During her time with the Cowboys, she cheered under her maiden name/nickname, Rena Morelli. She lives in Arizona now but thinks about her days in short-shorts often.
Evans applied the Page 69 Test to The Cheerleader (Death of a Cheerleader, UK title), her debut thriller, and shared the following:
My novel, The Cheerleader, is a high-gloss, fast-paced thriller that explores the dark side of professional cheerleading. It’s (very loosely) based on my background as a former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. With plenty of high-kicks, high hair, and high drama, the story is what you’d expect from a murder mystery set in Texas cheer royalty.Visit Marina Evans's website.
I would say that on page 69 of the book, we are still meeting the main characters. Namely, Nikki Keegan who is an ambitious filmmaker hired to document the supposed comeback of the Dallas Lonestars—a fictional football team. She takes the opportunity to film an unauthorized true crime series on the side, and in that, she notices the team’s star quarterback lurking outside the residence of the deceased cheer captain. On page 69, Nikki begins to research him. The QB is married with a child, and his wife is social media sensation. Was he just paying is “Lonestars” respects along with other lookie loos?
Nikki also watches an interview featuring the father of the murdered cheerleader. We feel the man’s pain, and we listen to his criticism of the police during their investigation. So, while we don’t get the full scoop of the entire story on page 69, trouble is brewing! And perhaps a little foreshadowing??
My Book, The Movie: The Cheerleader.
Q&A with Marina Evans.
Writers Read: Marina Evans.
--Marshal Zeringue
Posts
