Much of what went into creating and developing West as a character depended entirely on Sadie’s chapters because his chapters were framed as a response to hers-without Sadie, there would be no West. I wanted his perspective to contrast hers in a very pointed way over the course of the novel. I chose West to drive that home in how he told Sadie’s. Sadie examines how well we serve the narratives of people who are no longer around to tell their own story. Listen to Episode 1 of The Girls! What went into creating West McCray? Why did you choose him to be our guide through this story? One of the neat things about early reader reviews is when they name which real-world podcast host West sounds like in their heads. I often thought of the delivery and cadence of well-known radio and podcast hosts as I wrote his dialogue and tried to emulate that. In the case of West, I was hoping the rhythm of the writing would bring to mind a particular narrator for readers. Not specifically, but broadly speaking, yes. While you were writing Sadie, did you have a particular narrator in mind for the host of The Girls? Being a sister did help me extrapolate their dynamic and consider the way certain circumstances in their lives would shape their devotion to and love for each other, though. While I have an older sister-whom I’m close to and love very much-Sadie and Mattie’s relationship is something wholly their own. Did you base this relationship off anyone in particular from your own life? Read an excerpt from Sadie! There’s such a powerful relationship between Sadie and Mattie. It would be a real shame if you missed this one. What would you say to adult readers who might be hesitant to read a YA author? Summers took the time to answer some of CrimeHQ’s questions about her breakout novel, the recent explosion of true crime, and more! You’re known as a YA author, yet Sadie seems to blur the line between YA and adult fiction. Her latest, Sadie, combines the allure of true crime podcasts with a determined girl seeking revenge for her younger sister’s murder. Best known for her unapologetic, difficult female protagonists, Summers was named one of Flare Magazine‘s 60 under 30.

When she was 18 years old, she wrote her first novel, Cracked Up to Be, which was published in 2008.

Born in Belleville, Ontario, Courtney Summers currently resides in a small Canadian town not far from there.

All the rage by courtney summers