: The Good Daughter
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://www.alexandraburt.com/
CITY:
STATE: TX
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
https://www.alexandraburt.com/about
RESEARCHER NOTES:
Title: Mrs.
Email: BerkleyNALpublicity@us.penguingroup.com (Email is for the author’s publisher)
LC control no.: n 2015008176
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/n2015008176
HEADING: Burt, Alexandra
000 00317cz a2200121n 450
001 9773212
005 20150205161337.0
008 150205n| azannaabn |n aaa
010 __ |a n 2015008176
040 __ |a DLC |b eng |e rda |c DLC
053 _0 |a PS3602.U7694
100 1_ |a Burt, Alexandra
670 __ |a Remember Mia, 2015: |b ECIP t.p. (Alexandra Burt)
PERSONAL
Born in Fulda, Germany; married; children: one daughter.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Author and translator.
AVOCATIONS:Haunted locations.
MEMBER:Sisters In Crime.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Originally from Fulda, Germany, Alexandra Burt relocated to Texas as a young adult and has built a life there. After spending some time in the business of student loans, then moving into translating novels professionally, Burt transitioned into her true passion: writing crime fiction. She has also joined an association tailored specifically to other women authors with her specific genre interests, known as Sisters In Crime. Her work has been featured in several publications, as well as published into full-fledged novels.
The Good Daughter
The Good Daughter is one of Burt’s novels. In an interview featured on the Female First website, Burt explains that her inspiration for the novel came from real life events. A man she knew spent some time away from his wife, only to come back to find her vanished—with no previous signs of trouble in their marriage or discontent on her part. The event stuck in Burt’s mind, leading to the creation of the novel. The Good Daughter focuses on a protagonist by the name of Dahlia Waller, who suspects something seriously wrong may lie hidden in her past. As a child, she was severely restricted by her mother’s paranoia, unable to socialize with her peers and forced to escape her home with no explanation.
Their vagabond lifestyle and her mother’s paranoia drew a wedge between Dahlia’s relationship with her, causing her to run away and build her own life as soon as she was of age. However, running away from her old life doesn’t mean that her past has been completely buried. Rather, it haunts her in the form of unexplained occurrences unfolding around her, as well as remembrances and other sensations she can’t decode. On top of this, her mother can no longer give her the answers she needs. It is up to Dahlia to do her own sleuthing and figure out just why her youth was so strange, mottled by paranoia and dysfunction. However, the truth may be more than she’s prepared to handle. In an issue of Kirkus Reviews, one writer remarked: “Her insightful ability to make the turmoil within Memphis and Dahlia visible and believable makes for strong female characters who are nevertheless flawed and somewhat unreliable narrators.”
Remember Mia
Remember Mia is another of Burt’s novels, this time starring a woman, Estelle Paradise, whose life is catapulted into confusion and chaos from the start of the book. It all begins in a hospital, where Estelle wakes up battered and with no clue of how she got there. Worst of all, she has a daughter, Mia, who is nowhere to be found. While Estelle’s memory is nonexistent, she’s determined to recover the truth of what unfolded and where her daughter has gone. Unfortunately, fingers may be pointing to her as far as Mia’s disappearance, especially as she doesn’t go to the authorities to tell them of her problem. Worst yet, others around her may prove to be of little to no help. Some imply her abilities as a mother draw particular cause of distrust and guilt. Estelle’s spouse terrorized their marriage with his behavior.
As the memories resurface, so does Estelle’s former situation as a mother overwhelmed with responsibility and no way to escape from it. As a result, Estelle stops being able to trust anyone around her. She becomes more and more determined to track down her daughter, but the lengths Estelle will have to go to in order to retrieve Mia may prove more dangerous than she could have ever imagined. Rachael Pells, a contributor to the Independent, wrote: “The author’s ability to keep the reader guessing undoubtedly make this novel difficult to put down.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, December 1, 2016, review of The Good Daughter.
Publishers Weekly, November 21, 2016, review of The Good Daughter, p. 89.
ONLINE
Alexandra Burt, https://www.alexandraburt.com (August 30, 2017), author website.
The Big Thrill, http://www.thebigthrill.org/ (June 30, 2015), author interview.
Book People, https://mysterypeople.wordpress.com/ (July 24, 2015), MysteryPeople Q&A with Alexandra Burt.
Female First, http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/ (February 23, 2017), “10 Things Author Alexandra Burt Wants You To Know About Her.”
Independent, http://www.independent.co.uk/ (September 8, 2015), Rachael Pells, review of Little Girl Gone.
Killer Reads, http://www.killerreads.com/ (March 10, 2015), Bianca Winter, “Q&A with author Alexandra Burt #killerfest15.”
Penguin Random House, http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/ (August 30, 2017), author profile.
Read to Write Stories, https://readtowritestories.com/ (March 9, 2017), Michael Noll, “An Interview with Alexandra Burt.”*
Alexandra Burt
Home
About
US
UK
Germany
Interviews & Articles
Appearances
"I felt it when I walked across the dirt road on that farm.
It is in my mother’s breath, in her bones. In my bones.
Something isn’t right."
The Good Daughter
About the Author:
Alexandra Burt was born in Fulda, Germany, a baroque town in the East Hesse Highlands. Days after her college graduation she boarded a flight to the U.S. She ended up in Texas, married, and explored a career in the student loan industry.
After the birth of her daughter she became a freelance translator, determined to acknowledge the voice in the back of her head prompting her to break into literary translations. The union never panned out and she decided to tell her own stories.
She currently lives in Central Texas with her husband, her daughter, and two Chocolate Labrador Retrievers. One day she wants to live on a farm and offer old arthritic dogs a comfy couch to live out their lives. She wouldn't mind a few rescue goats, chickens, and cats. The more the merrier.
She is a member of Sisters In Crime, a nationwide network of women crime writers. She is currently working on her third novel.
Remember Mia is her first novel. Her second novel, The Good Daughter, will be available in February 2017.
© 2014 Alexandra Burt - All Rights Reserved
Facebook Social Icon
Twitter Social Icon
Alexandra Burt
A B
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alexandra Burt is a freelance translator and the international bestselling author of Remember Mia. Born in Europe, she moved to Texas twenty years ago. While pursuing literary translations, she decided to tell her own stories. After years of writing classes and gluttonous reading, her short fiction appeared in fiction journals and literary reviews. She lives in Texas with her husband and daughter.
Skip to content
HOME
ABOUT
CONTACT MP
EVENTS
MP TOP 100
PICKS OF THE MONTH
Search
BOOKPEOPLE'S MYSTERY BOOKSTORE-WITHIN-A-BOOKSTORE, LOCATED IN DOWNTOWN AUSTIN, TEXAS
EVENT / INTERVIEW
MysteryPeople Q&A with Alexandra Burt
JULY 24, 2015 MYSTERYPEOPLEBLOG1 COMMENT
remember mia alexandra_burton
Alexandra Burt’s debut, Remember Mia, is an engaging and well crafted domestic thriller. When a mother is accused of the murder of her missing child, she struggles to find out what happened with the help of a psychiatrist, at times wondering if she could be the culprit. We asked Alexandra about her research and approach to the novel. Alexandra Burt joins us Saturday, July 25th, speaking and signing Remember Mia. The event starts at 4 PM on BookPeople’s 2nd floor.
MysteryPeople Scott: How did the initial idea of Remember Mia come about?
Alexandra Burt: I had a story in the back of my head which didn’t lend itself to a short story and even though I never had any intentions of writing a novel, I eventually signed up for a novel writing class.
I was asked to share the first twenty-five pages of my manuscript; needless to say I hadn’t written anything yet. So I sat down that night and I imagined a woman, ravaged by postpartum depression, being confronted by a psychiatrist working to unravel the ball of yarn that is the disappearance of her infant daughter. A sentence popped into my head: “Tell me about Mia.”
By the end of the class I had written my first draft. Oddly enough those paragraphs never changed as the novel went through revisions and edits and it’s the part I usually share during readings.
MPS: Psychiatry and psychology play an important part in the novel. What kind of research did you do?
AB: I am fascinated by memories; the fact that they never decay, just become harder to access. I did a lot of research about the brain and the formation of memories. I talked to quite a few people who had been in therapy for various reasons. In Remember Mia, I decided to take the story to the highest level of suspense, the ultimate eraser of all memory—amnesia. A mother holds the key to the past but she doesn’t know whether she is responsible, doesn’t know if she’s the victim or the perpetrator. It seemed a premise worth exploring.
