Brianna Labuskes
Author Interview - Brianna Labuskes
Author of Clean Slate
Death pays well for Olive Hunt, a crime scene cleaner who channels her childhood traumas into erasing the suffering of others. After nearly ten years, she’s seen it all. Nothing rattles her anymore.
Until now.
Two back-to-back suicides. A seedy motel. An upscale Atlanta hotel. No connection—except that Olive discovers the same strange item at each scene. Then a third body drops. Olive knows what the police refuse to see: These aren’t suicides. They’re murders staged to perfection.
Then the roses arrive. A vase of bloodred blooms on her doorstep. An anonymous note: Thank you.
She’s found him. A serial killer who’s been leaving breadcrumbs only she can see. A killer who’s been cleaning up his work—knowing she’ll clean up after him. A killer who wants her to follow.
And follow she must. No matter how terrifying the trail becomes.
Author Interview - Brianna Labuskes
Author I draw inspiration from:
Gillian Flynn, Sharp Objects. Gillian is just the absolute master of the genre, with Gone Girl inspiring a seismic shift in the thriller landscape. But Sharp Objects is a masterpiece that stands above!
Author Interview - Brianna Labuskes | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
A porch on a cool, rainy day, there's nothing better than getting cozy under some blankets and losing yourself in another world. I also love the way books can transport you during uncomfortable situations--like traveling on a plane. So while it's not my favorite place to read a book, it's my favorite place for a book to make me forget I'm stuck a tin can 30,000 feet up.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
Don Quixote would be a blast. I've always loved the book, which is considered the first modern novel. I've even read parts of it in the original Spanish. There was also a sequel published which could be viewed as modern fan fiction, too, a fun topic to ruminate on. But with the man himself, I think we'd have an amazing chat about romanticism and chivalry and the literature of the day
Author Interview - Brianna Labuskes | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
I'm not sure there was one distinct moment. From a young age, I was obsessed with storytelling, I go my hands on every book I could. I almost went to college for psychology, but a part of me became a little distraught at the idea of not writing for a career. (Of course, when you're eighteen, it feels like you're making that one choice for life, and I know now I could have shifted into writing, as well.) But that decision took me into journalism, which is its own form of storytelling. It felt important to be able to give a voice to those who might not always have one. But I eventually wanted to try my hand at that thing I loved as a kid and young adult: novels.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
I love them all! Hardbacks feel weighty--like you can tangibly hold the heft of the writer's work in your hands and sit with the importance of the work of art. Paperbacks are your side-kick, you can throw them in a beach bag, they fit in your purse, you can pull them out when waiting at the bar for a friend, and they often reveal in their broken spines and worn pages the love and attention they've received. Ebooks keep us reading in grocery store lines and on airplanes, and let you bring an entire library with you on a device that fits in your palm. Audiobooks keep you company for hikes and chores and walks with the dog and long drives. Each one is fabulous and we're so luck to live in this era.
The last book I read:
The Ending Writes Itself, by Evelyn Clarke. It's such a fun and phenomenal read. The mystery itself is great, it's super twisty and turny, and the cast is engaging and fully fleshed out even though there's a lot of POVs. The added cherry on top is that it's a bit insider baseball with the writing industry, so if you're into books or publishing there's some great meta conversations going on within the text.
Author Interview - Brianna Labuskes | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
Computer and it's not even close to a close call. My fingers can keep up with my brain, but my hand cannot. And the less said about the current state of my handwriting the better. I also like to fidget and futz with sentences a ton as I'm writing, and the computer makes that much easier to do.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
Martha Ballard, from The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. Martha is a mid-wife based on a real-life woman who lived in the 18th century. The character is kind and caring and brave while at the same time seeming like she'd be fun to hang out with. She fought for and potected the women she took care of in a time when that was a difficult thing to do.
Author Interview - Brianna Labuskes | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
I've always really been into psychology, as you might be able to tell with my psychological thrillers. I'm not sure what that would look like--if it would be a more academic role or just shifting into therapy, but that appealed to me if writing wasn't an option.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
I love the forties, and the way fashion reflects the war at hand. From victory red lipstick and curls to the streamlined cuts of dress to save fabric. When fashion and history are interwoven, I think it can tell a really cool story. There's also something to be said about the way the fashion of that era reflected women getting into the workforce in droves while society tried to maintain their traditional role (again with the lipstick and curls). Really cool to see the conversation between sociology, history and fashion highlighted so obviously.
Place I’d most like to travel:
I've been to a lot of my "bucket list" places, but I'd love to splurge on a beautiful Bali trip some day. The colors there--from the water to the sunsets and everything in between--seems so beautiful and vibrant.
My signature drink:
I start the day with a Green Tea Lemonade and finish it with red wine!
Favorite artist:
I love Edward Hopper and the way that he captures universal human experiences. Especially those moments of loneliness when standing in the middle of a crowd. His ability to capture the interiority of strangers in still life is masterful! Plus I love his style in general.
Number one on my bucket list:
I'd love to do a safari, as long as it was an ethical one.
Find more from the author:
https://www.instagram.com/brilabuskes/
About Brianna Labuskes:
Brianna Labuskes
Brianna Labuskes is USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Amazon Charts and Washington Post best-selling author of psychological thrillers and historical fiction. She's sold over a million copies and her books have been published in over two dozen languages.
Bri got her start in romance with a small publisher and still adores swoon-worthy meet-cutes. You can find that strong sense of relationship-building in all of Bri’s work. She spent the first decade-plus-change of her career in D.C. journalism and thus knows too much about the Ways & Means Committee as well as the best way to avoid traffic on the Beltway. She now lives in Pennsylvania with her pup, Jinx.
