Wendy Walker lands another perfect twist...plus a book giveaway

Credit: Bill Miles

We are thrilled to have Wendy Walker at CLC today to talk about her latest psychological thriller, Blade, which releases next week! It is currently available as an Amazon First Reads pick (free for Prime, $1.99 otherwise on Kindle). If you've ever done competitive figure skating or just enjoy watching it, this is the book for you. We enjoyed learning more about Wendy and we hope you will too. Thanks to Megan Beatie Communications, we have one copy to give away!

Wendy Walker is the USA Today bestselling author of psychological suspense novels. Her work has been translated into over twenty-three foreign languages and has been optioned for television and film. She is a former attorney and investment banker and trained for competitive figure skating. She lives in Fairfield County, CT. 

Visit Wendy online:
Website * Facebook * Instagram

Watch a video of Wendy figure skating in 1981. 

Check out this exclusive personal story Wendy wrote for People magazine.

Synopsis:

Ana Robbins was an Olympic star in the making—until tragedy forced her to leave that world behind. At age sixteen, she gave up her dream and never looked back. Fourteen years later, she’s a successful defense attorney who’s revered for her work with minors. But when her former coach turns up dead, Ana lands right back where it all began—and abruptly ended—The Palace, an internationally acclaimed skating facility nestled high in the mountains of Colorado. 

Ana’s returned to defend Grace Montgomery, the young skater who’s been accused of the brutal crime. Despite her claims of innocence, all evidence points squarely at Grace’s guilt, and she’s days away from facing charges of first-degree murder. Ana’s investigation dredges up childhood memories of her own, triggering the fear that permeates this place where she once lived and trained far from home. 

With a blizzard raging outside, and time running out for Grace, Ana is determined to uncover what really happened—even if it means exposing her own dark secrets from long ago.

"Blade pairs intricate plotting and a winning protagonist with an insider’s take on the fierce pressures placed on young women in competitive ice skating. Wendy Walker always delivers.”
— Alafair Burke, New York Times bestselling author of The Note

“Set in the world of elite figure skating, Walker‘s latest thriller is as chilling as it is propulsive. Raw, emotional, and razor sharp, Blade kept me breathless until the final page.”
— Jeneva Rose, New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Marriage

“Wendy Walker is an auto-buy author for me—I’ll read anything she writes. Her books are smart, compelling, and packed with tension from start to finish. Every story is a masterclass in suspense, and Blade is her best yet.”
— Liv Constantine, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Mrs. Parrish

What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing?
I love when readers say they couldn’t put the book down. Obviously, I’d like the reason to be something that doesn’t involve a mishap with SuperGlue! Other than that - whether they couldn’t part with the characters, needed to know the ending, or found something emotional that resonated, I’ll never grow tired of hearing this!

How is Ana similar to or different from you?
Much of Ana’s story follows the path I took in my own life. From the traumatic years training for figure skating, to moving on to become a lawyer – I needed to have some of myself in her story since the material is already so personal. But we are definitely not the same! I have found peace in my life after processing those years, and while I was interested in areas of the law involving children, my careers have not been driven so drastically by my past. Much of my life has been devoted to raising my own children as well, which is something Ana has not been able to navigate. In writing Ana, I started from a place of familiarity, but then moved into the fictional world created in the novel.

1981

If Blade were made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
This is always such a hard question! I honestly don’t know. I never picture my characters’ physical appearances while I’m writing them. I know their minds inside and out, and sometimes I give them descriptions in the novel, but I don’t start to see them in my mind. As I’m writing this, I can’t even recall if I gave Ana and Grace hair or eye color! But ask me what they would do or say, and the answer is right there. So have at it, Hollywood!

What is your favorite move to do while ice skating (or to watch someone do)?
The layback spin. It was one of my favorite moves to execute, and my favorite to watch. It’s such a beautiful shape, and can be done in so many variations. If you tried to make that shape on the ground, you would fall backwards. The force of the spin is what allows you to bend back so far, and I find that incredibly freeing. Defying forces of nature through gliding, spinning and jumping is what makes the sport so joyful to me. And even the men do them now!

If your life was a TV series, which celebrity would you want to narrate it? 
This one is easy! Julia Whelan. She has narrated four of my novels, including BLADE. Each time she narrates a book, she loses herself to the character, making that person come alive. Everything she does is magical, so I would trust her with my own life, so to speak!

If we were to visit you right now, what places would you take us to see?
My house, for starters, because that’s where I spend most of my time. But then we might take a drive to all of the local rinks where I first learned to skate. And then, perhaps, we would hop on a plane and fly to Colorado where I spent three years training away from home. I haven’t been back since I left as a teenager, so that would be quite an adventure!

Now

Thanks to Wendy for chatting with us and to MB Communications for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use KingSumo to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using KingSumo on our blog, enter the giveaway here.

Giveaway ends February 1st at midnight EST.

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