Did you ever want to get to know the author behind these amazing books we read? Well, look no further! On today’s Author Chit Chat, it’s an honor to have Amina Akhtar, author of Fashion Victim. For those of you not familiar with her debut, two words, it’s hysterically killer. No pun intended!
1) Congrats on your thrilling debut! What inspired you to write #Fashionvictim?
Thank you! I wanted to combine my fashion background with my intense love of all things scary and horrifying. Seriously, I love horror so much. And Anya is that perfect mix of chic and creepy. I also really love the idea of a woman character just being unapologetically insane and homicidal.
2) When you first saw the cover for #Fashionvictim what were your initial thoughts?
I laughed! I’m a few hours behind my publishers out here in AZ so I was in bed when I saw it. I thought it was hilarious.
3) If you could re-name your book title, what would you choose?
I can’t! When I came up with the idea and sat down to write the book, the title was already in my head. I feel it’s too much a part of the book to rename it.
4) In your past careers in the fashion industry, can you relate to your main character Anya in some ways?
Yes! I think we can all relate to wanting to get ahead, wanting to be liked. Or even just wanting something so badly you can taste it. And I always felt awkward and not really part of the fashion world which I wanted Anya to feel as well.
5) If you could hang out with one of your fictional characters in #Fashionvictim, who would it be and why?
Jack, hands down. He may be shady, but he’s so much fun. I’d hang with Anya if she promises to not kill me.
6) Do you have any quirks or rituals during the writing phase of a novel?
I take notes on my phone constantly. There are probably 50 current notes of random thoughts I have about a book that I don’t want to lose. So if you see me typing on my phone, I could be plotting how to kill you.
7) Last but not least, do you have anything you’d like to say to your current and future readers?
I hope they enjoy the book! I’m a big fan of reading whatever you want whenever you want. I don’t care if it’s a vampire romance novel or literary fiction: Read what makes you happy. And I hope #FashionVictim does just that.
Thank you Amina for taking the time out to do this amazing interview! I cannot wait to read all your future books.
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Amina Akhtar is a former fashion writer and editor. She’s worked at Vogue, Elle.com, Style.com, NYTimes.com, and NYMag.com where she was the founding editor of The Cut blog. She’s written for numerous publications, including Yahoo Style, Fashionista, xoJane, Refinery29, Billboard, and for brands like Bergdorf Goodman and H&M’s 10 Years of Style tome. After toiling in the fashion ranks for over fifteen years, she now writes full time in the desert mountains, where she’s detoxing from her once glam life. #FashionVictim is Amina’s first novel.
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