Book Recommendation - Deadly Deceit
This book showed a softer side to Vivian as you learn a bit about her history and how she's grown in the months since "Living Lies". When she is called to her boss's house late one evening for the story of a lifetime and finds him dying, she knows she needs to find out what that story was and she'll stop at nothing to bring the truth to light. Once again, Ms. Walters brings an in-depth plot with twists and turns that you never see coming. I had no idea what was going to happen until it happened!
Some behind the scenes facts that I stole from Natalie Walters' Facebook page:
1. The plot for Deadly Deceit started with the method of murder (enter maniacal laugh 😈)
2. I didn’t know Vivian was going to be the heroine until I began writing the story. Her story of redemption is one of my favorite!
3. The first drafts of Deadly Deceit had Vivian crashing a wedding—I’ll let you guess whose that might be 🤫
4. There are several “Easter Eggs” sprinkled throughout this book for future series—one I may actually be working on right now 🙊
5. My favorite scene in the whole book happens with a can of hair spray and a frying pan!! 🤣
2. I didn’t know Vivian was going to be the heroine until I began writing the story. Her story of redemption is one of my favorite!
3. The first drafts of Deadly Deceit had Vivian crashing a wedding—I’ll let you guess whose that might be 🤫
4. There are several “Easter Eggs” sprinkled throughout this book for future series—one I may actually be working on right now 🙊
5. My favorite scene in the whole book happens with a can of hair spray and a frying pan!! 🤣
As part of the launch team for this fantastic book, I was given access to the author for a Q&A session. Here's how it went (some of the answers coincide with the "behind the scenes" above, but there's a bit more depth in the responses below):
1. Did you have a favorite character in this book, or one that you resonated with a bit more? If so, who and why?
I think my favorite character is Vivian! It’s kind of shocking since she didn’t exactly appeal to readers in Living Lies but I got to redeem her character by peeling back the layers to her personality. I really enjoyed learning about her past and how she became who she is at the beginning of the story. And her redemption, who she is beneath all the layers—one of my favorites!!
2. Did anything happen during the writing of this book to change the trajectory of the story?
After I “killed” off a character I wasn’t sure how the murder was going to connect everything until I started writing. Not going to lie, I was worried!
3. As you were writing, did anything in the story end up surprising you?
Probably the twists in the plot. I had an idea of where the story was going but I keep digging myself into holes. It was fun to see the plot morph in unpredictable ways and I really like the way it turned out.
4. What was your inspiration for the story line?
This story started with the method of murder. I knew how I wanted to “kill” a character, I just needed the who, when, and why. That’s when Vivian came in, she was the perfect person to dig into deep secrets to find the truth and I wanted to give her a story where readers could see how her past shaped her.
5. I love how your characters have realistic flaws, which make them so much more relatable. Both Vivian and Ryan have abandonment issues. They were written so well! How did you come up with that particular issue and how did you research that?
Well, thank you for that very kind compliment!! I used a bit of personal experience and the experience of friends and family to develop what I hope was authentic and genuine responses to abandonment.
6. What is something that you hope readers will glean from this story?
You mentioned before the abandonment issues and I think there are times in most peoples lives where they’ve faced some form of abandonment. I know I have, so it was important to me to weave a theme that counters the lie that we are unworthy, unwanted, and alone. God is not about that. There are so many verses in the Bible that speak about us being chosen and that’s probably the most important take away. We are not forsaken and abandoned—we are chosen, worthy, and loved.
7. Any other fun tidbits about this one that you'd like to share?
The BBQ joint where Ryan and Vivian share a meal is a real place, I just slightly altered the name and it was my favorite place to eat when we lived in Georgia.
Ryan’s relationship with his sister is probably one of my favorite sibling relationships ever and reminds me of my kids.
Oh, I’m terrible at naming characters and so might’ve named Ryan after my oldest daughter’s boyfriend who is now her husband!
8. Can you tell us a little bit about what's next and when we can expect it?
The final book in the Harbored Secrets Series, Silent Shadows, releases in March of 2020. It’s a little bittersweet but I’m excited to bring readers back to Walton one last time and into the lives of Pecca Gallegos and her son, Maceo (who readers might recognize!). I’ve been dreaming of this story for a few years and I really can’t wait for readers to get to know more about Pecca and meet Captain Colton Crawford. commence ALL the swooning
I think my favorite character is Vivian! It’s kind of shocking since she didn’t exactly appeal to readers in Living Lies but I got to redeem her character by peeling back the layers to her personality. I really enjoyed learning about her past and how she became who she is at the beginning of the story. And her redemption, who she is beneath all the layers—one of my favorites!!
2. Did anything happen during the writing of this book to change the trajectory of the story?
After I “killed” off a character I wasn’t sure how the murder was going to connect everything until I started writing. Not going to lie, I was worried!
3. As you were writing, did anything in the story end up surprising you?
Probably the twists in the plot. I had an idea of where the story was going but I keep digging myself into holes. It was fun to see the plot morph in unpredictable ways and I really like the way it turned out.
4. What was your inspiration for the story line?
This story started with the method of murder. I knew how I wanted to “kill” a character, I just needed the who, when, and why. That’s when Vivian came in, she was the perfect person to dig into deep secrets to find the truth and I wanted to give her a story where readers could see how her past shaped her.
5. I love how your characters have realistic flaws, which make them so much more relatable. Both Vivian and Ryan have abandonment issues. They were written so well! How did you come up with that particular issue and how did you research that?
Well, thank you for that very kind compliment!! I used a bit of personal experience and the experience of friends and family to develop what I hope was authentic and genuine responses to abandonment.
6. What is something that you hope readers will glean from this story?
You mentioned before the abandonment issues and I think there are times in most peoples lives where they’ve faced some form of abandonment. I know I have, so it was important to me to weave a theme that counters the lie that we are unworthy, unwanted, and alone. God is not about that. There are so many verses in the Bible that speak about us being chosen and that’s probably the most important take away. We are not forsaken and abandoned—we are chosen, worthy, and loved.
7. Any other fun tidbits about this one that you'd like to share?
The BBQ joint where Ryan and Vivian share a meal is a real place, I just slightly altered the name and it was my favorite place to eat when we lived in Georgia.
Ryan’s relationship with his sister is probably one of my favorite sibling relationships ever and reminds me of my kids.
Oh, I’m terrible at naming characters and so might’ve named Ryan after my oldest daughter’s boyfriend who is now her husband!
8. Can you tell us a little bit about what's next and when we can expect it?
The final book in the Harbored Secrets Series, Silent Shadows, releases in March of 2020. It’s a little bittersweet but I’m excited to bring readers back to Walton one last time and into the lives of Pecca Gallegos and her son, Maceo (who readers might recognize!). I’ve been dreaming of this story for a few years and I really can’t wait for readers to get to know more about Pecca and meet Captain Colton Crawford. commence ALL the swooning
I can't wait to see what happens next in March!
I did love the faith thread of this one - how it spoke of God choosing us and us never being alone. This author really knows how to bring that kind of message home! It reminds me of this song - I am chosen, not forsaken - I am who you say I am!
For more information, here are some links:
Natalie's website: https://www.nataliewalterswriter.com/ (or check for her on Facebook under Natalie Walters, Writer)
Deadly Deceit Pintrest page (for all you visual people): https://www.pinterest.com/nakeliwalters/deadly-deceit-harbored-secrets-book-2/?fbclid=IwAR0jugnWbwKNl0wBBBlrYoeelSSwFadjEedMsPARj1u7adDXMb_1vgp2sMI
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