Behind the Lies, my third novel and first mystery, is officially out in the world! A wonderful milestone in a somewhat arduous process. Getting a book published is no easy feat!  Writing the novel itself is the most intellectually satisfying part for me. I start with loosely developed characters and then build out the personality traits as I create a story line to challenge my view of the characters, making tweaks along the way.

In this book, I wasn’t sure I was writing a thriller until I was. The creative process for me is more a meander than a worn path to follow and the fun part is connecting the plot points once you take a risk and put more than one out there. The detours are where it gets interesting.

Once I had the story down and tested the structure with my developmental editor, I submitted the manuscript for copy edit and the several rounds of proofing that ensure a final copy without flaws. Concurrently, the designers work on book cover design, layout and type. If this sounds simple, it really isn’t. Each of the above steps is laborious, in a good way, and while I have worked with She Writes Press for all three of my novels, and with many of the same team for each, I must say that every book is viewed as unique and goes through a thorough process before finally approved for print.

Now what? The book is out there—and time will tell how it will be received. I solicited some early readers and reviewers to help ‘label’ the book for potential readers. Watching the labeling process unfold is eye-opening—and a bit unnerving. I am reminded that a book is filtered through a reader’s world view and the discovery of those viewpoints is fascinating to this writer. Here is a case in point:

“Maren Cooper combines a smooth blend of mystery and intrigue with a healthy dose of family drama in this absorbing thriller that may remind readers of hit corporate TV shows like Mad Men or Suits….Behind the Lies is an enthralling corporate drama novel.”  Readers’ Favorite, 5-star review

Of course, I immediately started streaming Suits to understand this perspective! No surprise,  I could see the connection—and I really like Suits!

The most emotionally satisfying part of writing a novel is hearing from readers about my work. And, launch time is rich in audience reaction. This past week-end I participated in an event at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center and was proud and humbled to hear from readers of my previous books and the interest in this book number 3.

For those of you in my geographical area, I have a few more live events scheduled through early December, and will no doubt have more after the holidays. In addition, I have been interviewed a few times and will share the links here FYI. 

November and December Events:

Bookstore at Fitger’s

600 E. Superior St., Duluth

November 25th—4-6 PM

Milkweed Books

1011 Washington Ave, So., Mpls

November 29- 6 PM

Once Upon a Crime Bookstore

604 W. 26th St, Mpls

December 2—12-2 PM

Interviews:

https://strandmag.com/interview-with-maren-cooper/

https://indiecrimescene.blogspot.com/

Posting 11/17/23—https://mysteryreviewcrew.com/category/author-interviews/

Next time, I plan to elaborate on my main characters. In the meantime, happy reading!

Maren