Behind The Book with T.R. Ragan 

It’s hard to believe two years ago I did one of my very first Q&As with T.R. (Theresa) Ragan. This time I’m doing my first Behind The Book Q&A with her discussing her upcoming release Best House On The Block coming out on January 7th! It is a mystery full of twists and turns!

Q: Theresa, would you please give a brief description of Best House on The Block & talk about where the idea for the novel came from?

A: Hi Bianca. Thanks for having me back! So nice of you.

I’ll start with the Best House on the Block description: Aspiring investigative journalist Shannon Gibbons and her family have moved into a beautiful house in the Fabulous Forties of East Sacramento, where Shannon finds a fast connection with a new neighbor. Renowned journalist Rosella Marlow appears to have a genuine interest in giving Shannon’s own career a boost—as personal assistant on Rosella’s new project. Appearances are deceiving.

Bitter, resentful, and consumed by excruciating grief, Rosella is obsessed with wiping the smiles off her contented neighbors’ faces. Now she’s watching closely, ready to expose their secrets. Secrets dark enough to destroy lives. In Shannon, Rosella has a trusting and unwitting accomplice. But Rosella is being watched, too. And when someone is found murdered, everyone on this quiet block is a suspect. Because everyone has a motive.

With the help of a friend, Shannon begins an investigation into the death of a person she just met. As neighbor is pitted against neighbor, the truth is much scarier than anything they imagined.

My publisher asked me to write a domestic thriller standalone. Because I live in Sacramento, California, not too far from The Fab Forties, an exclusive area in East Sacramento, I thought it would be fun to create a group of characters who are living on the same block and who all end up as suspects after one of the neighbors is killed. This wasn’t an easy book to write because without a serial killer hiding in the bushes there isn’t a lot of built-in tension! 

Q: How long did it take you to write Best House on The Block?

A: It took much longer than most of my books (at least 18 months). I had already been working on two or three other thrillers simultaneously after finishing Such a Beautiful Family. That’s when I discovered that my publisher wanted a domestic thriller standalone. It was an extra busy time for me because we were selling our house and trying to figure out where we were going to live…and then moving, etc. Standalones that do not have an amateur detective as the main protagonist (Such a Beautiful Family and Best House on the Block) have proven to be difficult for me to write because they require a full story arc, a new set of characters, and, of course, a satisfying conclusion. A series gives me more time on the page for character development, more flexibility, and more room to explore. 

Q: While reading the book, Rosella Marlow to have the caliber of Barbara Walters. Was Rosella supposed to be like Barbara Walters?

A: No. I only used Barbara Walters as an example of Rosella’s popularity.

Q: Other than the obvious murder mystery and suspects, there were a lot of themes about family, motherhood & adoption? What about these themes were important for the story and what lessons would you hope readers learn from that?

A: Great question. All my books, in my opinion, are about relationships. Friends, family, marriage. Even killers! What made them into killers? Adoption has always intrigued me. Relationships are so complex and then you throw adoption into the mix! What does that do to a family or a person if the parents keep those facts hidden? Adopted, or not, everyone has a story. Just bring two or more people together and BOOM! Chaos. I have four children. They are all uniquely themselves and I love it. My parents have five daughters and ended up divorced. I married young and divorced young. I’ve been married to my second husband for 38 years. I grew up with four sisters. We’re all so different. If you talk to each one of us it sounds to me as if we were raised by different people in a different home. Birth order really makes a difference, too. How old were you when your parents divorced? Maybe your parents stayed together but they didn’t get along. How did that affect you? Did your father praise one child and not the other? Maybe you were the only one still at home when your parents divorced. Or you’re an only child! 40 to 50% of first marriages end in divorce. 60-67% of second marriages end in divorce. Divorce can cause many issues for children, which often brings difficult outcomes in adulthood. 

Phew. I’m rambling. I could go on forever about childhood trauma that follows us into adulthood. With that said, I always hope my readers finish one of my books and walk away feeling empowered and confident, knowing that they have got a handle on this thing called life. They are strong. They can handle anything that is thrown at them.

Q: Best House on The Block is perfect as a standalone but I could see a sequel too. If you were to write a sequel to Best House on The Block, without spoiling too much, what would the characters, especially Shannon & Chloe, be doing right now? I would love to see Shannon solve more mysteries and become the journalist she’s meant to be. 

A: I love writing series. Shannon Gibbons and Chloe Leavitt would both make great amateur detectives for future stories. Shannon and Chloe would probably be diving into another case right about now. This time a missing persons case. Where is little Abigail Prescott? Everyone saw her on the day she went missing, so how could she have disappeared during class without anyone seeing? Why aren’t any of the security cameras working? Of course, Shannon’s husband thinks it might be best if she stayed out of it, especially after threatening notes are left at their home. But Shannon and Chloe are quickly swept into the mystery, questioning people and using their observation and critical analysis to evaluate evidence and find Abigail!

Q: If Best House on The Block were to become a movie or limited series, who would be your dream cast to play the characters you created?

A: The three main characters: Elizabeth Olsen would play Shannon Gibbons; Jamie Lee Curtis would play Rosella; and Rachel McAdams would play Chloe Leavitt. 

Thanks for chatting with me, Bianca. Happy Reading everyone!