Marie Still grew up a "Navy brat," which meant a lot of moving, but there was one constant: books. From a young age, Marie developed an obsession for the dark and more murdery side of literature, especially Stephen King, Shirley Jackson, and Margaret Atwood. That obsession with words and dark stories translated into a love of writing. Never sticking around one place for too long has given Marie the opportunity to see the world, experience different cultures, and meet many different people—all of which fuel her creativity and the characters and settings in her novels. Marie’s domestic thriller debut We’re All Lying is available March 14, 2023, while her sophomore thriller, My Darlings releases in 2024. She also writes suspenseful book club fiction under Kristen Seeley, whose debut, Beverly Bonnefinche is Dead releases September 2023.
We're All Lying follows Cass, who lives an enviable life: a successful career, two great kids, and a handsome husband. Then an email from her husband’s mistress, Emma, brings the façade of perfection crumbling around her, setting off a chain of events where buried secrets come back to haunt her. A taunting email turns into stalking and escalates into much worse. Ethan and Cass try to move on, then Emma disappears. No longer considered a victim, Cass finds herself the prime suspect and center of the investigation. Her dark secrets—including ones she didn’t know existed—threaten to destroy everything they’ve worked for.
Marie stops by In Reference to Murder to discuss researching and writing the book:
As a thriller author I often get asked, “What’s wrong with you?” In fact, my husband has been scared on many occasions after reading some of my work. It’s always the spouse, though, I’d never be so careless. While a good portion of my research while writing does go into various murder methods, my favorite research is delving into the human psyche. What makes people tick? Snap? How do different personalities process trauma, stress, fear, and being pushed out of their comfort zone?
When I develop my characters, I am very careful to avoid clichés. Real humans with real nuances and flaws and backgrounds don’t act in cookie cutter ways. One of my least favorite phrases is, “I would never…” It’s so easy to observe situations from the outside and make judgement, but the real ‘never’ statement is you never know what you’ll do when emotions (rage, jealousy, deception, etc.) take over.
For this reason, I’m constantly observing humans for what they show on the outside, and who they are on the inside. Social media has made this constant character study much easier. People put more of their lives on the internet than ever before. Sometimes those lives are curated, which is also a fascinating look into the human mind. Quora and Reddit offer anonymity, which makes them two of my go-to sources to better understand people, and create characters with interesting facets.
Preventative mental health care is a subject I feel very passionately about. Additionally, portraying mental health disorders in my stories with compassion and sensitivity. There are several disorders which I have personal, lived experience with. When I don’t, I ensure I’m having conversations with those who do live with whatever I’m writing about. Additionally, I have a sister-in-law who works as a nurse practitioner in a mental health hospital who has been a wonderful resource herself, but also connecting me with psychiatrists when I have additional questions. And, I think it’s important to note, mental illness doesn’t not equate to violence. There are many people living very normal lives with psychopathy, sociopathy, and other mental health disorders.
Whether I’m online or living my life, I’m always watching. Ok that sounds a bit creepy, especially since I started out by saying I was well-versed in ways in which to murder someone. I digress. I pay close attention to how people react to stress, drama, life. I listen with a purpose to people speaking, studying how speech patterns give insight into a person’s personality. Being incredibly nosey has been one of the most useful tools as a writer. And if we ever cross paths, you may just be inspiration for one of my characters. Whether a victim or a villain, I’ll never tell.
You can learn more about Marie Still and her books via her website and also follow her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads. We're All Lying is available via Rising Action Publishing and all major booksellers.
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