{Author Interview} Jill Hathaway

Bio: Jill Hathaway lives in the Des Moines area with her husband and young daughter. Having earned her BA in English Education from the University of Northern Iowa and her MA in Literature from Iowa State University, she teaches high school English and dual credit courses for Des Moines Area Community College. 
Contact: Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Vee Bell is certain of one irrefutable truth—her sister’s friend Sophie didn’t kill herself. She was murdered. Vee knows this because she was there. Everyone believes Vee is narcoleptic, but she doesn’t actually fall asleep during these episodes: When she passes out, she slides into somebody else’s mind and experiences the world through that person’s eyes. She’s slid into her sister as she cheated on a math test, into a teacher sneaking a drink before class. She learned the worst about a supposed “friend” when she slid into her during a school dance. But nothing could have prepared Vee for what happens one October night when she slides into the mind of someone holding a bloody knife, standing over Sophie’s slashed body. Vee desperately wishes she could share her secret, but who would believe her? It sounds so crazy that she can’t bring herself to tell her best friend, Rollins, let alone the police. Even if she could confide in Rollins, he has been acting off lately, more distant, especially now that she’s been spending more time with Zane. Enmeshed in a terrifying web of secrets, lies, and danger and with no one to turn to, Vee must find a way to unmask the killer before he or she strikes again.

1) Describe Slide in a single sentence. 

She sees through the eyes of a killer.

2) If you could re-title Slide, what would you call it and why? 

Originally SLIDE was titled OTHER PEOPLE, but I think that title was pretty bad. SLIDE is much better.

3) What gave you the idea to write about a girl who could Slide into other people's bodies in a sense? First I came up with the idea that I wanted my main character to find herself in the head of a killer standing over a dead body. Then I had to figure out how she got there, so I came up with sliding.

4) What inspired you throughout the writing process in order to finish this wonderful debut? I had a great time writing the book. I kept writing because I wanted to find out what happened next!

5) Do you think the cover accurately represents the story you wanted to tell? The cover isn't very literal, but I think it conveys the tone of the story very well.

6) What is the one thing you would say to any aspiring writer right now if the world depended on it? Don't give up! I queried over 100 agents with my first novel, but I kept on writing. When I queried SLIDE, I had tons of interest. Keep writing until you find the right story!

Thank you for stopping by Jill!