Authors Interviewing Characters: Laura Picklesimer

September 12, 2023 | By Women Writers Women Books | Reply More

About Kill for Love:

Kill for Love is a satirical thriller about Tiffany, a privileged Los Angeles sorority sister who is struggling to keep her sadistic impulses—and haunting nightmares of fire and destruction—at bay. After a frat party hookup devolves into a bloody affair, Tiffany realizes something within her has awoken: the insatiable desire to kill attractive young men.

As Tiffany’s bloodlust deepens, she must contend with mounting legal scrutiny, social media-fueled competing murders, and her growing relationship with Weston, who she thinks could be the perfect boyfriend. A female-driven, modern-day American Psycho, Kill for Love exposes modern toxic plasticity with dark comedy and propulsive plot.

Author Laura Picklesimer interviews the protagonist of Kill for Love, Tiffany Ames.

Laura (author). Hello, Tiffany. What were you up to today?

Tiffany: The usual. Hit up West Hollywood and found this sick baguette bag. Swung by an afternoon workout at Booty Burn. Getting ready now for the Love is Blind finale at the sorority house before the Thursday night parties on the row start.

Laura: Did you make it to campus?

Tiffany: (smirks) They record all the lectures on Zoom.

Laura: What’s your major?

Tiffany: Marketing last time I checked with my tutor. Or sociology? Something with people. I’m a total people person. Just check my follower count on Instagram.

Laura: What’s the last thing you posted?

Tiffany: A Hailey Beiber smoothie from Erewhon. Snapped it right at magic hour at the rec center with the pool’s turquoise reflection and a starburst sunset in the background. Iconic.

Laura: Did it taste good?

Tiffany: I didn’t try it.

Laura: How are you getting along with the girls at your sorority?

Tiffany: As well as can be expected, considering I’m surrounded by a bunch of pick-me’s with a fraction of my credit limit. This is my fifth year at the sorority. Everything’s starting to feel a bit dull, like a knife that barely can break through skin. My roommate asked me to look at her vision board today, and it was so basic. Grad school, a year abroad, a hubbie, 2.5 kids by 30. It makes me want to scream sometimes.

Laura: What scares you?

Tiffany: I don’t know. Simple carbs? Just kidding. Don’t put that in. (Tiffany pauses and sighs). How about the relentless need to be “on” at all times? How about stupid boys who think they’re doing me a favor asking me out to a cheap fraternity mixer? Or my stepfather and the way he moved in on my mother Pam like a jackal as soon as my father died? Or the fact that Pam was so concerned with being on a reality tv show that she skipped my graduation to finish her audition tape? Sometimes I just want to rip loose and do something crazy. Go nuts. Play a little game.

Laura: Like what?

Tiffany: Forget it. I haven’t been sleeping very well. I wake up after only an hour or two, covered in sweat, seeing these visions of Los Angeles up in flames. All my fav stores, they just go up in a pile of smoke and fire. I’m almost relieved when it happens, that it’s all over. But then it happens again, every night, every time I close my eyes to go to sleep. It’s psycho, right?

Laura: No, it seems like maybe you’re approaching a transition period. That you have a decision to make.

Tiffany: It’s definitely time for something new. And not just new D. I need more than a guy. I want a man. A soul mate. Someone who’s not afraid or intimidated by me. Who can bite back. You know what I mean?

Laura: I don’t think a guy’s going to solve your problems.

Tiffany: Did I ever say it would? Are we done with this interview? I don’t want to answer any more questions. I need at least two hours to get ready for the Beta party. This face isn’t going to contour itself.

Laura: Take care of yourself.

TIffany: Don’t worry about that. I always come out on top.

Laura: It was nice chatting with you, Tiffany.

Tiffany: Wish I could say the same. Later.

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Website: https://www.storywellproductions.com/laura-picklesimer

Follow the book on Instagram @killforlovethebook

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About the Author

Laura Picklesimer is the author of the debut novel Kill for Love by Unnamed Press. The book was the winner of the Launch Pad Prose Competition Top Book Prize and the Book Pipeline Grand Prize for Best Thriller/Mystery. Laura’s writing has appeared or is forthcoming in the Kenyon Review, Electric Literature, Arkansas International, and the Santa Ana River Review, among other publications. She holds a B.A. in Creative Writing from UCLA and an MFA in Fiction from Cal State Long Beach. She lives in Pasadena, CA.