Home » Authors Interviewing Characters: Rektok Ross, author of Ski Weekend

Authors Interviewing Characters: Rektok Ross, author of Ski Weekend

October 26, 2021 | By Women Writers Women Books | Reply More

Authors Interviewing Characters: Rektok Ross, author of Ski Weekend

SKI WEEKEND has been featured in Cosmopolitan’s “15 Compelling Fall 2021 Books to Add to Your Reading List” and is best described as The Breakfast Club meets Alive. A gritty, gripping survival thriller, SKI WEEKEND follows six teens stranded in the mountains who are forced to make impossible choices about who will live and who will die. A timely novel in light of today’s current events, Ross’s goal in creating SKI WEEKEND was to construct a world with a diverse cast that teens can identify with, throw them together against their will in a thrilling survival scenario, and see if they could find a way to common ground if they really tried. The novel explores existential questions of life and death, hope and faith, and what it all means, and is a perfect addition to both Halloween and winter holiday book collections.

About the Book:

Six teens, one dog, a ski trip gone wrong . . .

Sam is dreading senior ski weekend and having to watch after her brother and his best friend, Gavin, to make sure they don’t do anything stupid. Again. Gavin may be gorgeous, but he and Sam have never gotten along. Now they’re crammed into an SUV with three other classmates and Gavin’s dog, heading on a road trip that can’t go by fast enough.

Then their SUV crashes into a snowbank, and Sam and her friends find themselves stranded in the mountains with cell phone coverage long gone and temperatures dropping. When the group gets sick of waiting for rescue, they venture outside to find help—only to have a wilderness accident leave Sam’s brother with a smashed leg and, soon, a raging fever. While the hours turn to days, Sam’s brother gets sicker and sicker, and their food and supplies dwindle until there isn’t enough for everyone. As the winter elements begin to claim members of the group one by one, Sam vows to keep her brother alive.

No matter what.

Filled with twists, secrets, and life-changing moments, Ski Weekend is a snow-packed survival thriller featuring a diverse cast of teens that will appeal to fans of One of Us is Lying and I Am Still Alive.

Author Rektok Ross interviews Sam Laken, the protagonist of her debut young adult thriller, Ski Weekend

It’s December 19 and I wait in the parking lot of Seaside High, a somewhat posh looking school in the wealthy, ocean-side town of Seaside in Southern California, for seventeen-year-old Sam Laken to show up for our interview. School is out now for winter break, though you wouldn’t know it was winter here. Other than the cool ocean breeze ruffling my hair and an unusually overcast sky, it’s still warm enough for me to get by in jeans and just a tank top. Finally, Sam appears, and I wave her over to the bench where I’m sitting. She looks exactly like the picture she sent me. Long brown hair tucked into a no-frills ponytail and bluish-green seafoam-colored eyes that remind me of the Pacific Ocean shoreline just a stone’s toss away. She’s gorgeous but in that understated, girl-next-door kind of way. She smiles shyly but warmly, and I immediately like her. We begin.

Rektok: So, Sam, thank you for meeting me today. I know you have a big road trip coming up tomorrow and probably have a million things to do to get ready.

Sam: [Audible groan.] Ugh, please don’t remind me. I’m still hoping for a sudden attack of the cold or even the stomach flu—anything so I don’t have to go on stupid Ski Weekend.

Rektok: It’s the big senior ski trip though, right? I mean, it sounds fun, but if you aren’t into it, why don’t you just stay home?

Sam: I wish I could, but Stu wants to go so badly.

Rektok: That’s Stuart, right? Your younger brother?

Sam: That’s right. Stu is only a sophomore and he technically isn’t even allowed on this trip, but his best friend Gavin is going, so of course now Stu insists on going, too. Which is super obnoxious because Gavin doesn’t even go to Seaside anymore–his parents sent him away to some fancy boarding school in Boston for our senior year. Yet, somehow he weaseled his way onto this trip anyway by offering up his family’s ski cabin in Mount Sierra instead of the hotel where all the other seniors are staying. It’s all a big mess, basically.

