COVER REVEAL + Q&A: ROCK PAPER SCISSORS BY ALICE FEENEY
Available September 7, 2021 from Flatiron Books
When I’m in the mood for a dark and twisty read, I know I can always turn to bestselling thriller writer Alice Feeney to serve up exactly what I’m looking for. Feeney, author of bestselling thrillers Sometimes I Lie, I Know Who You Are, and His & Hers is back this fall with her newest twisty domestic suspense novel ROCK PAPER SCISSORS—available in the US on September 7. Thanks to Alice’s US publisher, I’m absolutely thrilled to be able to exclusively reveal the US cover of ROCK PAPER SCISSORS here on CBTB today! In today’s blog post, you can check out the gorgeous cover of ROCK PAPER SCISSORS, and read an exclusive Q&A with Alice that will give you a spoiler-free sneak peek into her newest book!
Feeney’s thrillers always deliver the perfect balance of genuinely dark, sinister material and twisty, binge-worthy plots that will keep you turning pages. I’ve become more and more of a fan of Alice Feeney with each new book of hers I’ve read, and, if it’s possible, her 2021 release looks like it might just be my favorite book of hers yet. In ROCK PAPER SCISSORS, a couple whose marriage is on shaky ground wins a weekend getaway to Scotland—a trip that, they both know, is make-or-break for their relationship. But our protagonists didn’t win this trip by luck. Someone is determined to make sure that they can’t leave, and that they will never live happily ever after. ROCK PAPER SCISSORS looks like exactly the kind of dark, sinister, and twisty suspense novel that I’ve come to expect from Alice Feeney, and I can’t wait to dig into this book as we get closer to its US publication day.
I’m absolutely thrilled to exclusively reveal the cover for ROCK PAPER SCISSORS here on CBTB today! I also loved having the chance to ask Alice Feeney a few of my most pressing questions about her new release—you can get an inside glimpse into her new book right here in today’s blog post! Read on to check out the book’s stunning cover and learn more about ROCK PAPER SCISSORS in an exclusive Q&A with the author.
Many thanks to Alice Feeney for participating in today’s Q&A, and to her US publisher Flatiron Books for facilitating today’s cover reveal! This blog post contains Amazon Affiliate links—CBTB may earn a small commission for items ordered through these links. All opinions my own.
Cover Reveal: ROCK PAPER SCISSORS by Alice Feeney
Q&A With Alice Feeney
a sneak peek into alice’s new thriller rock paper scissors
Crime by the Book: Thank you so much for stopping by Crime by the Book to give us the inside scoop on your newest psychological thriller! I absolutely cannot wait to read it. In your own words, what is ROCK PAPER SCISSORS about?
Alice Feeney: ROCK PAPER SCISSORS is a dark and twisty thriller about a couple who have forgotten what made them fall in love.
Things have been wrong with Mr. and Mrs. Wright for a long time. When Adam and Amelia win a weekend away to Scotland, it might be just what their marriage needs. He’s a self-confessed workaholic and screenwriter, who has lived with face blindness his whole life. He can’t recognize friends or family, or even his wife. She works for Battersea Dogs Home in London, and thinks trying to save the world is more important than trying to rule it.
Every anniversary the couple exchange traditional gifts – paper, cotton, pottery, tin – and each year Adam’s wife writes him a letter that she never lets him read. Until now. They both know this weekend will make or break their marriage, but Adam and Amelia didn’t randomly win this trip. One of them is lying, and someone doesn’t want them to leave, or to live happily ever after.
CBTB: Can you identify a particular moment that sparked the idea for ROCK PAPER SCISSORS?
AF: I think about books for a long time before I write them. Scotland inspired so much of this story. I visit every year, and in March 2018, I made the twelve-hour journey to the Scottish Highlands in a terrible storm called the “Beast from the East.” When we finally arrived, the property we were renting was buried in snow, it was bitterly cold, and the pipes were frozen.
The place was beautiful, but a little spooky; next to a loch, in the middle of a valley surrounded by mountains – we were completely isolated. I had no phone signal, and the only shop for miles was closed because of the storm. We were cold, tired, and hungry, and when a ghostly face appeared in the window outside the property late that night, I screamed louder than I think I’ve ever screamed before. (It turned out to be the caretaker, who was so worried about us, they drove through the storm to see if we were ok!)
