TFx: What can you tell us about the plot, and where did you come up with the idea for this book?
Jeneva: One of Us is Dead is about a salon owner who gets entangled in the lives of her elite, wealthy clients. When one of them ends up dead, it’s only her and her accumulation of town gossip that can help the police solve the murder. Told from multiple points of view and switching between past and present, the reader doesn’t know who’s dead, who killed them, nor why.
I actually came up with the idea for the story when I was sitting in a salon chair back in Wisconsin. My hair stylist mentioned something I had previously told her, something personal, that I didn’t even remember saying. I can’t recall what it was, but I looked to her and said, “Wait. I told you that!? I can’t believe I told you that!” She responded, “Oh, yes. You wouldn’t believe the things people say when they’re sitting in this chair.” It was a lightbulb moment, and I thought a salon was the perfect setting for a thriller. By the time I got home, I had half the story plotted out in my head.
TFx: What are you reading now, and what good books have you read lately?
Jeneva: Currently, I’m reading Alex Finlay’s newest thriller, The Night Shift. Some good books I’ve read lately are The Road by Cormac McCarthy and an advanced reader copy of Jessica Payne’s upcoming debut novel, Make Me Disappear.
TFx: What are you working on now?
Jeneva: I’m prepping for the release of One of Us is Dead as there’s a lot of PR work, and my publisher is sending me on a 5-city book tour at the end of April for the launch. I’m also gearing up to start writing another thriller as well as working on edits for my next thriller that’ll release in 2023. It’s centers around an Airbnb and a fast romance that’ll have an outcome worse than heartbreak. It’s a cautionary tale of what can go wrong when you open up your heart and your home to a total stranger.
TFx: Do you believe you should never judge a book by its cover?
Jeneva: I do. I have read books with beautiful covers that I didn’t enjoy, and I’ve read books with hideous covers that I absolutely loved. So, if you only read the pretty ones, you might be missing out on some of the good ones.
TFx: What was the hardest scene to write in this book?
Jeneva: Honestly, the ending was the hardest to write. When I begin drafting, I typically always know what the twist will be. But this was one I changed several times while writing it because I didn’t think it was as explosive as I wanted it to be. After covering my kitchen cabinets in post-it notes that laid out all the scenes, adding and subtracting them, and rearranging them, I finally landed on a shocking conclusion that I felt would live up to the twists and reveals readers loved in my debut novel The Perfect Marriage.
TFx: Had you always wanted to be a writer?
Jeneva: Yes, I have always wanted to be a writer, and I knew whatever career I had would involve writing. I just never expected to be able to work full-time as an author, because it’s an incredibly difficult industry to break into. Plus, earning a living from writing is even more difficult. I am beyond grateful to be able to do what I love for work.
TFx: Tell us something fun about you that readers might be surprised to know.
Jeneva: If you’ve followed me on TikTok for a while (@jenevaroseauthor), you might know this story. In January 2021, I came up with an idea to market my debut The Perfect Marriage in a TikTok video where I told the story from the perspective of the protagonist as if it were my real-life story.
The Perfect Marriage is about a top defense attorney who faces her most challenging case when she vows to defend her husband, a man accused of murdering his mistress. At the end of the thirty second clip, I held up the book and revealed it was actually the plot of my novel. The video went viral, accumulating 5 million views, and it shot my book up to #3 on Amazon, selling over 11,000 copies across formats in just four days.
There was one hitch though. Some people didn’t view the entire video, and I started getting comments on other videos that my husband was in, asking, “Is he out on bail?” It was quite the rollercoaster of an experience, and we played into it and had a lot of fun creating content and keeping the momentum going. The Daily Mail even wrote an article about the whole ordeal. What’s truly wild is that thirty-second TikTok video launched my career as an author.
Get Jeneva's latest release, One of Us Is Dead, out now on Amazon.
Opulence. Sex. Betrayal … Sometimes friendship can be deadly.
Meet the women of Buckhead—a place of expensive cars, huge houses, and competitive friendships.
Shannon was once the queen bee of Buckhead. But she’s been unceremoniously dumped by Bryce, her politician husband. When Bryce replaces her with a much younger woman, Shannon sets out to take revenge …
Crystal has stepped into Shannon’s old shoes. A young, innocent Texan girl, she simply has no idea what she’s up against …
Olivia has waited years to take Shannon’s crown as the unofficial queen of Buckhead. Finally, her moment has come. But to take her rightful place, she will need to use every backstabbing, manipulative, underhand trick in the book …
Jenny owns Glow, the most exclusive salon in town. Jenny knows all her clients’ secrets and darkest desires. But will she ever tell?
Who amongst these women will be clever enough to survive Buckhead—and who will wind up dead? They say that friendships can be complex, but no one said it could ever be this deadly.
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