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Now You Owe Me by Aliah Wright

Author Interview + Book & Author Info + Author Pet Corner!

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Now You Owe Me

Ben and Corinthia spent years abducting college coeds, until one night they took the wrong victim.

No one knew witnessing their first murder at seven would propel Ben and his twin toward a killing spree in Pennsylvania. Racked with guilt, they vow to take just one more victim. Too bad they snatched the wrong woman . . .

Praise for Now You Owe Me

“Well-crafted characters will draw in readers, and an intricately woven plot will keep them in their seats. Recommended for fans of Tana French, Gillian Flynn, and Karin Slaughter.” —Elisabeth Clark, Library Journal

“Readers are drawn into a gripping tale—I read it in almost one go…happily, this stellar debut is the first in a series.” —Henrietta Thornton, firstCLUE

To purchase Now You Owe Me, click on any of the following links: IndieBound, Reparations Club, BookBub, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Apple, Walmart & Goodreads

Now You Owe Me Author Interview

Now You Owe Me is a psychological thriller about twins Ben and Corinthia. What would you like readers to know about them?

Ben and Corinthia love each other tremendously and share an unbreakable bond. Inseparable as children, their closeness has endured as adults. When Ben and his twin are 7 years old, they witness a murder, which launches a sequence of events that shapes them into killers of young women.

The story unfolds from their perspective: Ben has his reasons for kidnapping women, and his sister has her reasons for disposing of them. They decide their next victim will be their last. However, what they don’t realize is that the person they’ve chosen is not the easy target they expected. That’s because of the victim’s roommate, a tenacious and brave young woman named Amanda.

Now You Owe Me is a violent novel with graphic events. What drew you to tackling such a dark book for your debut?

Did you know statistics show that more than 270,000 women and girls go missing in the United States every year? Some never make it home.

Horrified by seeing so many cases like this, I found myself wishing for a different outcome—so I wrote one. I am also a huge fan of procedural dramas, horror films, true crime stories, courtroom dramas, and justice—all of which are woven within the book.

Now You Owe Me also exams the influence of family dynamics and how that shapes our identities. And it explores the various challenges that permeate our society.

Now You Owe Me includes a character named Amanda Taylor. Tell us about her:

Remember the theme song from that old TV show The Golden Girls? Thank you for Being a Friend? Amanda is that kind of friend.

She’s feisty, determined, courageous and fearless, but she’s also opinionated, impulsive and a tad reckless. A complex character, Amanda is the kind of person who will go to the ends of the earth for a friend—without considering the consequences. Both only children, Amanda and Fiona are more like sisters than best friends and their bond is something neither woman has ever experienced. Amanda doesn’t just respect and admire Fiona, she reveres her and thinks of her as the sister she never had.

Before they met, Amanda was a shy, wallflower. With Fiona’s influence, Amanda has transformed from a child who followed her parent’s dictates into a carefree adult, college co-ed. So, when her best friend and roommate vanishes, Amanda does all she can to find her. She also feels responsible for not being there when Fiona disappeared. Driven by a sense of urgency, a strong sense of justice, and her need to assuage her own guilt, Amanda cannot sit by and watch the search for her friend falter—even if it means potentially destroying her own life in the process. It’s as if she takes John 15:13 seriously.

How has your career as a journalist impacted how you write fiction?

For many years I worked as an entertainment editor at a major wire service, where I edited hundreds of film-reviews each year and watched countless films, too.

When you see so many films you notice patterns and I can write endlessly about that. As a result, I have a strong aversion to the predictable (smile), which is why Now You Owe Me brims with twists and turns.

Before working at Gannett News Service, I was a reporter for the Associated Press, covering a range of topics from police and courts to politics and investigative journalism. I’m naturally curious—essential for anyone who has been a reporter—so research informs what I write. I believe fiction should have some kernels of truth because that is what makes it believable. And it is that plausibility that can be truly frightening.

What can we find you doing when you aren’t reading and writing thrillers?

Traveling! I’ve crisscrossed the country and have traveled extensively abroad—France, Germany, the Caribbean, Central America, North America, the Middle East, and India.

Although I canceled plans to travel to Africa in 2020, I’m hoping to resume international travel soon. Future books in this series feature characters who move around the globe, and I love to write what I know and about the places I’ve experienced firsthand.

What are you working on now?

I’m currently finishing a certificate in Digital Marketing Strategy at Harvard, which I should complete by the time you publish this column. Additionally, I’m working on the sequel to Now You Owe Me and plotting the third novel in this series. I have a few ambitious projects waiting in the wings—I just need to decide what to tackle next.

What words of Wisdom do you have for Aspiring Writers:

Writing isn’t just about skill and talent—it’s also about dedication. Dedicate time to writing. Make it important and don’t let other people or things invade that time you need to be alone, think, and compose your symphony of words! And whatever you do, don’t quit. Believe in yourself. I could write reams of advice, but I’d like to encourage your readers to visit my TikTok @aliahwrites for more.

Great advice! Best of luck with your debut.

Author Pet Corner!

One of the hardest things I had to do was find a new home for my very affectionate tuxedo cat, Archie (short for Sterling Archer). He’s a Hemingway kitty, meaning he’s a polydactyl cat like the ones Ernest Hemingway kept at his home in Key West.

Archie has extra toes on his front paws. When he was a kitten, he would close his eyes and curl up in your hand if you scratched him behind the ears and he still does! He’s in a few of my early TikToks.

We got him during the pandemic, but since I’ve been traveling a lot this year promoting the book, I had to find him a new home. Thankfully, he’s with my niece and her family just 25 minutes away, so I see him as often as I can.

Elena says: That was so considerate of you! Sometimes the most loving thing we can do for an animal is place them in the best home possible.

Author of Now You Owe Me Aliah Wright

Aliah Wright, an award-winning journalist, began her career as a reporter and editor for several publications, including The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News, The Associated Press, and what is now known as the

Gannett | USA Today Network). Her first book, a text-book titled, “A Necessary Evil: Managing Employee Activity on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn … and the Hundreds of Other Social Media Sites,” was a publisher’s best-seller and is now in its third iteration. She has lectured worldwide about social media strategy.

Her riveting debut novel, Now You Owe Me, about serial killers stalking college co-eds in Pennsylvania, is being released September 10th.

To learn more about Aliah, click any of the following links: Website, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok & Twitter

Header image from Pixabay