1–What is the title of your latest release?
ANYWHERE YOU RUN which releases on October 25th
2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Two sisters run to different parts of the country to escape secrets they left behind. What they don’t realize is that a man with dark secrets of his own is hot on their trail with an unusual motive for finding the women.
3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
The book deals with the horror and traumatic effect of living under the oppression of segregation in 1964 so it was necessary that the story take place in the Jim Crow south. More specifically, it takes place in Mississippi, a state widely known for having some of the most racist and segregationist policies during that time.
4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
I’d love to hang out with my protagonist. I just don’t know if she’d want to hang out with me because I’m not as outgoing as she is.
5–What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Feisty, smart, and loving.
6–What’s something you learned while writing this book?
How women had so few rights and were placed in such difficult situations. They had limited access to financial independence. If you were a woman during that period, you needed a male cosigner to get credit in your own name. Women did not have the right to govern their own bodies, so they took desperate measures to handle unplanned pregnancies. There were no rape shield laws in the 1960s so many women were blamed for their attacks because of their background or the clothing they wore. Take that and layer it with racism and segregation and I learned how truly difficult it was to be a Black woman during that period. Sadly, some things have changed very little in 2022.
7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I get a rough draft down on paper – yes, I do all my first drafts in longhand. I write straight through with no editing. As I type in the longhand pages, I begin to edit. I print out that first draft and use it to continue revising. It’s an inefficient process but it works for me.
8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Dark chocolate, gelato, and croissants.
9–Describe your writing space/office!
I work in a small room off the living room in my house. It is crammed with books and family pictures – things that inspire me. It has become my favorite room in the house.
10–Who is an author you admire?
Rachel Howzell Hall. She is an incredible writer who overcame health issues and persevered. Her story is very inspirational. Her latest book, We Lie Here, is on my TBR stack.
11–Is there a book that changed your life?
Without sounding like a shameless self-promoter, I would have to say it was All Her Little Secrets. That book changed my life on so many levels. Not just because it was successful, but because it was a book that taught me that I could do the thing I was most afraid of. For years I believed that writing a book was something beyond my reach. But I stepped out on faith and took a chance on ME, and it paid off. Now, I get to do the thing I love—write books.
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.
I faced so much rejection with my debut novel. I think I had nearly run out of agents to pitch to. But in July 2019, I attended Thrillerfest and participated in their pitch event. I met a lovely woman, Lori Galvin of Aevitas Creative Management, who became my agent. She is a fierce advocate for my books and my career. But above all, she is an absolute joy to work with. I tell my friends that I think this book was merely waiting for Lori to come along. After I signed with Lori, she gave me notes and I spent another nine months or so (the pandemic intervened and at one point I was not writing all!) working on more edits. We went on submission in July 2020. Lori cautioned me that this would be a waiting game so I should expect to sit tight for a while before we heard anything. To my surprise, just 12 days later, we were in an auction! The book was sold to the enormously talented Asante Simons at HarperCollins who is my editor. I am blessed to have Lori and Asante in my corner.
13–What’s your favorite genre to read?
Mysteries and thrillers are my favorites, but I love to read all different types of books – biographies, poetry, women’s fiction, etc. I recommend to new writers that they read outside the genre they write in because it widens your perspective on your WIP.
14–What’s your favorite movie?
The Lion King because my children loved that movie and whenever they watched it, I would just sit and watch their little faces light up with delight. And it has a great soundtrack! After that, it probably has to be Fences, the film adaptation of August Wilson’s play, with Denzel Washington and Viola Davis. Their performances blew me away.
15–What is your favorite season?
Fall. I love the colors and the weather of the season. Also, it reminds me of the start of a new school year when I was a little girl and I loved school.
16–How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
These days, with a small intimate dinner with family and friends and later curling up with a good book before bed.
17–What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
The Hulu television show, The Patient with Steve Carell and Domhnall Gleeson. It is an edge-of-your-seat thriller about a therapist held prisoner by his patient who reveals he is a serial killer. So good!
18–What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Lowcountry seafood – shrimp, crab, rice, and beans.
19–What do you do when you have free time?
I love to travel and sleep. I feel like I never get enough sleep. Writing books and raising three kids can have that impact on you!
20–What can readers expect from you next?
I am writing a contemporary novel about a young woman who must rise above her personal insecurities to save a Black landowner in Georgia’s low country when she uncovers an illegal scheme that threatens to undo the legacy and generational wealth of disenfranchised families, including her own. The story explores what it means to have a home and how difficult it is for disenfranchised families to build a legacy of generational wealth for those they leave behind.
ANYWHERE YOU RUN by Wanda M. Morris
It’s the summer of 1964 and three innocent men are brutally murdered for trying to help Black Mississippians secure the right to vote. Against this backdrop, twenty-two year old Violet Richards finds herself in more trouble than she’s ever been in her life. Suffering a brutal attack of her own, she kills the man responsible. But with the color of Violet’s skin, there is no way she can escape Jim Crow justice in Jackson, Mississippi. Before anyone can find the body or finger her as the killer, she decides to run. With the help of her white beau, Violet escapes. But desperation and fear leads her to hide out in the small rural town of Chillicothe, Georgia, unaware that danger may be closer than she thinks.
Back in Jackson, Marigold, Violet’s older sister, has dreams of attending law school. Working for the Mississippi Summer Project, she has been trying to use her smarts to further the cause of the Black vote. But Marigold is in a different kind of trouble: she’s pregnant and unmarried. After news of the murder brings the police to her door, Marigold sees no choice but to flee Jackson too. She heads North seeking the promise of a better life and no more segregation. But has she made a terrible choice that threatens her life and that of her unborn child?
Two sisters on the run—one from the law, the other from social shame. What they don’t realize is that there’s a man hot on their trail. This man has his own brand of dark secrets and a disturbing motive for finding the sisters that is unknown to everyone but him . . .
Suspense | Thriller | Historical [William Morrow Paperbacks, On Sale: October 25, 2022, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780063082502 / eISBN: 9780063082519]
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About Wanda M. Morris
Wanda M. Morris is a corporate attorney, having worked in the legal departments of some of America’s top Fortune 100 companies. As an accomplished presenter and leader, she previously served as President of the Georgia Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel, in which she established a signature female empowerment program known as the Women’s Initiative.
Wanda M. Morris is an alumni of the Yale Writers Workshop and a Claymore Award finalist for mystery writing. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America. She is married, the mother of three, and she lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
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