Rektok: It sounds that way. But you could still just stay home, right?

Sam: And leave Stu and Gavin alone together? Unsupervised? No way! The last time those two went on a trip together Stu came back with his arm broken in three places. Stu’s . . . well . . . he’s sort of got issues, you know? He’s had bad scoliosis and even though he got surgery a few years ago he still has back problems sometimes. And on top of that, he has really shitty luck. When Stu is involved in something and there’s a chance things can go wrong, they usually do. So yeah, I have to go and make sure they stay out of trouble.

Rektok: Sounds like you really care about your brother. Are you two close?

Sam: He’s my favorite person in the entire world.

Rektok: What about his friend? Gavin?

Sam: [Loud snorting.] Gavin is the exact opposite of that.

Rektok: You don’t like him?

Sam: That’s putting it mildly. Gavin Farrell is an ass. He’s pretty much the hottest guy in school and he knows it. He was also our star quarterback last year when we went to the state championship. You know the type, every girl—and even some guys—have a crush on him. I guess he used to be okay. We were sort of friends for a while, but then he left for Boston last year and basically dropped off the planet and ignored all my texts and emails like I never even existed. So, no, he’s not my favorite person in the world.

Rektok: Fair enough. So who else is going on this trip?

Sam: My best friend Lily Zhang. She’s awesome! She’s the smartest person I know—well, except for the fact she’s dating Stu. That couple makes zero sense if you ask me. They’re just setting themselves up for heartbreak when she goes to Stanford next year. And then Gavin invited his football buddy Hunter Jackson. He’s pretty good looking too, just like Gavin. Popular also but not in a jerky, douchebag way. I don’t know him super well—we don’t exactly run in the same crowd—but he’s nice enough. Unlike Britney Miller. She’s coming also and she’s terrible. Queen of everything. Head cheerleader. President of our school’s prayer group, which is ironic because she and her friends are the biggest assholes in school. Oh, and then there’s Champ.

Rektok: Who’s that?

Sam: Only the greatest dog in the entire world. He’s a rescue. Gavin and I found him abandoned in the canyons behind my house when we were hiking. This was back when we were little, and when we used to get along. Champion is seriously the cutest, best dog ever. Really intelligent, too. I just love him so much. He’s Gavin’s dog—my parents wouldn’t let me have a dog and Gavin’s parents are always MIA and pretty much let him do anything he wants. I haven’t seen Champ in months. I can’t wait to spend time with him.

Rektok: Wow. Sounds like it’ll be an interesting car ride.

Sam: [Laughing.] Yeah, hopefully we all survive it, right?

Rektok: Are you worried about the winter storm coming? I heard them talking about some blizzard today on the morning news.

Sam: I wish it was coming this weekend, because then they’d have to cancel this trip. But sadly, it’s not supposed to hit until Monday so it’s not going to be an issue.

Rektok: Guess you’d better get home and get packing then?

Sam: Guess so.

Rektok: Well, thanks for your time, Sam. I hope that your Ski Weekend turns out better than you expect!

Sam: Me too. I mean . . . what’s the worst that can happen, right?

BUY SKI WEEKEND HERE

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About the Author:

Rektok Ross is the pen name of Liani Kotcher, a trial attorney turned award-winning young adult author and book blogger. An avid reader since childhood, Liani writes exactly the kind of books she loves to escape into herself: exciting thrillers with strong female leads, swoonworthy love interests, and life-changing moments. She graduated from the University of Florida School of Journalism and obtained her juris doctorate at the University of Miami School of Law. Originally from South Florida, she currently splits her time between San Francisco and Los Angeles with her husband, stepkids, and her dogs. You can find her online just about anywhere at @RektokRoss, as well as on her website, www.RektokRoss.com, where she blogs about books and writing.