Jennifer Vido | Jen’s Jewels Interview: HOME IS WHERE THE BODIES ARE by Jeneva Rose

Jennifer Vido: What inspired you to write a story about three estranged siblings reuniting and uncovering a dark family secret?

Jeneva Rose: I got the inspiration for HOME IS WHERE THE BODIES ARE while I was watching my family’s home VHS tapes. It was right around Mother’s Day, and I was really missing my mom, so much so that I needed to see her and hear her voice. She passed when I was eighteen and the only way I’m able to visit her is in my mind or through photos and home family videos. On one tape, there was a random clip only two minutes in length. It was from an evening back 1999, and my mom for some reason decided to pull out the camcorder. She scanned the dark tree line in our backyard, while a symphony of buzzing cicadas and squeaking bats chorused in the background. I think she had heard an owl and was attempting to capture it on film. However, a camcorder from the 80s wasn’t going to achieve that. In the middle of watching this short clip, my husband entered the living room and asked me what I was doing. I told him I was watching my family’s home videos and then I turned to him and said, “Wouldn’t it be crazy if my dad appeared on screen, covered in blood, telling my mom they needed to get rid of a dead body?” My husband replied with something along the lines of, “What is wrong with you?” I said, “Everything,” and then I wrote it down in my notes app, because I knew there was something special there, and it felt like my mother had brought the idea to me.

Jen: How did you craft the unique voices of the three siblings, especially with each at a crossroads in life?

Jeneva: When crafting the voices for Beth, Nicole, and Michael, I thought about how unique the life of one sibling versus another can turn out within a family. Despite having had the same set of parents, the same upbringing, and the same circumstances; the sibling’s outcomes were vastly different. Beth never left her small hometown of Allen’s Grove, Wisconsin and took a job at a factory right out of high school. Nicole developed a serious drug addiction, which has left her destitute. And Michael found incredible success in the tech industry out in California. They started out the same, but their lives couldn’t be more different  which is the perfect catalyst for a sibling rivalry. Jealousy and resentment fuel not only their estrangement but also their voice and how they approach the difficult situation of dealing with their mother’s death and learning that their parents weren’t who they thought they were.

Jen: Without giving away any spoilers, which scene was the most difficult to get right and why?

Jeneva: I actually found the opening chapter the most difficult to write and that’s because I wrote from a very personal place, drawing on the experience of losing my own mother. I really wanted to hit the right tone and set the stage properly for the grief that was going to play out in the novel. But drawing on my own experience made for an emotionally difficult writing process.

Jen: What do you hope readers take away from this thriller?

Jeneva: I hope readers are entertained by the twists and thrills and moved by the complex characters and the emotional depth of this thriller. The story shines a light on grief, death, resentment, and addiction – all through the lens of a dysfunctional family that despite their flaws are still relatable.

Jen: Are there any plans to make this into a series? Either way, which character’s story intrigues you most, and how so?

Jeneva: I hadn’t thought about this particular novel being turned into a series. There are certainly threads of story arcs that could be teased out in some sort of prequel or sequel format. The character that I’m very intrigued by and who I would be most excited about expanding would be the younger version of Laura and the things that happen off-page in the flashback scenes.

Jen: Did you find any specific challenges shifting back into the thriller genre after writing your first rom com, IT’S A DATE (AGAIN)? How did your creative process and approach to writing change when working on these very different types of novels?

Jeneva: I actually found it more difficult getting into the voice for It’s a Date (Again) after having written more than half of HOME IS WHERE THE BODIES ARE. I had to switch over to my rom com in the middle of writing this thriller, because it had an earlier deadline. Finding that lighthearted comedic voice was a challenge at first, so I ended up reading a couple romance novels (by Abby Jimenez and Sophie Kinsella) and watching some of my favorite romantic comedy movies (Never Been Kissed and She’s The Man) to get me in the right state of mind to write about love rather than murder.