MPS: You’re often in Estelle’s head who isn’t always stable. How did you approach writing that?
AB: Unreliable narrators are difficult to write and demand a lot of focus not to ‘slip.’ I imagined the process similar to an actor preparing for a role; I guess one must remain ‘in character.’ Once I ‘tuned’ into my main character(s), I paid attention to the world around me; what people say and do, even actors in movies, and a bell seems to be going off at times reminding me of my own characters. By the time the first draft was done, the character was well established in my head but for a while I ‘lived’ inside the character’s head. It’s a tedious and extensive process that can’t be rushed. I hope to find a formula one day, though.
MPS: You have a very accessible, clean style that moves the eye along, while fully engaging the mind. How important is word choice in your writing?
AB: Being a translator I know word choice is even more important in writing than it is in speaking; you cannot add inflection to words on the page. The force of words is dependent on their precision. I think of it as a lot of right words, a few good ones. And then there are the strong words. Your choice should convey meaning, not obscure it, and evoke a gut feeling. There’s a balance of clarity, evocation, and flow; words shouldn’t overwhelm but draw the reader in. But at the end of the day I don’t pay attention to style like I don’t pay attention to the way I walk. It’s almost as if writers chose to be in this world via their style. I also recognize style changes over time so it’s possible that five years from now I’ll give a different answer to a similar question.
MPS: This being your first novel, did you draw from any influences?
AB: Influences are specific writers I admire as much as reasons why I write the kind of stories I write. I didn’t set out to write crime fiction but the trend emerged. As for any author it might be a matter of life experiences and a certain worldview resulting in a theme we are looking to explore.
I grew up in a small town in the Hesse Highlands. Imagine the settings of Grimm’s fairytales; that was my entire childhood. I’ve always been a gluttonous reader and I compare being fully immersed in a story to following the Pied Piper of Hamlin. As a reader I follow the melody, as a writer I do the seducing, if you will. Both are equally appealing to me; being tossed into a world that’s not my own is what I live for, regardless if I create it or not.
MPS: You reference Alice In Wonderland throughout the book. What pulled you to that story to reference?
AB: Apart from the quotes and references, similarities with Alice in Wonderland, as uncanny as they are, were completely unintentional: There’s a Pool of Tears (just imagine not knowing where your child is), running in circles (Estelle not being able to remember); the crowd hurling pebbles at her (the media judging her). Alice admits to her identity crisis and her inability to remember a poem (amnesia); a cat directs Alice to a house (return to the scene of the crime); a tea party during which Alice becomes tired of being bombarded with riddles (therapy); and Alice argues with the King and Queen of Hearts over the ridiculous proceedings, eventually refusing to hold her tongue (she won’t stop looking for the truth).
References like Alice in Wonderland create an atmosphere the reader can identify with. The proverbial rabbit hole started it off, no doubt. People say all the time “I’m not going down that rabbit hole with you,” but what if people don’t have a choice? It is definitely Estelle’s state of mind as everybody else’s in the novel; her husband, her psychiatrist, and even the media.
Join us tomorrow, July 25th, at 4 PM on BookPeople’s 2nd floor for a visit from Alexandra Burt, speaking and signing her debut novel, Remember Mia. Copies of Remember Mia are available on our shelves and via bookpeople.com.
Advertisements
Share this:
Facebook9TwitterTumblrMore
Related
MysteryPeople Pick of the Month: THE GOOD DAUGHTER by Alexandra Burt
In "Book Review"
Judgement, Absolution, and Crickets: MysteryPeople Q&A with Alexandra Burt
In "Event"
If you like Gillian Flynn...
In "8 suspense novels of the 1940s and 50s"
ALEXANDRA BURT, BOOKPEOPLE EVENTS, MYSTERYPEOPLE Q&A, REMEMBER MIA
Post navigation
PREVIOUS POST
MysteryPeople Q&A With Ace Atkins
NEXT POST
Crime Fiction Friday: MERCY KILLING by C.J. Howell
One thought on “MysteryPeople Q&A with Alexandra Burt”
Pam Durkee-Carmichael says:
AUGUST 13, 2017 AT 10:59 AM
I have a question about Remember Mia, on the last page’s 336 and 337 about the last three para grafts, who are you talking about? Which mother and which daughter, Mia and Stella or Stella’s mother? I was blown away reading your book but don’t understand the last part, get you write back with so info on this? Thank you so much, great book!!!
REPLY
Leave a Reply
Enter your comment here...
Search for:
Search …
SIGN UP FOR THE MYSTERYPEOPLE NEWSLETTER!
Click below to subscribe to a once-a-month guide to what's going on in MysteryPeople:
MysteryPeople Newsletter
MYSTERYPEOPLE, BOOKPEOPLE’S MYSTERY BOOKSTORE-WITHIN-A-BOOKSTORE
LAUNCHED IN THE FALL OF 2010 BY CRIME FICTION COORDINATOR SCOTT MONTGOMERY, MYSTERYPEOPLE IS AUSTIN’S LARGEST MYSTERY BOOKSTORE, CONVENIENTLY LOCATED INSIDE OF AUSTIN’S LARGEST INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE, BOOKPEOPLE.
MYSTERYPEOPLE IS A PLACE TO GET RECOMMENDATIONS FROM GENRE EXPERTS AND FIND BOOKS THE MAJOR CHAINS MAY IGNORE. MYSTERYPEOPLE ALSO INCLUDES A VARIETY OF EVENT PROGRAMMING, FROM AUTHOR SIGNINGS, TO WORKSHOPS, TO BOOK CLUBS GALORE, AND MUCH MORE.
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG AND E-NEWSLETTER FOR A HUB OF INFORMATION, EXPERTISE, AND CONNECTIONS TO GREAT WRITERS!
Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
Join 608 other followers
Enter your email address
FOLLOW
PICK OF THE MONTH
For the month of August:
The Sorbonne Affair
by Mark Pryor
7% SOLUTION BOOK CLUB
Discussing
And Then There Were None
by Agatha Christie
on Monday, September 4th, at 7PM
MURDER IN THE AFTERNOON BOOK CLUB
Discussing
Another Man’s Moccasins
by Craig Johnson
on Monday, August 21st at 1PM
HARD WORD BOOK CLUB
Discussing
Comeback
by Richard Stark
on Wednesday, August 30th, at 7PM
TOP POSTS & PAGES
If you like Harlan Coben...
MysteryPeople Q&A with Riley Sagar
If You Like Jack Reacher...
If you like Craig Johnson...
Peter Farris' 5 Favorite Southern Crime Novels
MysteryPeople Q&A: UNDER THE HARROW by Flynn Berry
P. J. Lambrecht, Part of the Writing Duo P. J. Tracy, Dies
Just Who Is Richard Castle?
Mind-Blowing Mysteries from Japan: Keigo Higashino
If You Like Rebus....
TAGS
7% SOLUTION BOOK CLUB ACE ATKINS ADRIAN MCKINTY AKASHIC ATX AUSTIN AUSTIN TX AUTHOR INTERVIEW BEN REHDER BOOKPEOPLE BOOKPEOPLE EVENTS BOOK REVIEW CRAIG JOHNSON CRIME CRIME FICTION CRIME FICTION FRIDAY DANIEL WOODRELL DON WINSLOW EVENTS GEORGE WIER HARD WORD BOOK CLUB HILARY DAVIDSON HUGO MARSTON IAN RANKIN IF YOU LIKE INTERVIEW JANICE HAMRICK JEFF ABBOTT JESSE SUBLETT JOE R LANSDALE JOSH STALLINGS LAURA LIPPMAN LAWRENCE BLOCK LISA LUTZ LORI RADER-DAY MARK PRYOR MEGAN ABBOTT MONDAYS ARE MURDER MULHOLLAND BOOKS MURDER IN THE AFTERNOON BOOK CLUB MYSTERY MYSTERYPEOPLE MYSTERYPEOPLE Q&A NEW RELEASES NOIR NOIR AT THE BAR OPAL DIVINES PHILIP KERR PICK OF THE MONTH REAVIS WORTHAM REED FARREL COLEMAN REVIEWS ROBERT B. PARKER SEVENTH STREET BOOKS SHOTGUN HONEY SPEAKING AND SIGNING STAFF PICK TERRY SHAMES TEXAS THRILLER
ARCHIVES
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
CREATE A FREE WEBSITE OR BLOG AT WORDPRESS.COM.
WRITING EXERCISES INSPIRED BY CONTEMPORARY STORIES
Search...
SEARCH
READ TO WRITE STORIES
ABOUT
What is this blog?
