Q&A With Elka Ray 

I am so excited to finally be doing this Q&A with author Elka Ray. Elka is the author of the mystery suspense novels What You Don’t Know, Divorce Is Murder, Hanoi Jane, Killer Coin & her recent release which I just finished reading, A Friend Indeed. Elka was a journalist in a past life and she divides time between British Columbia Canada & in Vietnam with her husband, children & pets. 

Q: Elka would you give a brief description of each of your novels starting with your recent release A Friend Indeed?

A: A Friend Indeed: When a woman helps her best childhood friend to dispose of a dead body, the repercussions threaten more than just their lifelong friendship.

Divorce is Murder: A divorce lawyer is hired by her old high school crush, whose teenage nemesis—his soon-to-be-ex—winds up viciously murdered.

Killer Coin: When her mom’s wealthy best friend vanishes, a lawyer becomes embroiled in some deadly family drama.

Hanoi Jane: Shortly after moving to Asia with her boyfriend, a young American expat is dumped—and grows obsessed with her ex’s new girlfriend. 

Q: In the Authors Note, you wrote that the idea for A Friend Indeed came from a meme you saw on the internet about two women with shovels and it saying true friends help hide the body. Would it be fair to say the ideas for your stories seem to come by chance or out of nowhere?

A: You’re right—the seeds of a story can blow in from any direction. I’ll read, see, or hear something that makes me think, “Hmmm. What if this happened? And then what?” 

If a question is bothering me, I try to solve it through a story. 

Q: How long does it take for you to write a book?

A: It varies. The first draft of my next one poured out in thirty-four frantic days. But the rewriting takes much longer, and the polishing is slower still. If you factor in the glacial process of traditional publishing, it can take years for a book to hit the shelves. 

Q: Can you reveal any plot details for the next book you are currently writing right now?

A: An uptight mom, her jailbird sister, and traumatized teen daughter are forced to team up and hide a deadly secret. Will the stress break them further apart or fuse them together?

Q: If you were to write a sequel to A Friend Indeed, what would Jo & Dana be doing right now? 

A: They’d be older, not much wiser, and desperately engaged in damage control after someone else had discovered their ruinous secret. 

Q: Who would be your dream cast to play Jo & Dana if they were to make A Friend Indeed into a limited series or a movie? I think for Dana I could picture Rosamund Pike since she played Amy Dunn in Gone Girl. 

A: Rosamund Pike would be perfect for Dana—fair, elegant, and fine-boned. I reckon Mila Kunis could capture Jo’s tough attitude well. 

Q: What’s it like commuting back and forth between British Columbia, Canada & Vietnam?

A: In Vietnam, we live in a small fishing village beside a tropical beach. Not going to lie it’s heaven (except during typhoon season). In Canada, we’re on Vancouver Island, which has incredible temperate rain forests and a gorgeous rocky coastline. It’s a wonderful contrast and both places feel like home. I wish the flights weren’t so long though. The older I get, the worse the jetlag. 

Thanks so much for your interest in A FRIEND INDEED!