1–What is the title of your latest release?
2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
A behind-the-scenes look at a reality show filming the search for a missing teenage girl…and how that show leads to unexpected tragedy.
3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
One side of my family is from Maryland. Visiting often over the years I picked up enough local color to set the book there.
4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Yes, Casey is smart and fun and creative. I just wouldn’t ever trust her!
5–What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Bold. Ambitious. Manipulative.
6–What’s something you learned while writing this book?
Some of the dialogue we hear on reality shows is scripted by the producers!
7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I try to write a really solid first draft, so there’s not too much repair work at the end. When I finish a chapter, I go over it a few times before moving forward.
8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Fancy L.A. sushi. And fancy ice cream.
9–Describe your writing space/office!
Big desk in front of a big window – gotta monitor all the parking intricacies on my block! Bouncy ball next to me for throwing off the wall. Lots of good books on the shelves for inspiration. One large, semi-thriving plant. Legal pads and scraps of paper everywhere with very essential notes!
10–Who is an author you admire?
Jennifer Egan.
11–Is there a book that changed your life?
The Road, by Cormac McCarthy.
12–Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
It’s a little anti-climactic, and I think this is common, because when your agent calls during the sales process there is a lot of “I think this might happen…I’m expecting to hear from so-and-so company…”, etc. At that point I started to feel optimistic and excited and celebrated by buying an overpriced smoothie. And then, when the sale really gets confirmed, there are a lot of strong feelings. Relief. Gratitude to the people taking this leap of faith. Pride in my work.
13–What’s your favorite genre to read?
Contemporary fiction with an element of satire or social commentary.
14–What’s your favorite movie?
25th Hour
15–What is your favorite season?
Summer
16–How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
It’s in the middle of winter, so the best case is on a snowboard.
17–What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
The Last of Us. Theater Camp. Our Country Friends.
18–What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Mexican.
19–What do you do when you have free time?
Go to the beach as much as possible. Play way too much basketball. See a great indie movie and yell about it afterwards over dinner.
20–What can readers expect from you next?
I am obsessed with a new idea for a romantic comedy set in the sports world. Stand by!
KILL SHOW by Daniel Sweren-Becker
A True Crime Novel
When sixteen-year-old Sara Parcell goes missing, it’s an utter tragedy—and an entertaining national obsession—in this thoughtful and addictively readable novel that offers a fresh and provocative take on whodunits and true crime
Sara Parcell disappeared without a trace on a crisp April morning in Frederick, Maryland. Her tragic story was a national obsession and the centerpiece of a controversial television docuseries that followed her disappearance in real time. But is it possible that everyone missed the biggest secret of all?
Ten years after these events, the people who knew Sara best are finally ready to talk. In this genre-bending novel, Daniel Sweren-Becker fashions an oral history around the seemingly familiar crime of a teenage girl gone missing. Yet Kill Show, filled with diabolical twists and provocative social commentary, is no standard mystery. Through “interviews” with family members, neighbors, law enforcement, television executives, and a host of other compelling characters, Sweren-Becker constructs a riveting tale about one family’s tragedy—and Hollywood’s insatiable desire to exploit it.
By revealing the seedy underbelly of the true crime entertainment machine, Kill Show probes literary territory beyond the bounds of the standard whodunit; it’s a thoughtful exploration into America’s obsession with the mysteries, cold cases, and violent tales we turn to for comfort. Groundbreaking, fast-moving, and informed, this is a novel about who’s really responsible for the tragedies we love to consume.
Thriller Crime [HarperCollins Publishers, On Sale: October 3, 2023, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9780063321403 / eISBN: 9780063321427]
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About Daniel Sweren-Becker
Daniel Sweren-Becker is an author, a television writer, and a playwright living in Los Angeles. He graduated from Wesleyan University and received an MFA from New York University. His play Stress Positions premiered in New York City at the SoHo Playhouse, and he is the author of the novels The Ones and The Equals.
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