There were little things that Jo insisted on getting into the book that Christine didn’t get. We also combed the archives of the Inquirer, the Philly Tribune and Philly Mag. The majority of those were Philly people. We did so many interviews with Philadelphia police officers and their spouses, shooting victims, the mothers and fathers of shooting victims. But she still didn’t think that was enough cred, so we made sure to do our homework and interview as many locals as possible while reporting the book. Jo grew up in the Philly ‘burbs, went to college at Penn, and moved back to Center City three years ago. How did you make sure to get the city right? We felt like that “ride or die” was very much a part of the Philadelphia ethos. Our two characters have been best friends since they were little girls, and they would do anything for one another. It was important to make it come alive as much as our two protagonists.Īnother big reason is that the focus of our book is on friendship and loyalty, and no one is more loyal than Philly people.

We wanted Philly to be as essential as a character in the book. Philadelphia, for all its merits, has both of those things. But we also wanted to portray a city that still faced so many racial tensions and had a complicated history when it came to systemic racism. And Philadelphia still has many neighborhoods that are truly diverse. We wanted to set the book in a city where it would be possible for an interracial friendship like Jen and Riley’s to thrive. She literally never shuts up about how much she loves it and how she couldn’t be happier that she moved back. Jo is obsessed with Philly, first and foremost. Why did you choose to set this book in Philly?

Jo piazza and christine pride