Book Recommendation - Living Lies


I was recently invited to help launch a debut novel by author Natalie Walters. Since mystery and suspense is my genre of choice, I jumped at the chance to read this one in advance. I mean, just look at that cover! I was absolutely floored that this was a debut novel. It was so well written and had a great deal of depth in the story-line, the characters and emotions. In addition to the mystery/suspense element, there was also a sweet romance.Normally, I don't like the romance aspect of romantic suspense, but I thoroughly enjoyed Lane and Charlie's story. There was also a strong faith thread throughout that was not at all preachy, but got to the heart of the matter.





One of the things that struck me was the raw reality of the mental health aspect. The heroine struggles with depression and there's another character with PTSD. Their feelings and thoughts were definitely true to life.

 Here's the back cover blurb in case you need more to entice you:

 In the little town of Walton, Georgia, everybody knows your name--but no one knows your secret. At least that's what Lane Kent is counting on when she returns to her hometown with her five-year-old son. Dangerously depressed after the death of her husband, Lane is looking for hope. What she finds instead is a dead body.

Lane must work with Walton's newest deputy, Charlie Lynch, to uncover the truth behind the murder. But when that truth hits too close to home, she'll have to decide if saving the life of another is worth the cost of revealing her darkest secret.

Debut novelist Natalie Walters pulls you to the edge of your seat on the first page and keeps you there until the last in this riveting story that will have you believing no one is defined by their past.

Being part of the author's launch team meant that I had access to ask a few questions of my own.

1. Do you relate particularly well to any one of the characters in this book? Why or why not?

I feel like there’s a little bit of me in all of the characters so it’s hard to pick one that I relate to most but if I had to pick my favorite (Charlie and Lane not included) it might be a toss-up between Bane and Ducky! But there are little nods in a few of the characters to my grandparents. Ms. Byrdie is named after my grandmother and Pops loosely resembles my paternal grandfather.

2. Where did the idea for the story-line come from?

The story line for Living Lies actually blossomed from one of those murder mystery shows like Dateline or 20/20. There was a murder case that struck as me as so cold my heart immediately wanted to find justice for the victim. I used that emotion as the catalyst to help me plot a murder, an antagonist, and a motive.

3. This book had a very realistic element of mental health. As a person with a hormonal imbalance who has entertained suicidal thoughts during various changes (and someone who sat beside a friend as she threw the pills she was going to take to end her life down the toilet), I totally related to Lane's thinking. It felt personal, especially since you also included a character with severe PTSD. How did you become so intimately acquainted with depression?

Lane’s story started during a time of support for my daughter who was suffering depression and anxiety. Watching her struggle was difficult. I didn’t realize how severe the stigma was surrounding the disease and it broke my heart to learn how many suffer in silence because of that. Writing this story was a way I could open up a conversation in a way that I hope comes across as genuine and authentic.

4. As you were writing, did anything in the story end up surprising you?

Lane’s sister, Meagan. I feel like she epitomizes the façade of perfection…well, perfectly. I didn’t know until I began writing how her story was going to connect with Lane’s but I loved the way that it did.

5. What are you most hoping that readers glean from this book?

I hope more than anything readers will learn a little more about the stigma behind mental health and that conversations will happen. If there are readers who are suffering from mental health I hope they know they are loved and supported.

6. Any other fun facts you'd like to share?
One of my least favorite things to do is name characters and recently it was pointed out that one of the characters (I won’t say due to spoilers) is named very fittingly. It was a happy coincidence, I guess. I’d love for readers to let me know if they catch it!

