In honor of reaching the halfway mark of DEAD AIR, I posted a few fun facts about Episode #5 on Twitter. One of my favorite points of any book is the mid-point — it’s where everything changes and there’s no going back. The protagonist has no choice but to continue plowing forward against ever increasing odds and that’s certainly the case here! Poor Mackenzie!
So read on for some behind the scenes of the latest episode! Then head over to Serial Box to start reading or listening now! And don’t forget that you can also listen to Mackenzie’s podcast — look for it on your favorite podcasting platform (you can also find links here.)
Fun Fact #1:
I actually looked up old society papers in Kentucky to see what kinds of listings were included. So fascinating!
Fun Fact #2:
I loved writing Grandma Georgia so much! She reminded me of all the Southern women I’ve had in my life: strong, opinionated, smart, and to the point.
Fun Fact #3:
Of course I had to nod at Serial by including a jail call to Mackenzie. Thankfully I know a federal defender & used him as a source on the wording!
Fun Fact #4:
Mackenzie’s cousin is named Delilah & from day 1 I had Plain White T’s “Hey There Delilah” in my head. I found fun ways to incorporate it into the text 🙂
Fun Fact #5:
Grandma Georgia is very specific about her mint juleps. Of course, for accuracy’s sake I had to taste a few different ones.
Fun Fact #6:
I was glad to get in a shout out for the Innocence Project. This org does a lot of amazing work re: wrongful convictions and they’re worth checking out & supporting!
Fun Fact #7:
I may have gone a lot deeper researching secret societies than I intended. I stumbled upon videos, initiation rites, articles, exposes, memoirs.
Fun Fact #8:
This is a rare instance where what Mackenzie records in the serial differs from what ends up on air. For the podcast we dropped in a very special shoutout to Gwenda Bond’s podcast Cult Faves!
I hope you enjoyed some of the behind the scenes into Episode #5 of DEAD AIR! One of the fun things as an author is getting to dive into research and plant easter eggs and I’m glad I finally got so share some of the secrets behind this episode! Of course, those secrets are nothing compared to the ones Mackenzie is uncovering. Check out DEAD AIR to learn more!
