I am so excited to welcome Marlene Bell to the blog today! If you have been following along you already know I just finished Lies To Forever and I have thoughts! You can read my full review right here on the blog. But today I am handing things over to Marlene herself to give us a peek behind the curtain at what it was like to write it. Pull up a chair.
DID YOU EXPERIENCE STRUGGLES WHILE WRITING
LIES TO FOREVER?
Happily, I had no surprises or struggles when I moved from writing a cozy mystery to the thriller genres. I looked forward to publishing another story in a close narrative with a quick pace and a harder edge than my last murder mystery. I’m known for my detailed description of scenes, but that kind of story can move a crawl in comparison to this novel. LIES TO FOREVER still has an underlying mystery to solve, but it stays solidly in the domestic/psychological thriller realm.
When the book begins, April is already playing catch-up with an eviction, job loss, and finding her boss dead in the snow.
All before page ten. And that’s just the beginning…
April Manning fights against her natural naivete during every event, not unlike my Annalisse series main character, Annalisse Drury. Some readers have remarked how April herself drives the story, while others call the book plot-driven, possibly due to how I’ve meshed character and plot into an impossible situation for the protagonist. It’s not hard to empathize with April’s plight when an unknown foe is manipulating her on so many levels. It’s as if she’s a marionette bouncing on the strings holding wind chimes that seem to haunt her throughout the novel. Spoiler alert!
She has difficulty trusting anyone after her mother abandons her as a child, leaving her for a widowed neighbor to raise. Can you imagine casting off a daughter like unwanted baggage? It’s no wonder April carries scars and sometimes makes bad decisions!
LIES TO FOREVER is a fast read that holds readers breathless with very few respite moments.
To accomplish the pacing, the opening line had to set April’s peril level on high and continue throughout the first several chapters. I gave a lot of thought to this line before the outline started. It’s why the first chapter begins, “I was evicted twenty minutes ago.” April has been swindled by the builder/landlord she’d nursed back to health—because she believes people are basically honest, and accepts everyone at their word.
Her ordeal unfolds during the days prior to receiving the eviction notice, but I keep the landlord in past tense. No one sees Glenn Sutton in real time, but readers hear plenty about him as April’s troubles mount. I drop April into her situation with such force; it’s my hope that a missing prologue or lengthy backstory won’t take away from the character’s motivations. I’ve never written a prologue for any of my fiction and tend to start books in the middle of things already in progress.
This book nearly wrote itself as I progressed through the scenes while outlining it. The most difficult part for me was the genre research. I began by putting down my usual reads from favorite mystery authors and picking up thrillers written by men. They tend to be less flowery and more direct in their dialog and language. To my delight, writing thrillers tend to suit me better than straight romantic suspense because of the short, punchy writing style I’ve developed without realizing it. If you’ve read any of the Annalisse series books, you already know that I like to say as much as possible without adding unnecessary words.
-Marlene Bell, author of Lies to Forever
EDITORIAL REVIEWS FOR LIES TO FOREVER:
“Lies to Forever will especially appeal to readers who like heroines under pressure, tangled friendships, and stories where danger feels close to home.” – Literary Titan 5 Stars
“Marlene M. Bell delivers a gripping domestic thriller that fuses emotional vulnerability with relentless suspense. Highly recommended.” —The International Review of Books.
“Marlene M. Bell drops a white knuckled, sleep loss-inducing mystery thriller in LIES TO FOREVER, slipping its fingers into the reader’s collar and yanking them hard into this fast-paced read.” —IndieReader
Okay first of all, a marionette bouncing on wind chime strings is one of the most vivid and perfect descriptions of a protagonist in peril that I have ever read and I am still thinking about it.
What I found so interesting about this post is that it actually answered some of the questions I had while reading. Knowing that April’s naivete and her tendency to trust people is rooted in a childhood of abandonment and having to learn to survive without the person who was supposed to protect her most, that added a whole new layer to how I read her. It does not make every decision less frustrating but it makes her feel more human and more real. And honestly that backstory makes her impossible not to root for even when she is driving you absolutely crazy.
Thank you so much to Marlene for stopping by and for writing a book that clearly nearly wrote itself because it reads that way. Fast, punchy, and impossible to put down.
Grab your copy of Lies To Forever through the link in my Linktree and check out my full review while you are here!
Read my thoughts: Book Review & Giveaway
Shop The Book: Lies To Forever
Shop My Stack: 2026 Books Read
Synopsis:
First they stole her trust. Now they want her life.
April Manning’s generous nature has always been a gift, and her greatest weakness. After being scammed out of her life savings by a trusted friend, April is left with an eviction notice and one last hope: reclaiming her position as an interior designer at her old architectural firm, even if it means a showdown with head architect Hunter Ellis, her cheating ex.
But that’s not the only hitch. When the owner of the firm turns up dead, the last thing April expects to find is the bloody murder weapon on her doorstep.
Now the killer sets a plan for April and suspicion flares at every turn…from the mysterious new handyman, to an estranged family member she’s tried to forget. Chased from her dream home and cornered like prey, April is hemmed by the wintry forests of Tennessee with few options. As chilling memories of childhood abandonment haunt her, it seems everyone has a hidden agenda to take April down.
Only one thing is certain. A monster is stalking Smoky Creek, and April must unmask them before they land the fatal blow.
Readers of Sarah Alderson and Kiersten Modglin will love the twisted betrayals and dark obsession of Lies to Forever, the latest standalone thriller by award-winning novelist Marlene M. Bell.
Praise for Lies to Forever:
“A must-read for fans of smart, character-driven suspense fiction. Highly recommended”
~ The International Review of Books
“Author Marlene M. Bell has crafted a gripping, psychological thriller. …a suspense-laden drama where the twists and turns of the plot are genuinely surprising and rewarding.”
~ The Book Review Directory
Book Details:
Genre: Suspense, Crime
Published by: Ewephoric
Publication Date: March 17, 2026
Number of Pages:316
ISBN: 9798986340982
Tour Participants:
Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and opportunities to WIN in the giveaway!
Click here to view the Tour Sch.edule
Author Bio:
Marlene M. Bell shares many traits with the bold protagonists she writes. Her Annalisse series stars a New York antiquities appraiser who chases dangerous criminals in far-flung locales. The series has won eight international literary awards and an avid fan base around the world.
When Marlene’s not busy plotting her next novel, she’s exploring her wooded Texas ranch with camera in hand and thirty sheep faithfully in tow. As an accomplished painter and nature photographer, she’s always hunting for the next spark of inspiration – or the next adventure calling her name.
Catch Up With Marlene M Bell:
www.MarleneMBell.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads – @dorsetghal
BookBub – @dorsetgalwrites
Instagram – @marlenemysteries
X – @ewephoric
Facebook, Personal
Facebook – @marlenembell
See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.
One winner receives:
- (1) Amazon $100 gift card.
- (1) Lies to Forever paperback (Autographed Proof Copy with a signed magnetic bookmark included.)
- (1) Wind River Corinthian Bells (Silver Elements) hand-tuned wind chime. 22 inches long. Made in VA. New in box as shown.
- They have a beautiful tone. This story refers to chimes many times, thus the reason for the chimes in the giveaway!!
- (1) NEW 2026 Spring Bookstore diffuser, projector, nightlight with Wallflowers scent included. Scent: Book Loft
- Measures approximately 5 inches x 5 inches. Plastic wall plug-in unit. The light projects images on the wall while in use. Sold out at Bath and Body Works.
- Value of this giveaway $325.00
(OPEN to USA residents only.)
Cozy Home Delight 
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