The town matriarch is named after my grandma, Byrdie Sue. There’s a lot about Ms. Byrdie’s character that remind me of my grandma and I think if my grandma were here she would be pleased to have such a kind, generous character named after her. *There are also several other nods to my grandparents throughout #LivingLies 💕⁣⁣
⁣
There’s a scene in Living Lies that I had to be sure could actually happen making me approach a random police officer outside of Kroger’s to get his opinion…this led to a lengthy and helpful conversation that I’m 98.9% sure was really just the police officer’s way of assessing MY potential threat level. 🤣⁣
⁣
⁣
Cinnamon rolls play a major part in this story and appear in #DeadlyDeceit and #SilentShadows and for the life of me I have no idea how that particular pastry became Lane’s specialty…I must’ve eat one or something when I started writing?? Who knows??

7.Since my copy indicates that this is "Harbored Secrets Book one", I'm assuming there is more to come! Will we see more of Lane and Charlie? Tell me a little about what is next and when we can expect it!

You will see more of Lane and Charlie! Yay! But they will be playing secondary roles as Deputy Ryan Frost and the tenacious reporter, Vivian DeMarco are the leads in Deadly Deceit, book 2 of the Harbored Secrets series. Vivian, unfortunately finds herself back in Walton, and at the center of an investigation into the sudden and unexpected death of her boss. Ryan’s career is set…as long as he keeps a certain reporter from interfering in a case that brings the town of Walton back into the headlines. Deadly Deceit releases November 2019.

I, for one, am looking forward to what comes next! November can't get here soon enough!
Some additional links for more information:
Natalie's website: https://www.nataliewalterswriter.com/ (or check for her on Facebook under Natalie Walters, Writer) - you won't be sorry - she's hilarious!



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Book Recommendation - The Curse of Misty Wayfair

Image
My very first read of 2019 was this super-creepy dual timeline novel, The Curse of Misty Wayfair by Jaime Jo Wright. I discovered Ms. Wright at the beginning of 2018 when I found her debut novel, The House on Foster Hill, and LOVED it. Later in the year, she released The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond, which I also thoroughly enjoyed. Though this one spooked me the most (I had ghostly dreams a time or two while reading this one), I think this is the best one yet! This book goes back and forth between Thea in 1908 and Heidi in present day. Both are on a quest to find themselves and for both of them, their quest has brought them to the small town of Pleasant Valley, WI. There is a curse that supposedly haunts the woods, and both characters in their respective timelines are drawn into the curse and what it means for them. In their quests, both of them also come face to face with their Creator. Here's the back-cover blurb for those interested in learning more about the story line: ...
Read more

Book Recommendation - A Secret to Die For

Image
Lisa Harris's most recent novel was one of my most anticipated suspense novels this season. I was super excited to be selected as an influencer for this book. One of the aspects that had me intrigued was that the main character was a psychologist. For those that don't know, my undergrad degree is in Psychology, so I always find it fascinating to see things from their perspective. Ms. Harris did an excellent job of portraying her role.  Psychologist Grace Callahan has no idea that she has a secret--one worth killing for. But when she finds out one of her clients has been murdered, she quickly realizes that the computer security specialist wasn't simply suffering from paranoia. Detective Nate Quinn has just been cleared for active duty after a bombing killed eighteen people, including his partner, and left him dealing with PTSD. His first case back on the job involves the murder of Stephen Shaw, and his only lead turns out to be an old friend, Grace Callahan--and her life ...
Read more

Book Recommendation - A Perfect Weakness

Image
I recently had the pleasure of being a part of a launch team for a work of romantic historical fiction, which is a genre that is slowly growing on me (as long as the romance isn't super gushy). Jennifer Davids is a "new to me" author, so I was a bit hesitant. But I didn't need to be. The book was very well written and the characters were delightful. I was immediately drawn into the time of 1860s England, where we meet our heroine, Penelope Howard, at the grave of her uncle who had recently passed. He was the lord of Ashford hall in the village of Woodley. His heir is an American doctor who must be convinced to come to England and become a lord. Here we meet John Turner, who has given up medicine for a reason unknown to us at this time. He appreciates the opportunity to escape his troubles and find his way to England. He plans to settle the estate, hand the reigns to another, and hide away in England.  The story focuses on the lives of these 2 main characters, John and...
Read more