Who is Michael Noll?
Contact
THE BOOK
EXERCISES AND PROMPTS
How to Find a Premise for a Story
How to Develop a Premise into a Story
How to Describe Setting
How to Create and Develop Characters
How to Write a Scene
How to Structure a Story
How to Move Through Time and Space
How to Write (Or Write Around) Plot
How to Raise the Stakes
How to Build Suspense
How to Write Dialogue
How to Write with Style
INTERVIEWS WITH WRITERS
An Interview with Alexandra Burt
9
MAR
Alexandra Burt is the author of the bestselling Remember Mia. Her new novel is The Good Daughter.
Alexandra Burt is the author of the novels Remember Mia and The Good Daughter. She was born in Fulda, Germany, a baroque town in the East Hesse Highlands. Days after her college graduation she boarded a flight to the U.S. She ended up in Texas, married, and explored a career in the student loan industry. After the birth of her daughter she became a freelance translator, determined to acknowledge the voice in the back of her head prompting her to break into literary translations. The union never panned out and she decided to tell her own stories. She currently lives in Central Texas with her husband, her daughter, and two Chocolate Labrador Retrievers. One day she wants to live on a farm and offer old arthritic dogs a comfy couch to live out their lives. She wouldn’t mind a few rescue goats, chickens, and cats. The more the merrier. She is a member of Sisters In Crime, a nationwide network of women crime writers.
To read an excerpt from Burt’s new novel The Good Daughter and an exercise on moving between exterior action and interiority, click here.
In this interview, Burt discusses prologues, shifting between time periods in a novel, and the lure and importance of setting.
Michael Noll
I really admire the prologue of The Good Daughter, which does the work that so many prologues do: setting up situation, creating suspense. But it also spends time in Dahlia’s head, building her as a character, which can be difficult to do when you’re focused on hooking readers with story. How did you approach this prologue? Was it written early or late in the process?
Alexandra Burt
Prologues shouldn’t be too elusive, after all we don’t care about the characters, haven’t even met them yet. You can reveal character and move the plot along at the same time, like an opening scene in a movie. In The Good Daughter I wanted to create suspense and arouse curiosity regarding plot as well as characters.
The prologue was written early on as a vignette, it was the moment two characters meet; Dahlia as a child doing what she spent the better part of her life doing, going from place to place without really belonging, wondering what’s in store in the next state, the next city. It is a crossroads of sorts for the main character, a metaphor for her life and the beginning of putting down roots in Aurora, Texas. She has an encyclopedia in her lap and if she can’t figure where she’s going, she can at least look up the meanings of words she encounters along her journey. So in a way she does what she’s going to do for the entire novel: figuring out the meaning of her memories, her mother’s stories. The prologue is also chockfull of symbols: the first few pages of the encyclopedia are missing, the number seven (the seeker of truth), Red Vines turning her lips crimson. I play with symbolism a lot, sometimes on purpose, sometimes it’s just the way my scrabble ends up on the page. It is also very concrete in being a scene at a diner, a suspicious meeting by the side of the road. A prologue can do many things, like the opening scene of a movie.
Michael Noll
The novel moves back and forth between Dahlia’s present and past. Moves like this can be a risk in that readers become so engaged in one story line and moment that the shift in time feels like an interruption. That isn’t the case here. Did you move back and forth as you wrote, or did you focus on one and then the other before breaking them into pieces?
Alexandra Burt
Alexandra Burt’s novel The Good Daughter tells the story of a woman uncovering secrets from her childhood that some people don’t want her to answer.
I immensely enjoy novels that move back and forth between present and past—The Weight of Water by Anta Shreve comes to mind—but moving back and forth can be a tricky structure, I agree. Advantages of a dual timeline are a deeper plot and theme and greater character development. Disadvantages are that readers lose interest or get confused and frustrated. One can lose a reader at the drop of a dime unless both storylines are equally captivating.
The characters in The Good Daughter fed off each other and I jumped back and forth as I wrote. I had a plot in mind but I allowed the present and past to feed off each other. There was a tangible connection that I explored as I went along—the past had never died, its symbol the farmhouse that stood untouched for decades. I had to pay close attention to the transitions and really connect the two plots toward the end of the story. In general, there should be a strong relationship between the two plots, geographically, symbolically, or otherwise, and both stories must be strong in their own right.
Michael Noll
The novel is a mystery, but it’s also in many ways a quiet novel about a particular place. I’m curious which of these elements—the mystery or the sense of place—first drew you to these characters and story?
Alexandra Burt
It began as a mystery in a Texas setting: a body in the woods, an olfactory disorder, and a possible serial killer. The original title was Scent of a Crime. At some point I realized that I wanted to add another layer to the novel; I may have constructed a plot-driven mystery but something was amiss. I wanted the setting to be a character in itself and in many ways the story required a kind of Texas that was deeper than tacos and football and rodeos—forgive me for stereotyping—a Texas that could seep into the reader’s pores. I imagined a small town forgotten by time but also a place where secrets don’t die, where buildings sit untouched for decades, where the ghosts of the past remain. Once Aurora came alive, the story changed from plot-driven to a more character-driven novel. There is history wherever you go all over this country, some well-known and documented, but there need not be a historical marker or tourist attraction in order to tell a story about the place and the people. Aurora, though fictional, was such a place; once I imagined it, there was no going back and it took on a life of its own.
Michael Noll
You’re a member of Sisters in Crime, the national network of women crime writers–and I know there’s an active group here in Austin. A lot of writers are familiar with MFA programs and don’t necessarily know about groups like Sisters in Crime. What role has the group played in your development as a writer?
Alexandra Burt
I live about an hour north of Austin and I can’t participate in meetings as much as I want to, unfortunately. As a writer—and writing is a solitary profession—we need to belong and network and support each other. There still is a gender bias when it comes to women writing crime, even though women seem to dominate the headlines ever since Gone Girl hit he shelves. But the numbers speak to a deeper truth: only one third of published authors across all genres are women and therefore, by default, books written by men will be disproportionately reviewed more in the media and consequently men win more awards than women. It is important for women to support each other.
There are local chapters all over the country, even a special chapter, The GUPPIES, with beginning writers who share publishing information and offer critique groups. The organization has been around since 1986 and has been thriving ever since. We are here to stay.
“You write alone, but you are not alone with Sisters,” as they say.
March 2017
Michael Noll Michael Noll is the Editor of Read to Write Stories.
Advertisements
Share this:
TwitterFacebook11RedditLinkedIn1GoogleEmail
Related
How to Add Interiority in the Midst of Suspense
In "Character Development"
An Interview with Amy Gentry
In "Writers on Writing"
An Interview with Natashia Deón
In "Writers on Writing"
Tags: Alexandra Burt, prologues, shifting time periods, The Good Daughter, writing exercises
COMMENTS
1 Comment
CATEGORIES
Writers on Writing
← How to Add Interiority in the Midst of SuspenseHow to Create a Narrative Arc →
One Response to “An Interview with Alexandra Burt”
Trackbacks/Pingbacks
HOTXSINC Meeting: June 11, 2017: Hypnosis – Sisters in Crime ~ Heart of Texas Chapter - June 11, 2017
[…] Burt was interviewed for Read to Write Stories. She was also interviewed on KOOP Radio’s Writing on the Air on May 14. To listen to the […]
Leave a Reply
Enter your comment here...
READ TO WRITE STORIES: THE BOOK
THE WRITER'S FIELD GUIDE FOR THE CRAFT OF FICTION, will be published by A Strange Object in Fall 2017. It will feature all-new essays and exercises built around one-page excerpts from recent bestsellers and indie darlings from different genres.
For updates about ordering the book, follow the blog by email, Wordpress, or Facebook with the buttons below.
USING THIS BLOG AS A CLASSROOM TEXT?
Read to Write Stories was inspired by in-class exercises and is designed to help writers of all levels improve their craft. If you're a teacher or student using these exercises or interviews, consider taking a few moments (2 minutes tops) to click the picture above to complete a questionnaire about the blog. Michael will respond to questions.
FOLLOW VIA EMAIL
Enter your email address to follow Read to Write Stories and receive notifications of new posts by email.
Join 2,605 other followers
Enter your email address
Follow
READ TO WRITE STORIES
RECENT POSTS
An Interview with Christopher Brown
How to Introduce and Name a Cast of Characters
An Interview with Owen Egerton
How to Play “This I Believe” with Your Characters
An Interview with Nicky Drayden
ARCHIVES
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
BLOG AT WORDPRESS.COM.
