For this month’s Author Spotlight, Narrelle M. Harris spoke to Brisbane author, Shailee Thompson, about her wonderfully named debut novel, How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates (Simon & Schuster).
Congratulations on such a fantastic novel, which is incredibly funny as well as incredibly gripping. You play with those rom-com/slasher tropes with a lot of wit and cleverness, including ways of subverting the tropes (while still honouring them). The approach keeps the reader guessing in the ultimate will they/won’t they tension that applies to both genres (well, kiss/die respectively).
How did you first happen on the idea of doing a rom-com/slasher movie mash-up? Did you think it would work right from the start?
I stumbled across a screenshot of a tweet on Instagram in October 2023 that said, “There are too many Christmas rom-coms and not enough Halloween rom-coms”. I’d seen it before, but this time it really stuck with me. The idea of a ‘horror rom-com’ seemed like a really interesting writing challenge, something different from the usual genre I was writing, so I didn’t know if it would work, but I was determined to find out!
The rom-com and slasher tropes are finely balanced throughout the plot and in the shifting moods from scene to scene: how much of a challenge was it to keep that line taut?
I broke down the genres to their basic narrative structure when I started writing, and I think they’re natural points of rising action complemented each other (the progression of the romantic relationship in a rom-com and the escalation of the kills in a slasher) from the start. When I was writing it, it felt like they balanced themselves organically, but at the same time, I’m a big advocate for separating the writing from the editing. So, I didn’t put too much pressure on myself to have it ‘perfect’ from the start.
You thank a lot of people in your acknowledgements (and I’d like to thank them too!) – what do you think were the best pieces of advice or feedback you got from your early readers?
I think I can be my own worst critic, so a lot of it was affirming what I was trying to do with the genre-blend, but also being very honest with how events were hitting or flagging any plot holes, so I could come back to it in editing. I’m so lucky to have a lot of friends who are teachers, so they know how to deliver constructive feedback with minimal emotional damage!
I hope this book was as much fun to write as it is to read. What were your favourite scenes or elements to write? What gave you the biggest challenges?
I had an absolute BLAST writing this book. It consumed me while I was writing it. I think my favourite scenes would have to be anything involving Jamie and Laurie, writing the ‘kills’ and trying to make them progressively worse, and I really enjoyed writing the last two chapters and the epilogue (fun fact: Chapter 39 didn’t exist until my edit with my publisher). The misquotes at the top of each chapter were a big challenge at times because once I created the first few, I realised I was locked in to make thirty-nine of them. That just required a lot of research and brainstorming.
How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates is a wild love letter to both genres, and the story is rich with both overt and subtle references. What films (or filmmakers) do you feel were most influential in your passion for these genres, and for the book?
It’s pretty clear Scream is a huge influence! I love that film and the way it is self-aware and funny, but still gets your heart racing with the classic horror elements. Just like Jamie, I love While You Were Sleeping, not just for the romance, but for the vibrancy of the ensemble characters and how they shine in every scene that they’re in. I grew up on rom-coms from the 90s and 00s so they were a big influence too, but in the way of trying to rewrite some of the tropes that don’t really align with me now that I’m an adult.
Your main character, Jamie, has a wonderful friendship with her bestie Laurie, reflecting some of the brilliant depictions of female friendships I’m seeing in contemporary media. What do you think having that kind of relationship adds to the romance and slasher genres? Is it actually as recent and unusual as I think?
I don’t think it’s necessarily recent or unusual, but I definitely think we can do with seeing more of it. One of the biggest gripes I have with rom-coms and slashers is that I felt some of them didn’t authentically represent female friendships. Not the kind that I’m fortunate to have anyway. To me, Jamie and Laurie are the love story at the centre of the story, and even though this is a rom-com, I wanted to foreground how platonic love can be just as deep and meaningful as romantic love.
Not to set the bar too high for you – but this is already one of my favourite crime/romance reads for the year. So what’s next for you? Any new mash-ups to explore?
Ah! Thank you so much! I am currently editing my second book (set to be released next year), which is also a horror rom-com, and then I’ll be moving on to finishing—you guessed it—another horror rom-com. I also write urban fantasy and contemporary rom coms that I’d love to get out into the world as soon as I can. In terms of another mash-up? Never say never. I’ve had a couple of ideas I might explore in the future . . . )
More info here.