Jen: Shifting gears – what are some of the best ways your fans can stay up-to-date on your latest projects and upcoming book news? Do you engage with readers primarily through social media, email newsletters, events, or other channels?

Jeneva: I’m very active on my public social media pages – specifically, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. I also have a private Facebook reader group called Jeneva Rose’s Convention of Readers where I regularly interact. I share sneak peeks, behind the scenes content, and host plenty of giveaways. It’s a positive little slice of paradise on the internet for me and my readers to connect. I send out a semi-monthly newsletter as well. I say semi because I haven’t been good at keeping up with my monthly newsletter goal.

Jen: I’m always eager to hear what authors are working on next! Please share any details about your current work in progress. Is it a thriller, or are you trying something totally new for your next book project?

Jeneva: I just turned in The Perfect Divorce to my editor, which is the sequel to my debut, The Perfect Marriage. That’ll be releasing in spring/summer 2025. Now, I’m working on a post-apocalyptic enemies-to-lovers romance novel called Dating After the End of the World, which will release in 2025 as well. It’s very different than anything I’ve written, and I’m currently in the middle of drafting it—but right now I’m describing it as The Fourth Wing with zombies. We’ll see if that’s actually how it turns out though.

Jen: What’s on your TBR stack?

Jeneva: A lot. The last fourteen I’ve read have all been for blurbs (which I love), but I haven’t gotten to chip away at my personal TBR stack in a while. Some that are on my list are None of This is True by Lisa Jewell, The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley, Midnight is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead, and Only If You’re Lucky by Stacy Willingham.

Jen: Getting an insider’s sneak peek into HOME IS WHERE THE BODIES ARE was a treat. Best of luck with your new release! I can’t wait to dive into your next book. Oh, I almost forgot! Please pass along my warm regards to Drew and Winston.

Jeneva: Thank you very much! I’m really glad to hear that you enjoyed it, and I will make sure to pass along your warm regards to the most important person in my life…and Drew. (JK, Drew, if you’re reading this).

HOME IS WHERE THE BODIES ARE by Jeneva Rose

From New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Marriage and You Shouldn’t Have Come Here comes a chilling family thriller about the (sometimes literal) skeletons in the closet.

After their mother passes, three estranged siblings reunite to sort out her estate. Beth, the oldest, never left home. She stayed with her mom, caring for her until the very end. Nicole, the middle child, has been kept at arm’s length due to her ongoing battle with a serious drug addiction. Michael, the youngest, lives out of state and hasn’t been back to their small Wisconsin town since their father ran out on them seven years before.

While going through their parent’s belongings, the siblings stumble upon a collection of home videos and decide to revisit those happier memories. However, the nostalgia is cut short when one of the VHS tapes reveals a night back in 1999 that none of them have any recollection of. On screen, their father appears covered in blood. What follows is a dead body and a pact between their parents to get rid of it, before the video abruptly ends.

Beth, Nicole, and Michael must now decide whether to leave the past in the past or uncover the dark secret their mother took to her grave.

Thriller [Blackstone Publishing, On Sale: April 30, 2024, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9798212182843 / eISBN: 9798212182843]

About Jeneva Rose

Jeneva Rose is the bestselling author of the psychological thriller, The Perfect Marriage, which has been optioned for film and translated into nearly a dozen languages. The Girl I Was, her first women’s fiction novel is available now. Her next suspense novel, One of Us is Dead, releases 4/26/22. Originally from Wisconsin, she now lives in Chicago with her husband and her stubborn English bulldog

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About Jennifer Vido

Jennifer Vido writes sweet romances set in the Lowcountry filled with southern charm and hospitality. In between chapters, she interviews authors for her bi-weekly Jen’s Jewels column on FreshFiction.com. Most mornings, she teaches an arthritis-friendly water exercise class for seniors before heading to the office to serve as the executive director of a legal non-profit. A New Jersey native, she currently lives in Maryland with her husband and two rescue dogs and is the proud parent of two sons who miss her home-cooked meals. To learn more, please visit her website.

Gull Island

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