Follow
:)
Female First
CELEBRITIES
ENTERTAINMENT
LIFESTYLE
RELATIONSHIPS
FASHION & BEAUTY
VIDEO
DISCUSSION BOARD
COMPETITIONS
LINGERIE
YOU ARE HERE : HOME ENTERTAINMENT BOOKS AUTHOR INTERVIEWS
Search
10 Things Author Alexandra Burt Wants You To Know About Her
STUMBLE SHARE SHARE TWEET PIN
23 February 2017
Ever since I was a child, I have been fascinated by ghosts and the paranormal. As a teenager, I used to collect articles, photographs, and newspaper clippings of anything remotely paranormal. I still ask people I meet if they had any ghostly encounters and I recently met a man who swore he saw the Mothman at a local cemetery here in Texas. Even though the Mothman originated in West Virginia in 1967 and was considered to be an omen to warn about an impending tragedy, the collapse of a bridge that killed 46 people, sightings have been reported all over the U.S.
---
I no longer collect articles and have since lost track of the collection altogether but I frequently travel to cities that are particularly haunted. I stay at spooky hotels, take ghost tours and immerse myself in the supernatural history of those cities. I diligently study the haunted history of places. My favorite haunted city is New Orleans.
---
As a child, I was unaware of the strange history of my hometown. I grew up in Fulda, Germany, during the Cold War. It seemed like an average small town yet it wasn’t average at all, in fact it played a major role during the Cold War: ‘Fulda Gap’ has two lowland corridors of geographic terrain that are lower than the surrounding elevation and therefore easily passable for tanks and troops. It has a rich in history: Napoleon withdrew his armies after a defeat (Battle of Leipzig) and he escaped home to France through those corridors following a victory (Battle of Hanau). During World War II, the U.S. Army advanced eastward into Eastern Europe through ‘Fulda Gap.’
---
I only found out as an adult that my hometown was considered the future battleground of World War III. In the event of war, nuclear weapons were certain to be used and the US and Russian Army would have battled the largest tank battle ever recorded in history. Soldiers from all over the world came to participate in Wargames, a simulated battle of the ‘Fulda Gap.’ Fictionalized portrayals appeared in numerous novels and movies. I grew up with attack helicopters circling above and the display of nuclear warheads. As fate saw fit, I now live just miles away from Fort Hood, the largest populated military installation in the US.
---
I wrote my first novel during a novel writing class. I was under the impression that the class was going to teach me how to write a novel, instead I was asked to post twenty-five pages online. The story of a mother suffering from post-partum depression had been humming in the back of my head for a while and that night I sat down and began writing LITTLE GIRL GONE. By the end of the class I had written the first draft.
---
I live just miles away from a haunted place. The legend of Maxdale Bridge in Maxdale, Texas tells of a school bus full of children coming from one direction and a young couple in a car speeding toward the bridge from the other. The groundskeeper of a nearby cemetery was fishing from the bridge. The bus swerved to avoid hitting the groundskeeper as the couple was speeding across the bridge, but the bus and the car went over the bridge. The only survivors were the groundskeeper and the driver of the car. The children not only perished but completely disappeared. It is said the driver of the car later returned and, riddled with guilt, hung himself from the bridge. Supposedly the legend can be verified by putting baby powder on the hood of your car and small handprints will appear pushing your car away from the bridge to keep you safe. Voices of children can be heard and headlights appear out of nowhere. The bridge is now closed for traffic but some superstitious souls, including myself, leave candy for the children. They say if you wait sixty seconds and then turn around, the candy will have disappeared. I am no fool, I just keep walking.
---
My second novel, THE GOOD DAUGHTER, was inspired by the unravelling of a marriage I witnessed. It wasn’t a run-of-the-mill failed union, there was much more to it: a husband returned home after working overseas yet his wife never picked him up at the airport even though they had spoken on the phone just hours before. He feared the worst until he found his house void of all her belongings and a gun missing. He looked into her past and realized he had lived with a stranger and knew next to nothing about her.
---
Every crime writer has their own reason why they ended up writing crime fiction. One summer, when I was a teenager, a five-year old girl went missing in my friend’s neighborhood. The body was recovered only hours later raped and beaten to death in a culvert. The town remained in the grips of this horrendous crime for years to come. That summer, I learned safety was a mere illusion; there were children who didn’t make it home. There were parents who saw the sun come up and their child’s bed remained empty, the covers untouched. The case has remained unsolved for over forty years.
---
Ever since I read In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, the 1959 true story of the Clutter family murder in Holcomb, Kansas, I have been obsessed with true crime stories. I am especially preoccupied with true crimes that go unsolved or contain some sort of delayed or lack of justice, which lend themselves to speculations and conspiracy theories.
---
If I could have it my way, I’d write novels for the rest of my life, on a farm, surrounded by trees and rescued animals. There’d be a creek nearby and an old dilapidated barn, and I’d watch deer pass through every morning as the sun comes up. The farmhouse would be a simple building with a wraparound porch, and creaking wooden stairs. And of course I wouldn’t mind a ghost or two haunting the place. If they’re friendly that is.
Alexandra Burt’s second novel, The Good Daughter (Avon, £7.99) is available now.
Alexandra Burt
Alexandra Burt
by Taboola Sponsored Links You May Like
Jaclyn Smith Is Almost 72 & Is Unrecognizable Today
YourDailyDish
Forget traveling, enjoy the world’s street food at home.
Mission Street Tacos
Troubled News Anchor Does The Unthinkable On Air
HeraldWeekly
Want A Gorgeous Head Of Hair Again? Don't Use This Popular Product
JuveTress
Jo Polniaczek Was Gorgeous In The 80s, But What She Looks Like Today Left Us With No Words
OyDad
Dementia? Do These 3 Things Immediately
The Unbreakable Brain
STUMBLE SHARE SHARE TWEET PIN
Videos
Louis Tomlinson teases new song
Competitions
A Dog's Purpose Goodies
Win A Dog's Purpose Goodies
Unforgettable
Win A Copy Of Unforgettable On DVD
Phoenix Forgotten
Win A Sci-Fi And Horror Film Bundle...
Lewis Hamilton by Paul Oz
Win A Lewis Hamilton Austin Grand Prix -...
Unlocked
WIn A Copy Of Unlocked On Blu-Ray
Lady Macbeth
Win A Copy Of Lady Macbeth On Blu-Ray
Supergirl
Win Supergirl: The Complete Second Season...
On Any Sunday
Win A Copy Of On Any Sunday On DVD
Most Popular
10 Things People Don’t Know About Me by Alexandra Burt
10 Things I'd Like My Readers To Know About Me By Heather Kinnane
10 Things I'd Like My Readers To Know About Me By Sophie McKenzie
Sponsored Links From The Web
She Was Gorgeous in the 80s.. But What She Looks Like Today is Incredible
DirectExpose
Rag & Bone
$284.25 - lastcall.com
This Mother Was Filming Her Twins When She Saw Something That’s a Parent’s Worst Nightmare
Scribol
She Is Considered The Most Beautiful Woman In Her Country
Travel Whip
by Taboola
Hot Articles
Barbara Knox as Rita Tanner
Coronation Street's Rita Tanner to be...
Free time wasted
A study shows half of British people have...
Phoenix Forgotten
Win A Sci-Fi And Horror Film Bundle...
Too Good To Waste
10 Ways To Make The Most Of Your Food
Stashing is the new dating term
Stashing is the new dating term
Couple have sex on bench
Couple filmed having sex on bench in...
FemaleFirst Social Media FemaleFirst on Social Media
Daniel Falconer
@DanielJFalconer
That tee 🙌🏼 #FackTramp https://t.co/DggbWESom7
13 h
Daniel Falconer
@DanielJFalconer
I watched the #GameOfThrones finale and then I came to #SugarBeach; my Monday is slaying so far. https://t.co/AmjAth7yfZ
16 h
Daniel Falconer
@DanielJFalconer
So much love for @Pink - standing up for everybody, as she always has done. #MTVVMAs https://t.co/w08gX1TnSj
17 h
Daniel Falconer
@DanielJFalconer
So, KK robbery, Katy's No Grammys, Hiddleston's I<3TS shirt... what else was in there? #LookWhatYouMadeMeDo
17 h
Daniel Falconer
@DanielJFalconer
#GameOfThronesFinale was everything it ever needed to be. #GameOfThrones
19 h
Agony Aunts
Enter your name
Enter your email
Enter Your Question
Ask Yin & Yang
Staff Picks
Game of Thrones: Why should Daenerys Targaryen sit on The Iron Throne?
