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Be Herself Without Fear
The Perfect Sister follows a young woman who joins a sorority in hopes of starting a new life, only to realize her secrets are not meant to remain hidden. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
I have always been inspired by Gossip Girl, and Pretty Little Liars. I wrote a trilogy called High School Queens. I took the girl Bethany from that story and originally put her in college. The story went completely different from her, so I made it its own trilogy.
Tinsley wants nothing more than to leave her past behind her, but her new sisters won’t allow that to be the case. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
I think the biggest character development for her is being able to grow from her mistakes. She did all these things to fit in, and she was starting to do them with Kappa Zeta. She learned to have a backbone and be herself without fear. It was why at the end she stands up for Codi against the Kappa Zeta sisters.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
I honestly wanted to explore the themes of forgiveness. People make mistakes all the time, but can you forgive them and yourself for said mistakes. You see both sides of letting go of people’s mistakes and using it for revenge.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
My next novel Ride will be out in November. It’s a story of two sisters as they deal with trauma. One of them is a recovering alcoholic, while the other is trying to find her love for music again. It’s inspired by the music of Lana Del Rey.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook
Tinsley came to Campbell to escape the problems and mistakes of her past. She thought she would have a fresh start, but at Kappa Zeta, there’s not such thing as a fresh start or hidden secrets.
Remember girls, you better keep your secrets close to your chest and make sure none of your sorority sisters have a knife they’re dying to dig into your back.
The Perfect Sister
Uncover the deep, dark secrets of Kappa Zeta, and maybe you’ll discover the events that led to a young sorority pledge’s death. When Lydia was found dead, it made national headlines for being the college’s scandal of the year, and the disbelieving news rocked the college community. Unaware of the tragic accident that plagued campus society, new pledge, and South Carolina native Tinsley joins Kappa Zeta with the hopes of leaving a mysterious, haunting past behind her. With her fair share of secrets to hide, Tinsley hoped to keep the closet door closed on her skeletons, but keeping secrets wasn’t part of being the perfect sister. Would her experience as part of this infamous sorority be the epic high she was seeking or the crushing downfall that led to her demise?
Zachary Ryan’s The Perfect Sister is written in a style similar to Gossip Girl. This book leaves readers on the edges of their seats with the subtle hints the narrator drops throughout the story. A creepy, sinister tone concludes each chapter, and the cliff-hanging clues keep your eyes glued to the page. The writing is simple, but this works in favor of the plot at times. There are great, simple physical descriptions of characters, painting a clear image of the character in your reader’s mind. However, sometimes simple writing is not enough in some areas of this book. I felt that the novel could have made use of more literary devices to strengthen reader engagement.
The Perfect Sister is a suspenseful psychological thriller novel that will keep readers on edge from one chapter to the next. Everyone has secrets to hide, but hiding them from your sorority sisters isn’t an option in this story. The drama and mystery will keep readers returning to find out who they can trust if anyone.
Pages: 326 | ASIN : B0B89G9F77
They Were my Therapy
Gail Meath Author Interview
The Perfect Sister follows a woman desperately trying to uncover the truth after her sister is killed and the suspected murderer may be innocent. What was the inspiration for the setup to this thrilling novel?
The novel takes place in my hometown of Rochester, NY and is based upon a true event involving a corrupt group of men who tried to gain a political monopoly over the city in 1904. I not only had easy access to the research, but the setting is in my back yard.
Katherine is an intriguing and well developed character. What were some ideas that guided her character development?
I wrote many of my books during a difficult marriage. They were my therapy. I could easily relate to her timid, browbeaten character while her father, in essence, represented my spouse’s behavior. Finding the strength within oneself is especially difficult when someone close to you is constantly critical.
I enjoyed the mystery at the heart of this novel. Did you plan it before writing or did it develop organically while writing?
With all my novels, I gather research around a true event, then begin building the plot as I go. It’s mostly the characters that move the story along as it depends upon how they would react in each scene or given situation and what they would do next.
What is the next novel that you are working on and when will it be available?
I have completed seven novels with the fifth one releasing in March 2020. The others available on Amazon and those forthcoming consist of medieval, western, suspense, thriller, and two murder mysteries.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
![THE PERFECT SISTER by [Meath, Gail]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41FoI-qllDL.jpg)
After a beautiful socialite is murdered, her timid spinster sister must shed her fears and play a deadly game with corrupt politicians to prove the killer’s innocence. Rochester, New York 1904.
Katherine Mansford knows her father wishes she had died instead of her sister. She wishes that too. Lorraine was perfect…beautiful, sophisticated and engaged to a prominent lawyer. But she told Katherine a secret before her death, one that forces her to do the unthinkable…lie to her father and the sheriff.
On the day of the funeral, Katherine escapes to her secluded cabin down the beach only to discover Michael Johnston, the accused killer – her sister’s lover – hiding there. He insists he’s innocent and she begins to doubt his guilt; and her sister’s innocence.
As Katherine ventures on her own to seek the truth about Lorraine, she and Michael are dragged into a dangerous and vicious plot against her father and the city.
The Perfect Sister
![THE PERFECT SISTER by [Meath, Gail]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/410goP%2B5LfL.jpg)
The Perfect Sister by Gail Meath is the story of a young woman who desperately wants to protect the reputation and dignity of the sister she has recently lost to murder. Katherine wants to keep her secrets secret while figuring out the details of the crime. She gets swept up and is determined to prove the innocence of the man everyone else thinks is guilty.
Meath writes in a way that makes Katherine’s predicament relatable. She is devastated over the loss of her sister, but her father doesn’t make things better. She knows she was not her father’s favorite. She knows that her father would rather have lost her than her sister. She is made to feel deeply flawed and imperfect in comparison to Lorraine. Katherine knows her sister was a wonderful person, but she also knows that she wasn’t perfect and had things to hide.
Meath also gives us insight to a man who is presumed guilty instead of innocent. Michael plays an opposite role to the man Lorraine was to be married off to. Michael has worked hard to keep and grow his family farm. He definitely doesn’t fit into the affluent crowd that the sisters run with. None of this diminishes his character, but it makes him an easy target for the wealthy to pin sins on.
I think that everyone can relate to these characters in one way or another because everyone knows what loss feels like and what it feels like to be viewed as “less than”. Meath’s well-developed characters and fascinating plot will reel readers in from the very first page. I can’t relate to being rich. I can’t relate to being involved somehow in a murder. I can, however, relate to the farm life. I think there is some facet that virtually everyone can relate to within these pages.
The time period makes the story even more fascinating for me. It is set in 1904. Life was so different. Modern forensics would have likely exonerated Michael almost immediately. They didn’t have that luxury. They wouldn’t just believe his word either because of his social status. These things set the scene for a story that is even more mysterious and daunting.
Meath writes in a way that lures you in. The Perfect Sister is a real page-turner from the jump. The characters are so interesting, and the story is complex. Meath weaves together a story that is multi-layered without muddying the plot. I’d love to read more about these characters in different books.
Pages: 326 | ASIN: B07ZZHTCBX
LITERARY TITAN 