What happens when a stubborn MAGA father, his progressive bookseller daughter, and the ghost of his centrist wife collide in a battle over family, finances, and grudges? In LOUIE ON THE ROCKS (SparkPress, February 4, 2025), author Meredith O’Brien delivers a darkly comedic exploration of political division, generational conflict, and reluctant caregiving. We talked with O’Brien to discuss the inspiration behind her novel, the secrets families keep, and what’s coming next. The Inspiration Behind LOUIE ON THE ROCKS When asked about the setting for LOUIE ON THE ROCKS, O’Brien explained that she pulled from her own surroundings:“I wrote what I know, so I rooted the story in central Massachusetts in communities near me.” But what truly drives the novel is its characters—three very different protagonists: While O’Brien admits she’d probably only hang out with Helen in real life, she built the characters to reflect the complexity of family relationships—where love and resentment exist side by side. Family Secrets and Political Divides As she wrote LOUIE ON THE ROCKS, O’Brien realized just how much people keep from each other:“People rarely share their truths and often have no idea what others are really thinking. We hide more than we share. And that’s…

“My newest book, KILL-TV, is one of my “what if,” stream-of-consciousness moments parlayed into a plot. As a mere lass in my twenties I spent several years working in the radio and television industry where lessons abounded daily, minute-by-minute deadlines were de rigueur, and my video-to-script writing cost me all use and feeling in my verbs.Back in the day,” when I discovered the magic wrought by shoulder pads and their seemingly mysterious ability to make my waist appear smaller than it actually was, I came up with another mysterious point to ponder: What if I wrote a comical and suspenseful story that was based upon a combination of irritating characters I’d worked with in broadcasting and, lest there be any residual hostility on my part necessitating expensive counseling, I just plain killed ‘em off?” You know…cheap therapy. This began my year-long journey into the development of my most ambitious novel to date, KILL-TV, just by virtue of continuity, scene changes, and plotting gyrations. While some kind folks, to whom I am not related, have commented that I am mildly amusing, humor does tend to always find its way into anything I write. Having said that, maintaining a humorous tone, snappy…

I’ve heard that a lot since the debut of my of the Finley Anderson Tanner series. I can’t attest to how much she and I are alike. Yes, Finley and I share the same sense of humor and I suppose her moral code mirrors my own. That’s pretty much where the similarities end. Well, excluding the fact that she’s blonde and short. That’s a function of practicality. Being blonde and short myself, I know how to dress Finley (fairly high heels are important) and the physicality of the character’s actions reflect the fact that unless she started dating Michael J. Fox, she’d never know what it felt like to dance with her head resting on a guy’s shoulder. In all other aspects, Finley and I couldn’t be less alike. She’s a shopper, something I personally loathe. I’d rather remove a kidney than go to a mall. The whole idea of window-shopping makes me want to stick pencils in my eyes. Finley’s also heavily in debt, another personal taboo of mine. But the biggest difference is that she’s an underachiever by choice. I’m so much of an overachiever that I probably could benefit from lengthy therapy. Crafting a character is never…