Game of Thrones: Why should Daenerys Targaryen sit on The Iron Throne?
Sherrie Hewson quits Loose Women
Sherrie Hewson quits Loose Women
Colton Haynes returning to Arrow early in season 5
Colton Haynes returning to Arrow early in season 5
LGBT representation in television - Are we moving forward?
LGBT representation in television - Are we moving forward?
See the cast of Ordinary Lies series 2 in new first look image
See the cast of Ordinary Lies series 2 in new first look image
Kelvin Fletcher leaving Emmerdale
Kelvin Fletcher leaving Emmerdale
FASHION & BEAUTY
Fashion & Beauty
Lingerie
ENTERTAINMENT
Movies
Music
TV & Soaps
Competitions
Books
Sport
Horoscopes
Bizarre
Culture
LIFESTYLE
Travel
Health
Food & Drink
Parenting
Vegan
Dream Interpretation
Motoring
RELATIONSHIPS
Relationships
Sex
Agony Aunt
Weddings
Horoscopes
CELEBRITIES
Celebrity News
Interviews
Royal Family
Videos
Showbiz (DE)
VIDEOS
Celebrity Videos
Interviews
Movies
Exclusives
SHOPPING
Swimwear
Shapewear
Bras
NEWS and SPORT
News and Views
Debate
CONTACT USADVERTISETERMS & CONDITIONS PRIVACY POLICY
© 2017 FemaleFirst Ltd. all rights reserved.
duration : 0.47874s v4.2 - 2017-08-28 14:36:16
collective pixel
ExelateData
By Taboola
Read more: http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/books/alexandra-burt-the-good-daughter-1035826.html#ixzz4r6nJbWyz
Killer Reads Logo
HOME
THE TEAM
SIGN UP
Q&A with author Alexandra Burt #killerfest15
Posted on March 10, 2015 by Bianca Winter
Category: Author Post
Your name: Alexandra Burt
Tell us about yourself: I was born in Germany but moved to Texas over twenty years ago. While pursuing literary translations, I decided to tell my own stories. I live in Texas with my husband, my daughter, and my two Labradors.
Tell us about your latest book: Remember Mia (forthcoming in the U.S. in July) is the story of a mother in the grips of post-partum depression. One morning she finds her daughter’s crib empty. She begins a desperate search but eventually she becomes the number one suspect.
I am also working on my second novel, Fly into Darkness, a story about a woman who finds an unidentified girl in the woods, and no one seems to be missing her. She gets caught up in solving the mystery not realizing she’s uncovering her own elusive past.
When did you start writing? Six years ago.
Where do you write? At my desk.
Which other authors do you admire? Ursula Hegi. Joyce Carol Oates.
Book you wished you’d written? The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane by Laird Koenig
Greatest fictional criminal: The Talented Mr. Ripley. The only killer I ever rooted for.
Greatest crime or criminal from the real world: Casey Anthony
Greatest fictional detective: Rustin “Rust” Cohle from the American television series True Detective. A haunted, solitary man, he believes that life is a meaningless disease and that hope is merely self-delusion.
What scares you? Destruction of the planet.
Are you ever disturbed by your own imagination? I am disturbed by the fact that others consider my imagination to be dark and disturbing. Don’t they know that when it’s dark, they can see the stars?
3 crime books you would recommend to EVERYONE
The Last Child, John Hart
Tom Franklin, Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
The Murder Farm, Andrea Maria Schenkel
Do you listen to music when you write? No. One thing at a time.
Are you on social media? Facebook. Twitter. Tumblr.
How can fans connect with you? Alexandraburt.com. Facebook. Twitter. Tumblr.
Digg this+ Del.icio.us+ Stumble+ Facebook+ Email this+
Post navigation
← Mark Sennen’s writing space #killerfest15Q&A with author Paul Finch @paulfinchauthor #killerfest15 →
Leave a Reply
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Comment
Name *
Email *
Website
Post Comment
Notify me of follow-up comments by email.
Notify me of new posts by email.
News, extracts, events, competitions and
loads more from the crime and thrillers
team at HarperCollins.
Search the blog
Search for:
Search …
Search
Write for us.
Recently…
Q&A with author Alex Day
August 18, 2017
Your August Classic Crime Picks
August 10, 2017
Exclusive extract of The Forgotten Dead by Tove Alsterdal
August 3, 2017
On the setting of I Know My Name by CJ Cooke
July 24, 2017
Her Deadly Secret extract
July 14, 2017
The latest on Facebook
Let’s read some…
#killerfest15 Agatha Christie Alex Barclay Andrew Taylor Author Author Piece author post Avon blog profile Camilla Läckberg Charles Cumming Cold Killing Competition crime crime and thriller crime fiction Daniel Blake Dean Koontz digital first Fiction Harrogate Homeland interview Jilliane Hoffman Jurassic Park killer readers killer reads Lars Kepler Luke Delaney Mark Sennen Michael Crichton murder paul finch Poirot Pretty Little Things Q&A review Sanctus Simon Toyne SJ Parris Stalkers Stuart MacBride Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival thriller win
Tweet us!
Archives
Archives
Home
The Team
Harper Collins logo
©2016 HarperCollins Publishers UKAboutPrivacy PolicyTerms & ConditionsContact Us created by world archipelago powered by supadü
Killer Reads Logo
HOME
THE TEAM
SIGN UP
Q&A with author Alexandra Burt #killerfest15
Posted on March 10, 2015 by Bianca Winter
Category: Author Post
Your name: Alexandra Burt
Tell us about yourself: I was born in Germany but moved to Texas over twenty years ago. While pursuing literary translations, I decided to tell my own stories. I live in Texas with my husband, my daughter, and my two Labradors.
Tell us about your latest book: Remember Mia (forthcoming in the U.S. in July) is the story of a mother in the grips of post-partum depression. One morning she finds her daughter’s crib empty. She begins a desperate search but eventually she becomes the number one suspect.
I am also working on my second novel, Fly into Darkness, a story about a woman who finds an unidentified girl in the woods, and no one seems to be missing her. She gets caught up in solving the mystery not realizing she’s uncovering her own elusive past.
When did you start writing? Six years ago.
Where do you write? At my desk.
Which other authors do you admire? Ursula Hegi. Joyce Carol Oates.
Book you wished you’d written? The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane by Laird Koenig
Greatest fictional criminal: The Talented Mr. Ripley. The only killer I ever rooted for.
Greatest crime or criminal from the real world: Casey Anthony
Greatest fictional detective: Rustin “Rust” Cohle from the American television series True Detective. A haunted, solitary man, he believes that life is a meaningless disease and that hope is merely self-delusion.
What scares you? Destruction of the planet.
Are you ever disturbed by your own imagination? I am disturbed by the fact that others consider my imagination to be dark and disturbing. Don’t they know that when it’s dark, they can see the stars?
3 crime books you would recommend to EVERYONE
The Last Child, John Hart
Tom Franklin, Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
The Murder Farm, Andrea Maria Schenkel
Do you listen to music when you write? No. One thing at a time.
Are you on social media? Facebook. Twitter. Tumblr.
How can fans connect with you? Alexandraburt.com. Facebook. Twitter. Tumblr.
Digg this+ Del.icio.us+ Stumble+ Facebook+ Email this+
Post navigation
← Mark Sennen’s writing space #killerfest15Q&A with author Paul Finch @paulfinchauthor #killerfest15 →
Leave a Reply
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Comment
Name *
Email *
Website
Post Comment
Notify me of follow-up comments by email.
Notify me of new posts by email.
News, extracts, events, competitions and
loads more from the crime and thrillers
team at HarperCollins.
Search the blog
Search for:
Search …
Search
Write for us.
Recently…
Q&A with author Alex Day
August 18, 2017
Your August Classic Crime Picks
August 10, 2017
Exclusive extract of The Forgotten Dead by Tove Alsterdal
August 3, 2017
On the setting of I Know My Name by CJ Cooke
July 24, 2017
Her Deadly Secret extract
July 14, 2017
The latest on Facebook
Let’s read some…
#killerfest15 Agatha Christie Alex Barclay Andrew Taylor Author Author Piece author post Avon blog profile Camilla Läckberg Charles Cumming Cold Killing Competition crime crime and thriller crime fiction Daniel Blake Dean Koontz digital first Fiction Harrogate Homeland interview Jilliane Hoffman Jurassic Park killer readers killer reads Lars Kepler Luke Delaney Mark Sennen Michael Crichton murder paul finch Poirot Pretty Little Things Q&A review Sanctus Simon Toyne SJ Parris Stalkers Stuart MacBride Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival thriller win
Tweet us!
