Latest Books Girl on Trial with Kathleen Fine

The Big Thrill Discusses GIRL ON TRIAL with Kathleen Fine

Does doing one bad thing make you a bad person?

Sixteen-year-old Emily Keller, known by the media as Keller the Killer, is accused of causing the deaths of a family of four, including young children. Emily is one of the youngest females to be accused of a crime so heinous, making this the nation’s biggest trial of the year. But what really happened that fateful night—and who’s responsible—is anything but straightforward.

Living in a trailer park in Baltimore with her twin brother and alcoholic mother, Emily’s life hasn’t been easy. She’s had to grow up fast, and like any teen, has made questionable decisions in a desperate attempt to fit in with her peers. Will her mistakes amount to a guilty verdict and a life in prison? It’s up to the jury to decide.

Kathleen Fine

Kathleen Fine recently spent some time with The Big Thrill discussing her debut young adult thriller, GIRL ON TRIAL.

Can you pinpoint a moment or incident that sparked the idea for this book?

I started to experiment at a very early age with alcohol. I understand firsthand the effects that peer pressure can have on a teenage girl. When I think back to my teenage years, I sometimes think what if? What if I had made this choice or that decision? There were so many terrible outcomes that could have occurred in my life.

I wanted to write this novel to show readers a “what if.” What if you caved into peer pressure and made the one bad decision that could alter your future forever?

As social media is a huge aspect of a teenager’s self-esteem and decision making today, this novel will help demonstrate the harm in following the crowd.

I want my readers to come out of this story with the lingering big question: Does doing one bad thing make you a bad person? Some choices we make can never be taken back.

I hope that teens who read this think twice before following a crowd and stand firmly with what they know is right in their heart.

A novel is such a major undertaking; there’s the writing of it, of course, then you’re spending months and months revising, polishing, and then promoting it. How did you know this was the book you wanted to spend the next couple of years on?

I’ve had the premise of this novel in my head for the past 15 years or so. Writing has always been a passion of mine, but I’ve always put it on the back burner. In 2020, my husband decided to take a giant leap in his career. With two toddlers, a newborn, and a full-time job, I finally thought to myself, what better time to write this novel than now? If not now, then when will I ever write it? And so, I took a giant leap too and picked up my pen.

This has been a long three years of editing, querying, editing, and more editing, and I am still in shock that it’s all happening!

Were there any particular books, movies, or songs that were knocking around in your head while you were writing this one?

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher and Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll were two books that I enjoyed and were influences on me writing this novel.

When you first created your protagonist for this book, did you see an empty space in crime lit that you wanted to fill? What can you share about the inspiration for that character?

Emily is like a lot of teen girls—insecure and wanting to fit in with the crowd. She wants to be liked and is willing to lose her own morals to gain acceptance from her peers.

Emily’s major character flaws are being envious and weak-willed. She’s envious of the person she thinks she’s supposed to be, the influencers, actresses, models, and popular girls at school. That envy makes her weak-willed. She’s unable to say no, even when she knows that the choices she makes are immoral.

Emily makes mistakes like every human on the planet and loses her innocence in the process. But in that process of losing her innocence, she also becomes a survivor.

In addition to a great read, what do you hope readers will take away from this story?

As social media is a huge aspect of a teenager’s self-esteem and decision making today, this novel will help demonstrate the harm in following the crowd.

I want my readers to come out of this story with the lingering big question: Does doing one bad thing make you a bad person? Some choices we make can never be taken back.

I hope that teens who read this think twice before following a crowd and stand firmly with what they know is right in their heart.

What can you share about what you’re working on next?

My next novel, is a Women’s Fiction Thriller/Suspense. Here is a little blurb:

A kidnapping, an affair, and a murder….

The Chesapeake House, A Home for People with Abilities, is in disarray when their house manager goes missing. So, when Dolores goes on a hunt to find her, what she discovers is more than she anticipated…

The Chesapeake House is a brilliant take on finding family in the most unexpected places and reveals that even people with disabilities can do amazing things…

Kathleen Fine received her Master’s in Reading Education from Towson University and Bachelor’s in Elementary Education from University of Maryland, College Park. She is a member of the Maryland Writers Association, International Thriller Writers, and Author’s Guild. When she’s not writing and selling real estate, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling to the Outer Banks, and of course, reading anything she can get her hands on. She currently lives in Baltimore, Maryland with her husband, three children, and Sussex Spaniel. Her short stories have been published in Litro Magazine, Pen in Hand, The Maryland Writer’s Association Anthology, and in The Indignor Playhouse Anthology. GIRL ON TRIAL is her debut novel.

To learn more about the author and her work, please visit her website.

GIRL ON TRIAL with Kathleen Fine