Almost exactly a year later, we returned to Scotland with our black Labrador, and stayed in a converted chapel. I woke up in the night with an almost fully formed idea for ROCK PAPER SCISSORS, and wrote it all down between two and five AM. I remember every single thing about the day this story happened inside my head and insisted that I write it. It was a very special day for lots of reasons, and one I won’t ever forget.
“I’m told ROCK PAPER SCISSORS is a smidgen spookier than my previous books…writing it literally gave me a few nightmares, so I think it might be one to read with the lights on!” —Alice Feeney
CBTB: Tell us about the protagonists of your new novel! Who are they, and how would you describe them to someone meeting them for the first time?
AF: Adam has lived with a condition called face blindness his whole life, and he’s highly superstitious. He’s also tired of never quite achieving the success he dreams of, despite working so hard for so long. Adam is screenwriter who spends a lot of time writing in his shed, which is something I can relate to! His wife thinks he is a workaholic, who cares more about his characters and his stories than the real people in his life, and she is tired of playing second fiddle in their marriage.
Amelia works for Battersea Dogs Home in London, where she is in charge of rehousing abandoned pets. She prefers animals to people, and is proud of the home she and her husband now share in an affluent part of the city. They both had difficult childhoods, and have come a long way from where they started in life. She wants their marriage to work, and is willing to do almost anything to save it.
CBTB: Today American readers are getting their first glimpse of the gorgeous cover for ROCK PAPER SCISSORS! I know that readers are often curious to know what an author's role is like during the cover design process. Is there any insight you can share with us about how the cover for this book came to be?
AF: I love all of my US book covers, but I do think the cover for ROCK PAPER SCISSORS is extra beautiful! It’s all down to the brilliant designer and wonderful team at Flatiron Books. Once the books have been written and edited, they send me a questionnaire about book covers I like / themes etc.
This was one of my answers: “The weather plays a big part in this novel too. The snow storm outside is nothing compared with the storm inside their marriage, but that claustrophobic feeling of being trapped, (as well as actually being trapped inside an old Scottish chapel) is definitely a theme. Marriage can be murder.”
I think they did an amazing job and I love the cover!
CBTB: Along with the cover, I also love the title for your newest book! Can you give us any insight into how you settled on this title? Did you have the title in mind throughout your writing process, or did the title come later?
AF: I’ve always liked the game! The book idea woke me up on the morning of 27th March 2019. After scribbling a lot of notes in the middle of the night about the story, I then wrote myself a note on the 29th March that says “Call Book Five ROCK PAPER SCISSORS or THE ANNIVERSARY.” That’s all the note says, but my mind was made up very early in the process. I hope I picked the right title!
CBTB: What does ROCK PAPER SCISSORS have in common with your previous books? How is it different?
AF: It’s another dark and twisty thriller, I always like a good twist (whether I’m reading or writing a book). It’s really important to me that all of my novels are a little bit different, so there might be some surprises in store for my readers. I’m told ROCK PAPER SCISSORS is a smidgen spookier than my previous books…writing it literally gave me a few nightmares, so I think it might be one to read with the lights on!
CBTB: And last but certainly not least: as we look forward to the release of your newest book, what are you most excited about?
AF: I am very proud and fond of ROCK PAPER SCISSORS. It took longer to write than any of my previous novels, and occupies a special place in my heart, so I’m looking forward to finally seeing a finished copy and holding it in my hands.
Most of all, I hope that 2021 will be a kinder and happier year for all of us. I’m excited for a time when we can hug our loved ones again, browse in bookshops without wearing masks, and enjoy life (and books!) the way we used to.
Many thanks to Alice for answering my questions about her 2021 release! ROCK PAPER SCISSORS will be published in the US on September 7, 2021—I absolutely cannot wait to get my hands on a copy.
Book Details:
ROCK PAPER SCISSORS BY ALICE FEENEY
Available September 7, 2021 from Flatiron Books | More information here
Pre-Order ROCK PAPER SCISSORS: AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | Bookshop.org
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