Rektok Ross
Rektok Ross is the pen name of Liani Kotcher, a trial attorney turned award-winning young adult author and book blogger. An avid reader since childhood, Liani writes exactly the kind of books she loves to escape into herself: exciting thrillers with strong female leads, swoon-worthy love interests, and life-changing moments. She graduated from the University of Florida School of Journalism and obtained her juris doctorate at the University of Miami School of Law. Originally from South Florida, she currently splits her time between San Francisco and Los Angeles with her husband, stepkids, and her dogs.
Twitter: @RektokRoss
Instagram: @RektokRoss
Are there particular films that have influenced your writing?
I’m a little bit of an oddball in that my favorite genres of storytelling are romance and then also thriller/horror—which feel like complete opposites, but both have such intense, emotional, high stakes plots, which I think is why I am so drawn to them. My writing seems to reflect this as well in that my thrillers tend to incorporate both horror and romance elements. As far as film, I have always been very inspired by the classic horror movies from the 80’s and the 90’s. For the 80’s, I adore slasher flicks and am a huge Wes Craven fan and would list NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET as one of my all-time favorites. In the 90’s, I’d say Wes Craven (again) and Kevin Williamson for SCREAM and also I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER. I’m also a big fan of Jason Blum and his films like HAPPY DEATH DAY and GET OUT. Rounding out the list, I’d also add ALIENS, JEEPERS CREEPERS, THE DESCENT, HALLOWEEN, THE CRAFT, FINAL DESTINATION, THE CABIN IN THE WOODS, THE LOST BOYS, BETTER WATCH OUT, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, and CLOVERFIELD. For romance, I really gravitate toward teen high school flicks with some comedy and, of course, a happily ever after. I’m a huge 80’s John Hughes fan, obviously, (my book SKI WEEKEND is often described as THE BREAKFAST CLUB meets ALIVE), and I’d also say some of my other favorites in this category include MEAN GIRLS, SHE’S THE MAN, CAN’T HARDLY WAIT, CLUELESS, SHE’S ALL THAT, CAMP ROCK, HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL, TEEN BEACH MOVIE, and more recently TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE. I’m sure I’m forgetting other favorites of mine, but these are a few I really love.
Is there a genre of music that influences your writing/thinking? Do you listen to music while you write?
I do often listen to music when I write to drown out noisy distractions in the house and also to put me “in the mood.” The music that works best for me are songs with few or no words so it’s either chill, more vibey EDM music (I love Avicii, Tiesto, Kaskade, Diplo, Duke Dumont, Empire of the Sun, and Kygo, just to name a few) or movie & television soundtracks—especially from book adaptations that I’m a huge fan of. Some of my favorite soundtracks that were on repeat while I was writing SKI WEEKEND are TWILIGHT, JURASSIC PARK, HARRY POTTER, and GAME OF THRONES (though I’m still not over how that TV show ended).
Is your go to comfort food sweet or savory? Is it something you make yourself? Does food inspire your writing?
My favorite go-to comfort food is definitely chocolate. No contest. I love all kinds of chocolate—chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cake, chocolate pudding, chocolate mousse, chocolate almonds, chocolate croissants, chocolate brownies, chocolate ice cream (Phish food or Rocky Road are my favorites), but I especially enjoy dark chocolate because I tell myself it is “healthy.” I am such a chocolate addict I even keep dark chocolate bars in the nightstand next to my bed and often wake up in the middle of the night to grab a few pieces to nibble on before falling back to sleep. I wouldn’t say food necessarily inspires my writing, and I have no idea how to cook (I wish I did but I never had enough time as a trial lawyer to learn), but I would say I almost always have chocolate nearby when I am writing so maybe that counts.
Not all books are for all readers… when you start a book and you just don’t like it, how long do you read until you bail?
I have a really, really hard time quitting things. I hardly ever DNF (do not finish) a book once I’ve started, but I have been known to speed read. Even under normal circumstances when I actually enjoy a book, I tend to read very fast. I often find myself skipping through a lot of setting and description. But if I hate a book, I will just really rip through the pages to get to the end so I can say I finished it and find out how it ends. But I don’t enjoy it. I probably should just quit sometimes, but I’m too stubborn.
Is there another profession you would like to try?
I am a huge fan of filmmaking and I’ve always said that another dream of mine—besides writing fiction, of course—would be to one day own my own film studio. I think nowadays you don’t necessarily have to be a studio head to create good films, though, so I could see myself at some point dabbling in screenwriting and also producing my own books into movies or television shows and perhaps also adapting other writers’ stories as well.
