1–What is the title of your latest release?
2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
When The Great Recession of 2008 crushes their splashy event business in Silicon Valley, Liz Becker and Gabbi Rossi realize that parties are on hold—but funerals must go on. Planning a memorial with flowers, music, and food isn’t that different from a wedding, right? But Liz has had a crippling fear of death since losing her younger sister decades earlier. Will she be able to face her fears to save her business and keep her family afloat?
3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
Since this is my first novel, I followed the old advice of “write what you know.” So, I set my book in the suburbs of Silicon Valley, where I grew up and raised my children. It was fun to include some of my favorite haunts, as well as Stanford University, where I met my husband.
4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Liz is a chronic worrier, so I’d like to hang with her and help her chill out. Gabbi is the opposite, a fearless go-for-it type. Liz needs a glass of wine, and Gabbi enjoys a glass of wine. I can relate to both types of women.
5–What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Dutiful, damaged, brave
6–What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I explored how a family tragedy can warp relationships but that it’s never too late to embrace the truth and repair the connections among loved ones.
7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I edit every step of the way. I can’t move forward if the writing is too rough or imprecise. Everyone tells you to just finish a messy first draft. That doesn’t work for me.
8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
There is a new bakery in my town called Little Sky Bakery. Their raisin walnut bread and breakfast muffins make you believe that man CAN live on bread alone.
9–Describe your writing space/office!
I write in my upstairs office overlooking my backyard. I am pleasantly distracted by the hummingbirds at the feeder, as well as the chickadees and finches outside my window. My old Labrador sleeps at my feet, and a strong cup of Peets coffee is always at the ready.
10–Who is an author you admire?
I just finished Demon Copperhead. Barbara Kingsolver is 67 years old and still at the top of her game. I bow down.
11–Is there a book that changed your life?
When I was little, my father worked for General Electric, and we moved every two years. Every book I read kept me company while I navigated so many new neighborhoods. I am grateful for all the affordable paperbacks I read through Scholastic Book Clubs.
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.
When my agent told me that a publisher was interested in my book, I was cautiously optimistic. There was no leaping out of a chair or clapping of hands. It wasn’t until I had a zoom meeting with the acquisitions editor that the reality of a publishing deal settled in. I think the road to publication is so bruising it’s hard to trust the good news.
13–What’s your favorite genre to read?
The novels I read in my book club rarely disappoint. Many of the books fall into the literary fiction category; others fall into commercial women’s fiction. (Just don’t say “chic lit!”)
14–What’s your favorite movie?
I love Shawshank Redemption. The story of how men—one who is likely innocent of all charges—keep their sanity in prison is so moving. It’s a powerful story of an unlikely friendship that transcends differences in race, age, and education.
15–What is your favorite season?
It’s a tie between spring and fall. I love to hike the mountains in springtime when the wildflowers are blooming. And I adore the fall when it’s time for boots and sweaters and preparing for family to arrive at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
16–How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
My birthday is five days before Christmas, so I like to spend a quiet evening with friends and family before the chaos of Christmas. Chocolate cake is always on the menu.
17–What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I am hooked on dramatic series. The Offer blew me away. What a cast! And I loved Bad Sisters. I just finished a charming novel by Joani Elliott called The Audacity of Sara Grayson. Writers, in particular, will love this book.
18–What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
I’m so grateful to Alice Waters and others who ushered in the farm-to-table movement and established California Cuisine. My first years were in the Midwest, and food generally came out of cans or from the freezer. I’m not too picky. If it’s fresh and healthy, I’m ready to eat.
19–What do you do when you have free time?
A perfect Saturday is a hike or bike ride in the foothills with my husband, an hour or two of reading in the afternoon, and dinner with friends over a good bottle of wine. If my grown kids are in town, I’m up for anything that strikes their fancy.
20–What can readers expect from you next?
I’m researching a novel that will likely take place in a small California town that features a business owner who must keep secrets from his fellow community members.
IN THE EVENT OF DEATH by Kimberly Young
A Novel
When the Recession crushes their splashy event business in Silicon Valley, Liz Becker and Gabbi Rossi realize that parties are on hold—but funerals must go on.
Planning a memorial with flowers, music, and food isn’t that different from a wedding, right? But Liz has had a crippling fear of death since losing her younger sister in a childhood tragedy. Knowing her husband and twin sons depend on her income, she reluctantly agrees to produce end-of-life events. As Gabbi promised, the money starts rolling in. When an old real estate tycoon hires them to plan his “after party,” Liz finds an unlikely mentor. Just as things are looking up, she learns that someone she loves has a serious illness. Death planning gets personal.
Fiction Family Life | Women’s Fiction Contemporary [Post Hill Press, On Sale: February 14, 2023, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9781637586662 / eISBN: 9781637586679]
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About Kimberly Young
Kimberly Young grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. After attending Dartmouth College, she received her MFA from Stanford University, where she was a Wallace Stegner Creative Writing Fellow. As an advertising copywriter and marketing consultant, she worked with clients ranging from startups to Apple. In the Event of Death is her debut novel, set in the suburbs of Silicon Valley.
Kim and her husband have three grown children and split their time between California and Idaho. When she isn’t reading, writing, or walking her dog, Kim loves to watch TV with her husband. Favorite productions include The Offer, The Queen’s Gambit, and Broadchurch. Among others, her vices are chilled Sauvignon Blanc and dark chocolate. She starts every morning with Peets Coffee and Wordle.
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