About the Book:
Chloe Roberts is on top of the world at Morton Academy. She’s a shoo-in for Head Girl and the lead spot in the school’s secret society: Jewel and Bone. But then her best friend, Nikhita Patel, betrays her, and life comes crashing down.
Things take a darker turn when Chloe stumbles upon the Book of Crime and Punishment – a record of every misdeed committed by Morton students and the fitting penalty. And it’s not long before entries in the book start to match up with murders of Jewel and Bone members. Anyone could be a suspect.
Can Chloe get to the bottom of this twisted game before she’s next on the killer’s hit list . . . ?
Find this book on Goodreads here. Find this book on Bookshop.org UK here (affiliate link).
About the Author:
Cynthia Murphy has a long-standing love affair with all things scary, reading Point Horrors before graduating to Stephen King in her misguided teens. Studying for a degree in Art History and Archaeology meant that she developed a thirst for anything old, beautiful and very often dead. She tries to combine this with contemporary settings in her writing to make unique and chilling modern stories.
She lives in her hometown of Manchester with her husband and their rescue dog, Loli,
Interview:
KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE is a prequel to WIN LOSE KILL DIE, your TikTok hit of a book. Did you feel any pressure coming back to this world?
To a point, yes. I know so many people love that book and wanted to do it justice, plus I wanted to keep track of Morton itself – I was checking details down to the types of wood panelling in the hallways! Ultimately it was lovely to go there again, I know that building so well its like I’ve really visited.
Though there are about twenty years between the events of KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE and WIN LOSE KILL DIE, the events in this book are key to WLKD. Was it difficult or useful to have some of the pieces in place already for KYFC? How did you approach making it a tense, surprising read even for readers who have read WLKD?
When I looked at what I’d already written about the 1999 timeline, I knew I needed it to be its own story, no matter what the characters in WLKD believed to be true. So while it was helpful, it was also a bit constraining and I can definitely see why people who write sequels keep such detailed notes. I tried to take it in a whole new direction and let the characters do a lot of the heavy lifting in the plot!
When you were first thinking about returning to Morton Academy and exploring the events of 1999, did you ever consider telling the story from another character’s perspective (for example, Nikhita)?
I did, in fact it was my first thought. But there were two main reasons why I chose not to. The first, and most important one for me, is that Nikhita has Indian heritage and I do not. I didn’t feel as though I’d do justice to what this meant to her character, especially in 90s Britain, if I was writing from her POV. The second is that she is my favourite villain to write and I wanted to keep her at arm’s length. She’s so fun to hate, unlimitedly you have to experience her from someone else’s perspective.
Did you go into writing this book knowing the ending or has it changed at all in the process?
Yes, I knew because I wanted to make sure I had somewhere to go. I really struggle to write if I don’t know the end – I need that clear goal!
The book is set at the end of 1999. Was there anything you found challenging or useful about writing a “historical” thriller?
I was in Year 11 in 1999-2000 so I drew on my own experiences a lot, from the hairstyles to the blow up sofas and Chloe’s love of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I did have to look up a few things as some references I wanted to include didn’t actually happen until 2001 or so, but it’s mostly based on lived experience and a group chat with my school friends!
The characters in KYFC are self-serving and out for themselves. Was this a conscious decision or something the characters told you as you were writing?
Oh I wanted them all to be pretty awful, and it was so much fun! They really are all out for themselves, but there are some brilliant (and very forgiving) friendships, particularly between Chloe and Rachel.
Which of the two years of Morton Academy that you’ve written about do you think you’d be more likely to survive?
What a great question! I think probably 1999 as there was no way I was ‘cool’ or motivated enough to be in the popular gang, so I’d have been off the radar, haha. Now that I’m older I’m better at seeing red flags, too!
Would you consider returning to Morton Academy for another book?
I never thought I’d write a second one, so I can’t say no, but it would need to be the right story. There’s some Morton lore in this one that I’d like to explore, but that would end up being a VERY historical novel. Could be fun though…
Please can you recommend a UKYA read?
PREDATORY NATURES by Amy Goldsmith*
Thank you, Cynthia!
*Affiliate link
#UKYASpotlight 
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