Archives
Archives
Home
The Team
Harper Collins logo
©2016 HarperCollins Publishers UKAboutPrivacy PolicyTerms & ConditionsContact Us created by world archipelago powered by supadü
ShareThis Copy and Paste HOME THE TEAM SIGN UP Q&A with author Alexandra Burt #killerfest15 Posted on March 10, 2015 by Bianca Winter Category: Author Post Your name: Alexandra Burt Tell us about yourself: I was born in Germany but moved to Texas over twenty years ago. While pursuing literary translations, I decided to tell my own stories. I live in Texas with my husband, my daughter, and my two Labradors. Tell us about your latest book: Remember Mia (forthcoming in the U.S. in July) is the story of a mother in the grips of post-partum depression. One morning she finds her daughter’s crib empty. She begins a desperate search but eventually she becomes the number one suspect. I am also working on my second novel, Fly into Darkness, a story about a woman who finds an unidentified girl in the woods, and no one seems to be missing her. She gets caught up in solving the mystery not realizing she’s uncovering her own elusive past. When did you start writing? Six years ago. Where do you write? At my desk. Which other authors do you admire? Ursula Hegi. Joyce Carol Oates. Book you wished you’d written? The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane by Laird Koenig Greatest fictional criminal: The Talented Mr. Ripley. The only killer I ever rooted for. Greatest crime or criminal from the real world: Casey Anthony Greatest fictional detective: Rustin “Rust” Cohle from the American television series True Detective. A haunted, solitary man, he believes that life is a meaningless disease and that hope is merely self-delusion. What scares you? Destruction of the planet. Are you ever disturbed by your own imagination? I am disturbed by the fact that others consider my imagination to be dark and disturbing. Don’t they know that when it’s dark, they can see the stars? 3 crime books you would recommend to EVERYONE The Last Child, John Hart Tom Franklin, Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter The Murder Farm, Andrea Maria Schenkel Do you listen to music when you write? No. One thing at a time. Are you on social media? Facebook. Twitter. Tumblr. How can fans connect with you? Alexandraburt.com. Facebook. Twitter. Tumblr. Digg this+ Del.icio.us+ Stumble+ Facebook+ Email this+ Post navigation ← Mark Sennen’s writing space #killerfest15Q&A with author Paul Finch @paulfinchauthor #killerfest15 → Leave a Reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Comment Name * Email * Website Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. News, extracts, events, competitions and loads more from the crime and thrillers team at HarperCollins. Search the blog Search for: Write for us. Recently… Q&A with author Alex Day August 18, 2017 Your August Classic Crime Picks August 10, 2017 Exclusive extract of The Forgotten Dead by Tove Alsterdal August 3, 2017 On the setting of I Know My Name by CJ Cooke July 24, 2017 Her Deadly Secret extract July 14, 2017 The latest on Facebook Let’s read some… #killerfest15 Agatha Christie Alex Barclay Andrew Taylor Author Author Piece author post Avon blog profile Camilla Läckberg Charles Cumming Cold Killing Competition crime crime and thriller crime fiction Daniel Blake Dean Koontz digital first Fiction Harrogate Homeland interview Jilliane Hoffman Jurassic Park killer readers killer reads Lars Kepler Luke Delaney Mark Sennen Michael Crichton murder paul finch Poirot Pretty Little Things Q&A review Sanctus Simon Toyne SJ Parris Stalkers Stuart MacBride Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival thriller win Tweet us! Archives Archives Home The Team ©2016 HarperCollins Publishers UKAboutPrivacy PolicyTerms & ConditionsContact Us created by world archipelago powered by supadü HOME THE TEAM SIGN UP Q&A with author Alexandra Burt #killerfest15 Posted on March 10, 2015 by Bianca Winter Category: Author Post Your name: Alexandra Burt Tell us about yourself: I was born in Germany but moved to Texas over twenty years ago. While pursuing literary translations, I decided to tell my own stories. I live in Texas with my husband, my daughter, and my two Labradors. Tell us about your latest book: Remember Mia (forthcoming in the U.S. in July) is the story of a mother in the grips of post-partum depression. One morning she finds her daughter’s crib empty. She begins a desperate search but eventually she becomes the number one suspect. I am also working on my second novel, Fly into Darkness, a story about a woman who finds an unidentified girl in the woods, and no one seems to be missing her. She gets caught up in solving the mystery not realizing she’s uncovering her own elusive past. When did you start writing? Six years ago. Where do you write? At my desk. Which other authors do you admire? Ursula Hegi. Joyce Carol Oates. Book you wished you’d written? The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane by Laird Koenig Greatest fictional criminal: The Talented Mr. Ripley. The only killer I ever rooted for. Greatest crime or criminal from the real world: Casey Anthony Greatest fictional detective: Rustin “Rust” Cohle from the American television series True Detective. A haunted, solitary man, he believes that life is a meaningless disease and that hope is merely self-delusion. What scares you? Destruction of the planet. Are you ever disturbed by your own imagination? I am disturbed by the fact that others consider my imagination to be dark and disturbing. Don’t they know that when it’s dark, they can see the stars? 3 crime books you would recommend to EVERYONE The Last Child, John Hart Tom Franklin, Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter The Murder Farm, Andrea Maria Schenkel Do you listen to music when you write? No. One thing at a time. Are you on social media? Facebook. Twitter. Tumblr. How can fans connect with you? Alexandraburt.com. Facebook. Twitter. Tumblr. Digg this+ Del.icio.us+ Stumble+ Facebook+ Email this+ Post navigation ← Mark Sennen’s writing space #killerfest15Q&A with author Paul Finch @paulfinchauthor #killerfest15 → Leave a Reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Comment Name * Email * Website Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. News, extracts, events, competitions and loads more from the crime and thrillers team at HarperCollins. Search the blog Search for: Write for us. Recently… Q&A with author Alex Day August 18, 2017 Your August Classic Crime Picks August 10, 2017 Exclusive extract of The Forgotten Dead by Tove Alsterdal August 3, 2017 On the setting of I Know My Name by CJ Cooke July 24, 2017 Her Deadly Secret extract July 14, 2017 The latest on Facebook Let’s read some… #killerfest15 Agatha Christie Alex Barclay Andrew Taylor Author Author Piece author post Avon blog profile Camilla Läckberg Charles Cumming Cold Killing Competition crime crime and thriller crime fiction Daniel Blake Dean Koontz digital first Fiction Harrogate Homeland interview Jilliane Hoffman Jurassic Park killer readers killer reads Lars Kepler Luke Delaney Mark Sennen Michael Crichton murder paul finch Poirot Pretty Little Things Q&A review Sanctus Simon Toyne SJ Parris Stalkers Stuart MacBride Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival thriller win Tweet us! Archives Archives Home The Team ©2016 HarperCollins Publishers UKAboutPrivacy PolicyTerms & ConditionsContact Us created by world archipelago powered by supadü ShareThis Copy and Paste
8/28/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1503974401282 1/2
Print Marked Items
Burt, Alexandra: THE GOOD DAUGHTER
Kirkus Reviews.
(Dec. 1, 2016):
COPYRIGHT 2016 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Burt, Alexandra THE GOOD DAUGHTER Berkley (Adult Fiction) $16.00 2, 7 ISBN: 978-0-451-48811-4
Secrets gain power the longer they are held, and there are twisted secrets aplenty in Burt's (Remembering Mia, 2015)
second novel--a lifetime of them.Burt shares Dahlia Waller's past through a patchwork of her memories as the adult
Dahlia struggles to uncover the secrets she knows her mother harbors--why couldn't Dahlia go to school or play with
other kids? Why did they pack up and run in the middle of the night? Why was her mother eternally vigilant? Dahlia
and her mother, Memphis, spend Dahlia's childhood as transients, living in trailer parks and seedy motels as they flee
across Texas and New Mexico to California. They eventually return to their Texas roots, but when she's old enough,
Dahlia, always at odds with her mother, moves away. When she returns years later, she upsets the uneasy peace her
mother had found. Back at home she's caught in a whirlwind of emotions, memories she can't place, strange visions,
and an odd confluence of events. Her mother's declining mental function galvanizes Dahlia's determination to get to the
bottom of the mystery that is her life. Burt knows how to propel a strongly character-driven novel forward, using
intrigue, mystery, plot twists, and rich--sometimes grisly--sensory imagery. Her insightful ability to make the turmoil
within Memphis and Dahlia visible and believable makes for strong female characters who are nevertheless flawed and
somewhat unreliable narrators. The look into their inner chaos is both fascinating and unsettling and speaks to the
strength of the human will to survive even under the most adverse conditions. Burt's tale captivates to the bitter end, by
which time "everything that was done in the dark has come into the light."
