Book Title: PAYBACK
Character Name: Ayse
How would you describe your family or your childhood?
My father and I emigrated from Istanbul when I was 4. We’ve lived in the same West Hollywood ever since.
Sounds cramped.
That’s so American to need a whole wing to yourself. We have 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. That’s more than enough. Plus our apartment is on the 3rd floor, at the exact height of the jacaranda flowers, so it feels like a treehouse. If you link to my address though, I will sue you.
How do you pronounce your name?
EYE-sha.
Significant other?
I prefer to have a few situationships. Who has time for a relationship? An interrogation where you end up naked? Oof. No.
Biggest challenge in relationships?
People say I am secretive. I have no idea where they got that idea because I definitely didn’t tell them anything.
Do you have any enemies?
Maybe. Depends on who you ask.
How do you feel about the place where you are now? Is there something you are particularly attached to, or particularly repelled by, in this place?
Well, I am in jail with a bunch of hysterical idiots, so I would say I feel extreme levels of murderous irritation.
Do you have children, pets, both, or neither?
Pets are gross. I’m sorry. Why is a doodle sleeping in your bed? Have some self-respect. A woman in my prison has an emotional support Iguana named Nacho. I would hate him; except he is the only person here who knows how to shut up.
What do you do for a living?
Well, I’m incarcerated, and that takes up a lot of my time.
Anything else in terms of employment?
I plead the 5th.
Greatest disappointment?
I cannot believe I got caught.
It seems like you are not enjoying this interview?
I’m not.
Why did you agree to it?
My lawyer thought “humanizing me” would garner sympathy with the DA’s office. You know what, I’m gonna go. Here, I will call in one of the other inmates. She loves to talk about herself.
Character Name: Didi
Didi ENTERS.
Oh, Hi. What is your name?
I’m Didi.
Are you also an inmate here?
Unfortunately yes. I was targeted because I am rich and beautiful. It’s a tragedy of justice. I plan to write a memoir.
Can you tell us about your family? Spouse? Kids?
I am happily married to a surgeon, who is also on the hospital board.
…Do you have kids?
No.
…Does he have kids?
Yes.
What do you do to entertain yourself or have fun?
I love a spa weekend in Napa. I love brunch in Paris with my friends that lasts all day. I love shopping in Milan with my stylist. I love traveling to Fiji with my husband. You know? Just the regular stuff.
What is your greatest personal failing, in your view?
It’s really hard to be so beautiful and smart. It’s really hard to make friends. Envy always gets in the way. But what am I supposed to do?
What keeps you awake at night?
My filler shifting in my face. I sleep sitting up, but it does make it hard to hit that REM cycle.
What is the most pressing problem you have at the moment?
Ayse who is here with me in prison? She is so hostile, and I find it super annoying. She’s clearly obsessed with me.
Is there something that you need or want that you don’t have? For yourself or for someone important to you?
Boarding school for my husband’s kids.
Why don’t you have it? What is in the way?
Apparently, he wants to be close to his kids, but at what cost you know??
For seven inmates, their luxury weekend prison sentence comes with concierge service—and complimentary homicide.
Welcome to Pay to Stay, Los Angeles’s premier minimum—security facility where the privileged serve time Friday to Monday only.
But this New Year’s weekend, seven inmates—including a driven campaign manager, a disgraced nurse, a party girl, and one mysterious male transfer—discover their abusive guard dead, wrapped in an ironic “Community Payback” vest. Now they must solve his murder before their cushy arrangement becomes a permanent stay in maximum security.
As a storm rages outside and the power fails, alliances shift within. With police knocking at their door and an emotional support iguana named Nacho as their witness, these inmates hustle to collect evidence and plan a killer party—all while dodging suspicion. Because someone in this concrete block is a murderer. And everyone is a suspect. But as New Year’s Eve approaches and bodies pile up, these unlikely allies discover that in Pay to Stay, some debts can only be paid in blood.
Fantasy Dark | Thriller Psychological [ Thomas & Mercer, On Sale: May 5, 2026, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781662524820 / eISBN: 9781662524837 ]
Elizabeth Rose Quinn is a novelist and screenwriter. She graduated with a BA in English from UC Berkeley and a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy. Born and raised in Berkeley, California, Elizabeth lived in Los Angeles for fifteen years while working in production and writing for television. Her novel Follow Me was optioned by Amazon MGM Studios and is currently in production as a feature film. She is married with two children and currently lives in New Mexico. In addition to traveling and exploring nature with her family, Elizabeth loves rolling fresh pasta, swimming in the Pacific Ocean, and looking for rainbows in the desert sunsets.
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