She’s Not a Killer – She’s Karma

This Girl's A Killer by Emma C. Wells

“Serial killer. I loathed those words. They weren’t fair – not when used against me. Had I made those men disappear? Okay. Yes – but I dealt in karma – not murder. It wasn’t like I skulked around, killing randos.”

As Emma C. Wells’ This Girl’s a Killer opens, Cordelia Black, 33, top pharmaceutical sales rep, and envy of all who behold her sublime put-togetherness, is racing down the highway to get to her goddaughter’s middle school in time to deliver 30 rainbow cupcakes, even though “nothing stains like red frosting – not even blood.”

She should know. She has made it her mission to rid the world of monsters – predators, abusers, rapists, men who think they can get away with destroying women. “What I did was important. It was necessary and dangerous – the fact that I enjoyed it was a bonus. A wonderful, delicious bonus.”

Born “the nobody daughter of a junkie mama,” she has completely reinvented herself. She has a plan, a code, a meticulous methodology. The only chink in her armor is her best friend Diane, and Diane’s 12-year-old daughter Sugar. There is nothing she wouldn’t do for them, and that is about to be tested. Regrettably, Diane has always had terrible taste in men, and this new one, Simon, has Cordelia’s alarm bells going off, but there’s nothing she can actually pin down. What should she do?

Meanwhile, the rest of her perfect life is showing signs of fraying, as well. Her top pharmaceutical is the target of a lawsuit. Key clients are ghosting her. Her boss wants to see her paperwork ASAP, leading a key contact to indulge in a little blackmail. A nice local cop wants to get closer to her, but has an alarming talent for dropping in at the very worst time. Her reliable source for body disposal is suddenly acting all weird. 

And now Simon is talking about taking Diane and Sugar away for the summer. No. No, no, no. Suddenly, the alarm bells are everywhere.

She would handle it, Cordelia determines fiercely, she has always been able to handle it: “Everything would work out because I would make it work out. I was an expert at managing all circumstances.”

But circumstances have a way of changing…

Dark, funny, twisty, with a heroine so compelling you’ll be rooting for her even in the most extreme of times, This Girl’s a Killer is an exhilarating rollercoaster ride through good and evil, trauma and unbreakable bonds, a novel about digging deep and holding on, no matter what the world tells you.

Because what the hell do they know?

“This Girl’s a Killer (like every story idea I have) lived in my head for a long time as nothing but vibes and characters, before it eventually worked itself into something resembling a plot,” the author says now. “I’m not exactly sure where Cordelia and Diane came from — but looking back, I can kind of see how seeds were planted along the way.

“I haven’t spoken about this much, because I’d never want it to be misconstrued as me using a horrible crime to promote my book, but it is relevant to my story because it left its fingerprints all over my heart and soul (as it did everyone in Baton Rouge). When I was eighteen, a serial killer terrorized my town. Everyone — especially women, because we were his target — was afraid. Even answering the front door in the middle of the day felt dangerous.

“Eighteen is a time that should be filled with hopefulness and big plans for your future, and while I was a starry-eyed kid, I also remember feeling like it was bizarre to continue going to my job, making plans for school, going on dates — everyday normal activities — when there was a man literally hunting women. Like a lot of girls in my area — it impacted me in a big way. I changed my future plans to avoid a serial killer (and didn’t completely succeed — but that’s another story).

“That old fear stuck, and I still carry bits of it around. While I don’t let it control me, it seeps out from time to time. I think Cordelia was born from this. I came of age when a serial killer was targeting women where I lived, so I created a serial killer to protect women in that city.

“There are many versions of  This Girl’s a Killer. Originally it was much, much darker. Let’s just say, I fell down some gnarly research rabbit holes, then put it all on the page. Thankfully, my agent had the good sense to suggest cutting some things back and allowing the reader to fill in the blanks. (For example, does the reader really need a detailed four-part system for draining blood? Probably not…) The story used to be a bit spicier as well, but each time I edited, I felt as if I knew Cordelia better, and a lot of things that were originally included, no longer made sense for her. 

“One thing I knew about this character from the very first draft was, I wanted her to feel like someone you could actually know. She isn’t a cut-and-dry bad-ass. She’s not only hell-bent on a single goal. Cordelia is a woman you might see in your day-to-day life trying to do it all … only her all is a little bit darker.

“She wears many hats and is many things to different people. She’s funny and vulnerable with Diane. Protective of Sugar. Delights in her workshop, while understanding that most people wouldn’t approve of her methods for (she believes) making her city safer. She can be meticulous, and a klutz. She likes brunch and shopping and killing. Cordelia is both a shallow brat, and a thoughtful bestie. Wherever she’s at, whatever she’s doing, she’s giving it a hundred percent—whether it is delivering cupcakes to her goddaughter’s class, or painting in her art studio, or killing predators in her murder room.”