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Burt, Alexandra: THE GOOD DAUGHTER." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Dec. 2016. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA471902007&it=r&asid=9d2b492abca1ca64a1f520927f14ea0f.
Accessed 28 Aug. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A471902007
---
8/28/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1503974401282 2/2
The Good Daughter
Publishers Weekly.
263.47 (Nov. 21, 2016): p89.
COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
The Good Daughter
Alexandra Burt. Berkley, $16 trade paper (400p) ISBN 978-0-451-48811-4
At the start of this convoluted novel from Burt (Remember Mia), 33-year-old Dahlia Waller finds an unidentified
woman lying comatose in the woods near the home she shares with her mentally unstable mother in Aurora, Tex. The
experience inspires Dahlia to dig into the mysteries of her own past, including the absence of her father, the nomadic
nature of her childhood, and her mother's aversion to paperwork. When Dahlia discovers an abandoned farm that's been
deeded to her mother and on which three bodies are buried, she demands answers. Her mother supplies nothing but
stories regarding strangers, however, leaving Dahlia to wonder whether she'll ever know the truth about her family and
their history. Burt dooms an intriguing premise with arbitrary plotting, glacial pacing, and characters that lack depth and
verisimilitude. Supernatural elements introduced early in the tale hint at magic that never comes to pass, and the Jane
Doe story line has so little to do with the rest of the book that it feels like an afterthought. (Feb.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"The Good Daughter." Publishers Weekly, 21 Nov. 2016, p. 89. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA471273949&it=r&asid=6a8a3a61328439052c804447c1326240.
Accessed 28 Aug. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A471273949
0
News
Voices
Sports
Culture
Indy/Life
Tech
Daily Edition
CultureBooksReviews
Little Girl Gone, by Alexandra Burt - book review: Escapism and clichés in corny tale of Paradise lost
What starts as a vaguely believable and emotive story about a missing child transforms itself into something resembling a rejected Arnold Schwarzenegger film
Rachael Pells @rachaelpells Tuesday 8 September 2015 01:15 BST0 comments
0
Click to follow
The Independent Culture
little-girl-gone.jpg
Little Girl Gone
When Estelle Paradise wakes up in hospital, broken and missing an ear, she can't remember anything of the accident. In fact, the only definitive thing she has to hold on to is the gut-wrenching instinct that her baby daughter is missing. For reasons beyond everyone, she didn't report the crime. But wait – this is no telenovela, this is Upstate New York and the basis for Alexandra Burt's debut novel Little Girl Gone.
The book's title is not the only similarity to last summer's bestselling drama Gone Girl; young mother Estelle is so unreliable a narrator she rivals the manipulative Amy Dunne and the story twists enough to keep the reader guessing at its outcome. What happened to baby Mia Paradise?
As with all good crime dramas, every character is a potential suspect, including amnesia inflicted mother Estelle, who struggles under the pressures of caring for her child. Then there's elusive husband Jack who can be aggressive and controlling, despite being largely absent from the situation. Not to mention prying neighbour David, who intensifies Estelle's anxieties with subtle digs at her mothering technique.
New Lasik Procedure Delivers 'Super-Vision' In MInutes
Lasik | Search Links
White House responds to Fox News lawsuit
CNN Money
Play this game for 10 minutes and see why everyone is addicted
Throne: Free Online Game
by Taboola Sponsored Links
Fast-paced and gripping, the story begins well and gives promise that something clever will unfold as, bit by bit, Estelle's memories are recovered and the truth comes closer to the fore. But the plot itself is cheap and becomes increasingly less sharp towards its end, when what was once a vaguely believable and emotive story about a missing child transforms itself into something resembling a rejected Arnold Schwarzenegger film. Car chases and gun-wielding psychopaths slide uncomfortably towards a particularly trashy moment in the climax of the novel, when a villain throws out the lines: "And so we meet again… next time you visit my home without an invitation, you should be more careful". Unsurprisingly, these moments are difficult to take seriously.
But despite all of this nonsense, Little Girl Gone is a worthy read. There are themes beyond the crime drama facade that render it emotive. Broken down, it is a story of control, overpowering relationships, paranoia and postnatal depression – something which sadly gets a little overlooked towards the end.
Of course some questions are left unanswered (why, really, must our heroine be named Estelle Paradise?) and Burt certainly applies some artistic license during descriptions of Estelle's medical care and psychiatric therapy days. But the author's ability to keep the reader guessing undoubtedly make this novel difficult to put down – as cliché as that may be. But then cliché is written all over Little Girl Gone and it's a satisfying escapism none the less.
0
Reuse content
by Taboola Sponsored Links
These Unnerving Photos of Life in North Korea Will Make Your Jaw Drop
Travel Whip
New Lasik Procedure Delivers 'Super-Vision' In MInutes
Lasik | Search Links
White House responds to Fox News lawsuit
CNN Money
Play this game for 10 minutes and see why everyone is addicted
Throne: Free Online Game
The 10 Hottest News Anchors In The World
EdgeTrends
Quiz: Can You Guess the 70s Hit From the First Line?
Zoo.com
23 Baby Names Parents Say They Regret Giving Their Kids
CafeMom
25 of Hollywood's Longest Marriages
Womens Forum
She Had Lots of Fun on the Set of Full metal Jacket
Two Red Dots Nostalgia
COMMENTS
Login
0 Comments
SubscribeRSS
Man says Nazis were socialist, gets schooled by history writer
The one photo that shows the devastation of Hurricane Harvey
Meet the young woman that Harvard believes is the next Einstein
J.K. Rowling just destroyed a man's ridiculous Islamophobic comment
People are slating Taylor Swift for her 'Look What You Made Me Do' video
MOST POPULAR
The significance of Jon Snow's real name
When to expect Game of Thrones season 8
Flood wrecks home of man who says natural disasters are gay punishment
Tourist gang raped on Italian beach as boyfriend is savagely beaten
Schoolboy, 13, raped 'small and vulnerable' 12-year-old boy in park
Promoted Links
25 Hilarious Fashion Trends That Everyone Wore
Definition
Stereotypical America Perfectly Portrayed By These Photos
Frank151
He Stepped Into The Water For A Closer Look, Then Realized The Creature Was Approaching Him
Hyperactivz
She Was Bullied All Her Life, Now She’s Making Headlines
HopeShared
Disabled woman blamed for being sexually assaulted by gang of teenagers on bus
Washington elite have given their verdict on Ivanka Trump and it's devastating
by Taboola
SPONSORED FEATURES
Meet the ex-TV producer living a rich life
Brent Hoberman and his mentee discuss how to build a successful business
5 years of Prudential RideLondon
Caroline Rush mentors textile artist in Progress 1000 pairing
VIDEO
On board a rescue boat with volunteers saving families from Harvey
Emergency shelters in Texas are filling up as the fallout persists
Mbappe to join PSG on loan ahead of £166m move next summer
Follow us:
User Policies
Privacy Policy
Cookie Policy
Code of Conduct
Complaint Form
Contact Us
Contributors
All Topics
Archive
Newsletters
Jobs
Subscriptions
Advertising Guide
Syndication
Evening Standard
Novaya Gazeta
Install our Apps
By Taboola
×THE BIG THRILL
Home
Current Issue
Latest Books
ITW Publications
Extras!
Staff
Contact
About ITW
Copyright © 2016 International Thriller Writers, Inc., All rights Reserved.
THE BIG THRILL
HOME
CURRENT ISSUE
LATEST BOOKS
ITW PUBLICATIONS
EXTRAS!
STAFF
CONTACT
ABOUT ITW
CRIME FICTION, LATEST BOOKS
Remember Mia by Alexandra Burt
JUNE 30, 2015 by ITW
24 0
RememberMia_1REMEMBER MIA is a thriller that puts you in the midst of every mother’s worst nightmare: her baby has disappeared. When Estelle Paradise’s baby daughter is taken from her crib, she doesn’t report her missing. A week later, Estelle is found in a wrecked car miles from home, with a gunshot wound to the head and no memory. The only thing she can recall is the blood…so much blood. She knows she holds the key to what happened that night—but what she doesn’t know is whether she was responsible.
Tell us about your background. You are originally from Europe?
