Assassins Are Us follows a teenage girl who has been born into a family of assassins and is expected to follow in their footsteps. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

I remember watching the movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith, a comedy/action/romance where the husband and wife are (unknown to each other) trained assassins who have seamlessly blended into suburbia. I was so entertained by this concept that I asked myself, What if Mr. and Mrs. Smith had a family? As a result, I started Assassins Are Us about eight years ago, then shelved it until about a year ago, where, with the benefit of a concept editor at Atmosphere Press, I was able to flesh out a fully-formed third act.

Hedala struggles with her family’s secrets and her desire to do things other teens do, like have a boyfriend. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?

Great question! As the Hinterschotts are the nuclear family next door, I felt it was important for the family members to be subject to the same sensibilities as any other. The teenage years are really tough ones to navigate: the politics of friendships, hormones, first loves, sibling rivalry, family dynamics, stressors of school and teachers… and social media make it even more difficult. I wanted to make Hedy seem lost in many of these teenage trials and tribulations to make her as normal as any teenage girl might be.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

The topic of family and bloodline recurs throughout Assassins Are Us, even in the darkest sense. Without giving too much away, there are characters in the book who are the most unlikely Hinterschott family members. Deeper questions lie beneath the surface of the book’s humor, such as What makes a family? Is it the bloodline? Is it the values that keep the family whole? Family is built through connections, unconditional love, and support.

Is this the first book in the series? If so, when is the next book coming out, and what can your fans expect in the next story?

Well, until my content editor, Bryce Wilson, put the idea in my head, I hadn’t even thought about a sequel or even a series. Also, with the addition of some positive reviews that have also suggested this continuation of Hedy Hinterschott, I have penned some ideas for a sequel, at the least. David Corso is still Hedy’s mystery man, so I think I would like to evolve his backstory with some intrigue.

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