There’s often a bit of the author in one’s character – even, in this case, a killer. “I gave Cordelia my anxiety disorder and a form of my PTSD, then let her experience what happens if you let one little thing slip. Of course, her stakes are a lot more intense than mine. I might miss a deadline and she…well, let’s just say her situation decays quickly. Like Cordelia, I’m also loyal to a fault. Other than that—I don’t have a lot in common with her. She would be absolutely horrified with my nails, wardrobe, everything.

 “Diane, though… She sees the best in people (even when she shouldn’t), overshares, lives in tank tops and denim. While I am more cynical than sunny Diane—I do think we have a lot in common. It was fun to write an ADHD woman. The way she cycles through her emotions quickly, leaves doom piles around her house, and has a million unfinished projects? That’s all me.”

Those “gnarly research rabbit holes” contributed, too: 

“One thing that surprised me — and I cannot shut up about it because it was so shocking — has to do with the Clarence, the body-snatcher.

“Way back, when I was still mulling over these characters and hadn’t even begun considering how to tell this story, I came across an article detailing the lack of government oversight in the field of body donation. Seriously. Look it up—it will blow your mind. There is more regulation in opening a car dealership than becoming a body broker. It’s wild.

“I didn’t need to look up much about drug rep procedures. When I was drafting the earliest version of this book, I was working at a medical spa for my day job. Cosmetic drug reps would visit once a week, and I remember thinking — these women could get away with murder. They were perfectly put together from head to toe. They knew their products like the backs of their manicured hands. They networked like it was their religion. They were confident to the core, and they meant business. I knew my serial killer would fit in perfectly.”

There’s been an outpouring of excellent novels the last few years featuring righteous women killers and black humor, by such writers as Layne Fargo, Samantha Downing, Sascha Rothchild, Halley Sutton, and Ren DiStefano, just to name a few. Wells thinks it’s no accident:

“I’ve heard the media theorize that the outpouring of these stories is because of the Me Too movement. However, I believe women have always written these themes, but over the last few years the publishing industry is finally giving them the time of day. They are realizing there is an audience hungry for these characters and stories. I am not sure what (finally) caused this publishing shift, but I think the major success of books like Gone Girl showed that we are here to support women’s wrongs. I, for one, hope that books with pissed-off, fed-up, sometimes funny, sometimes horrible, female characters continue to get the shelf-space they deserve. I’m definitely going to continue writing them.”

Did this hunger for “women’s wrongs” make her publishing journey easier, though? Unfortunately, no. Three previous manuscripts failed to catch agents’ interest at all, and it wasn’t until 2020, and This Girl’s a Killer, that she found herself not only with an agent, but with a book actually under submission to publishers. Finally! This was it!

“Well. Turns out most editors weren’t in the headspace to work on a dark book during a global pandemic. (This early version was quite a bit darker than the funny, sardonic Cordelia in the final book). One time in particular, I made it so close, but then the interested editor left publishing. I completely understand why someone would leave — it’s a draining field. But it was still depressing.

“Then, I was in New Orleans at Mardi Gras in 2023 — nearly three years later. By this time, I’d forced myself to stop thinking about Cordelia, and move on creatively. In fact, I’d written another book that I decided I didn’t like (which will never see the light of day) and was almost finished with another project that I was very excited about. Ann, my literary agent, called to tell me she had an idea for Cordelia if I was interested. She let me know it was completely up to me—but suggested simply changing around a few of the first chapters. Before she could explain it all, however, my phone died.

“When I finally got back in touch with her hours later, we talked it over. Maybe if I introduced Cordelia as a person first, instead of opening the book in her kill room, editors would connect with her easier. Honestly, I thought it was pointless, and the only reason I did it was because my agent has been such a huge support system and champion for this book. I remember thinking — well, I will do it for her. I didn’t expect anything to come from it, but moved a few chapters around, so the reader would first meet Cordelia as she is scrambling to deliver cupcakes to her goddaughter’s classroom, before learning about her evening proclivities. Turned out — Ann was right.

“Shortly after that, Poisoned Pen read it and loved it. I had a phone call. Then I received an offer from a second publisher, as well. The book went to auction, but MJ at Poisoned Pen always felt like the right choice. She understood the character and the story I was trying to tell. Now here we are.”

Here we are indeed. Next up: “So many things! I am editing a book that is basically a hard look at the pop-culture with which Millennials came of age. There were so many horrible, misogynistic things that were normalized and shoved down our throats in the early 2000s. The book pokes at some of those old pop culture moments. I call it my love letter to #FreeBritney…but make it stabby. Hopefully an editor reads it and falls in love. I think it’s hilarious and twisty and dark.

“Other than that — I’m working on another thriller for Poisoned Pen Press. I don’t want to say too much about it, yet. But I really love these characters and the setting.

“I would also love to write more Cordelia — I have so many ideas for her and Diane. Early readers have said they hope there is more — and I agree.”After reading This Girl’s a Killer, so will you.