I was born in Germany. I read English literature in high school—I remember Bram Stoker’s Dracula, C. S. Forester’s African Queen, and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein—but other than that I read books exclusively in my native language. Days after graduating from college I boarded a plane to the U.S. I ended up in Texas, I married, and explored a career in corporate America. I eventually started reading English novels, gluttonously, day in, day out. After the birth of my daughter I became a freelance translator and even though the projects I worked on were mostly commercial, I really wanted to break into literary translations. The union never panned out and I so decided to tell my own stories instead. I took a few writing classes and eventually published my short fiction.
Tell us how you came up with the idea for REMEMBER MIA?
I eventually took a novel-writing class, and on the first day of class I was asked to post twenty-five pages. Needless to say, I hadn’t put a single word on paper. So later that night, I sat down and a sentence popped into thy head: “Tell me about Mia.” I imagined a woman, ravaged by postpartum depression, being confronted by a psychiatrist working to unravel the ball of yarn that is the disappearance of her infant daughter. The title may changed over the years, but the story remained the same; a tale of motherhood, shortcomings, and isolation. There were many revisions, many workshops, but eventually the story took shape.
Tell us about the part of the novel that is the harsh reality for some mothers—postpartum depression?
I had a rocky start with motherhood. I experienced nine months of nausea and a potentially life-threatening complications after childbirth that almost took my life. I just didn’t bounce back. I went about my days feeling like a zombie. To the outside world I looked fine but I had unsettling thoughts; visions of falling down steps while holding my daughter plagued me. And I told no one. Whenever she wasn’t with me, I would suddenly start and panic, convinced I had left her in some department store or market to fend for herself. My need to keep her safe at all times was in stark contrast to what I didn’t feel; the overwhelming joy of being a mother. I came around eventually, a year later. Coming around is the norm and sounds obvious and inevitable, but in my case it was the longest year of my life.
How did the concept of memory recall influence the story of REMEMBER MIA?
We all are, in a way, the sum of our memories. I was fascinated by our memory’s limitless capacity, and research suggests that memories never decay, they just become harder to access. Even to this day a childhood memory of mine will pop up out of nowhere, and when that happens I wonder where it’s been hiding all along. As I wrote the first draft of REMEMBER MIA, I decided to take the story to the highest level of suspense, the ultimate eraser of all memory—amnesia. In REMEMBER MIA, a mother holds the key to what happened to her baby that night, but she doesn’t know whether she was responsible, doesn’t know if she’s the victim or the perpetrator. With the help of a psychiatrist she attempts to solve the puzzle that is her missing daughter.
Are you working on any other projects?
I’m actually working on two projects right now. One is a YA crime novel that I’m co-writing with a YA author. We are in the very beginning stage and I enjoy the co-writing aspect immensely. I am very excited about the project and can’t wait to see what becomes of it. I am also working on my next novel. It takes place in a fictitious rural town in central Texas over a span of thirty years. It’s a story about a missing woman—there’s not a single photograph of her, just a hasty composite tucked away in a dusty file— and uncovering the woman’s life and death exposes abandonment and heartbreak, danger and salvation. And it will change the entire town.
What do you want beginning writers to know about the journey of becoming an author?
That’s a big one. First of all, I have come to the conclusion that the people who make it as writers are the ones who take criticism well; having thick skin is kind of a prerequisite. What you write is not your very soul on paper; it’s what you do with the craft. So it’s not personal; still, you should consider it your art and be protective of it, but take advice. And take classes, join a writers’ group—no one ever learned to write by themselves, hidden away at a desk in an attic. Other than that, put yourself on a diet of reading and writing, every single day of your life, and you’ll do well.
_______
Thank you, Alexandra, for speaking with The Big Thrill. You can find out more about Alexandra Burt’s book on her website and connect with her on Facebook.
*****
alexandraFrom the author: “I moved to Texas twenty years ago and, while pursuing literary translations, I decided to tell my own stories. After three years of writing classes and gluttonous reading, my short fiction appeared in the Freedom Fiction Journal, All Things Girl, and MUSED Literary Review. I am a proud member of Sisters In Crime, a nationwide network of women crime writers. I am currently working on my second novel. I live in Texas with my husband, my daughter, and my two Labradors.”
inShare
ITW
International Thriller Writers Inc represents professional authors from around the world. Learn more about them, their work, and the sources from which they draw their inspiration at the Official ITW Organization Website.
Interested in becoming a member of the International Thriller Writers? ITW offers Active and Associate memberships.
NO COMMENTS YET
Comments are closed
Related News
The Six by Mark Alpert
Moving Target by Lynette Eason
Hemophage by Stephen M. DeBock
CURRENT ISSUE
THRILLER ROUNDTABLE
thriller-roundtable-logo6
PAID ADVERTISING
matchup_new
SEARCH THE BIG THRILL
Search
HOT OFF THE PRESS!
Click on a book title to read the feature story
SPECIAL FEATURES
Between the Lines: Simon Toyne by Nancy Bilyeau
Get It Right: Linda Fairstein and Marcia Clark on the Legal Sphere by John Valeri
International Thrills: Britta Bolt by David Swatling
Africa Scene: Frank Owen by Michael Sears
Up Close: Sandra Brown by Dawn Ius
Up Close: Jon Land by J.H. Bográn
Up Close: Karin Slaughter by April Snellings
Up Close: James Swallow by Dawn Ius
Up Close: Marcus Sakey by Dawn Ius
INTERVIEWS
Hook’s Tale by John Leonard Pielmeier
The Art of Fear by Pamela Crane
Valley of Dry Bon’z by Terry A. del Bene & Stoney Livingstone
A Song for Chloe by Bob Bickford
Open the Door by Diana Deverell
Little Boy Lost by J. D. Trafford
Polo’s Long Shot by Jerry Kennealy
The Woods by Amanda McKinney
Bad Apple by Barry W. Ozeroff
Fatal Forgeries by Ritter Ames
NEW RELEASES
The Dispensable Wife by AB Plum
The Marriage Pact by Michelle Richmond
Every Day Above Ground by Glen Erik Hamilton
Blood Trails by Michael A. Black
All Signs Point to Murder by Connie Di Marco
The Last Girl by Danny Lopez
The Devil’s Colony by Bill Schweigart
Calling Down the Lightning by Maynard Sims
Call of Fire by Beth Cato
Unquiet Ghosts by Glenn Meade
South of Cincinnati by Jonathan Ashley
Storm Shelter by J. L. Delozier
Murder in Saint-Germain by Cara Black
The Driver by Hart Hanson
What The Dead Leave Behind by David Housewright
Love at First Crepe by Heidi Renee Mason
A Merciful Truth by Kendra Elliot
The Black Kachina by Jack Getze
Carolina Crimes: 21 Tales of Need, Greed and Dirty Deeds by Nora Gaskin Esthimer
Among the Dead by J. R. Backlund
Atticus by J. B. Manas
The Boldest Measures by Charlie Flowers
The Five Senses of Horror by Eric J. Guignard
Exploring Dark Short Fiction by Eric J. Guignard
The Punch Escrow by Tal M. Klein
COMING NEXT MONTH!
The latest thrillers from Sue Grafton, J. T. Ellison, Nelson DeMille, Mark Pryor, Debra Webb, Kyle Mills / Vince Flynn, Brad Abraham, Jeff Abbott, Jean Harrington, David McCaleb, Peter Tonkin, Susan Santangelo, Robert E. Dunn, Lisa Towles, Amy Rogers, Stephanie Gayle, Ronie Kendig, Lisa Marie Rice, Tony Knighton, Vaughn C. Hardacker and many more!
Discover Tomorrow’s Hottest Thriller Authors Today on Inside Thrill Radio!
Inside Thrill Radio airs monthly, as host Jenny Milchman takes listeners deep behind the scenes to hear about brand new thrillers and how they came to be.
“Win, Lose, or Draw” is available starting April 19th: Three authors, who between them have racked up Edgar, Anthony, Agatha, Shamus, and Lefty award nominations, talk about their new thrillers! Will they win, lose, or draw at this year’s award ceremonies? Hear about their books and judge for yourself. Featuring guests Matt Coyle, Nadine Nettmann, and Lili Wright.
MATCH UP: IN STORES NOW!
mu_footer
THRILLERFEST XII: REGISTRATION IS OPEN!
tfestxii_400
FOLLOW US ON
FACEOFF
One of the most successful anthologies in the history of publishing!
fo_footer
Copyright © 2017 International Thriller Writers, Inc., All rights Reserved.