Christy Smith’s debut novel “Killed It” is a thriller with a twist. Smith explained that the book is both a thriller and a dark comedy. It’s set in New York City and the protagonist is a young, failed female comedian who is working as a paralegal.
Pushed too far, the young woman goes on a vigilante spree. When someone finds out and blackmails her, she has to get herself out of trouble. The story is intended for younger women, but Smith discovered some older men like it, too.
“She’s young, she’s a millennial, and she has a foul mouth. I was thinking it would be mostly a female audience, but I have had a strange reaction from men over 50. They are like ‘I love this book,’” she said.
Smith, who writes under the pen name Lulu Smith, is a full-time lawyer. She said after she finished the first book, she took a break because work got in the way, but a new story is emerging.
“I work in opioid litigation space representing plaintiffs in the counties and cities. And so my world got completely shut up with work, but now she’s talking to me again,” Smith said.
She said the only issue is living up to the standard of the first story.
“Can I do this a second time? I mean, I have the idea. But the pressure, especially in a sequel is high, so that’s stressful.”
“I am in the outlining stage. I’m kind of an anal-retentive outliner, or just because of my background as a legal writer, because I write on the geek that writes the legal briefs, and I’ve gone back to the law,” Smith said.
This interview is part of a series of discussions with authors from the region.