Title: A Stranger in Town

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Series: Rockton (Book 6)

Release Date: February 9, 2021

Genre: Mystery, horror

Summary: Detective Casey Duncan has noticed fewer and fewer residents coming in to the hidden town of Rockton, and no extensions being granted. Her boyfriend, Sheriff Eric Dalton, presumes it’s the natural flux of things, but Casey’s not so sure. Something bigger is happening in the small town they call home.

When an injured hiker stumbles from the woods, the sole survivor of a hostile attack, it’s all hands on deck. Even a member of the elusive Rockton council comes in to help. This council member also comes bearing news: Rockton is being shut down due to the hostile situation.

Casey and Eric must now race to save the town that has allowed residents to have a fresh start, away from the mistakes of their past, while also getting to the bottom of this latest attack. 

Questions with Kelley

1. Where do you take your inspiration from?

I’ve been writing since childhood, and I think that helped me not fixate on one genre or narrative style. Because I‘ve been doing it so long, the ideas come from everywhere: newspaper and magazine articles, one element from a blurb for a show/movie or something that just pop out of my head. For Rockton, the inspiration was a chance comment, some bit of trivia that enough people go missing every year to populate a small town.

Raincoast Books. Blog Tour/Review Request: Kelley Armstrong’s A STRANGER IN TOWN, the Latest in the Rockton Series, 2 Feb. 2021.

2. How do you plan your books, in particular, how do you map out all of your characters and keep track?

Some of my books start with concepts, others with character. By this point in Rockton, the characters are set, so it’s mostly plot work—I come up with a paragraph and then expand it to a few pages. As for keeping track, my daughter is in charge of the Rockton “bible.” When a new book is done, she proofreads while adding to the bible. I can access the bible, though sometimes, to be honest, I just pop her over a question like “have I ever suggested that Mathias knows Anders’s real past?” And, yes, she gets paid for the work 🙂

Raincoast Books. Blog Tour/Review Request: Kelley Armstrong’s A STRANGER IN TOWN, the Latest in the Rockton Series, 2 Feb. 2021.

3. When you sit down to write, what is the first thing you do?

Make a coffee. The drink may go cold as I get immersed in my work, but it’s always there. Then I open the file and skim a few lines before starting. I don’t reread too much or I’ll start editing instead of writing.

Raincoast Books. Blog Tour/Review Request: Kelley Armstrong’s A STRANGER IN TOWN, the Latest in the Rockton Series, 2 Feb. 2021.

4. Do you remember the first thing you wrote? What started you on this path?

I’ve been writing since I could put pencil to paper, and I was coming up with stories even before that. I was an early reader and very quickly that turned into wanting to tell my own stories. I don’t remember the first story I wrote. My first solid memory is of winning a contest with a story about a ghostly rider, though I know I wrote many before that!

Raincoast Books. Blog Tour/Review Request: Kelley Armstrong’s A STRANGER IN TOWN, the Latest in the Rockton Series, 2 Feb. 2021.

My Thoughts (So Far) on A Stranger in Town

This book has an almost idyllic beginning which quickly turns into a horrific moment which really, honestly, is not a surprise in Rockton. No one gets to be happy for too long, am I right?

This book has gripped me and I will be finishing it today with no question, which means that I will likely have a full, nonsensical review for you all at some point tomorrow. Likely 1 or 2 am because I am sure as heck not sleeping until this book is finished.

Lunch break: Read

5:30 off shift: Read until I’m done (eat dinner too I guess)