Marie Still has her publishing debut this week! Described by Buzzfeed as one of the most anticipated thrillers of 2023, We’re All Lying is a twisty thriller that follows what happens after the mistress calls her lover’s wife. Can’t wait to read this. Thanks Marie for taking the time for an interview during a very busy time.

1. Please tell us about your debut novel.

We're All Lying is a domestic thriller / suspense told from multiple POVs. Cass, an ad agency owner, receives an email from Ethan, her husband's mistress. The mistress starts stalking her and this escalates, until she disappears.

2. I’ve read that only 4% of the people who start a novel, finish writing it. Why do you think you beat the odds?

Unfinished things are my peeve. I always knew I wanted to write, but finally felt "ready." My kids are older, I have more free time on the weekends, so I finally said I would check that bucket list item off. And that turned into two books, then three, and I just finished my fourth.

3. Was your debut novel the first book you wrote?  (Any prior efforts hiding on your hard drive?)

We're All Lying is my second! But there are no books hidden away on a hard drive never to see the light of book shelves. The first book I wrote, Beverly Bonnefinche is Dead will be published under Kristen Seeley September 2023!

4. What helped you become a better writer? Any books or resources you found helpful?

Being open to feedback, even the harshest. I am my own worst critic, so my publisher generally has to rip my books out of my hands and cut me off from rewrites, but I think the biggest resource has been the many talented editors who have read my work and provided developmental and copy feedback. I'm a contextual learner, so it's much easier for me to apply things I learn from studying the craft when I'm seeing it pointed out in my own work.

5. What was your process like getting an agent? 

I have agent representation for film and foreign but not for my book deals! I was querying agents and ended up meeting my publisher, pulling back my fulls and signing direct. Agents are extremely talented and wonderful people, however it worked best for me to sign directly with my publisher.

6. How did you celebrate when you learned your book would be published?

We didn't do anything special (how boring), other than celebrate being out of the query trenches, and releasing a breath I didn't realize I was holding ;).

7. What was the most exciting moment involving the publication of your debut novel?  (The moment you first saw the cover? The call when you learned when it was being published? When you cashed your advance check?)

The cover is a big one, Nat Mack my cover designer did such an amazing job. Hearing from readers through email and DM has also been super cool. Then all the media, seeing my book on Buzzfeed, and being invited to TV interviews, it all seems super surreal.

8. What’s your best advice for someone who wants to be published?
Brace yourself. It's a long process full of criticism and rejection. But it is worth it, because all of that will pull a writer out of you who you didn't know was in there.

9. What are you currently reading? Or, what's one of the best novels you've read lately?

I just finished another 2023 debut, The Tip Line by Vanessa Cuti, I loved it. Her writing style is so engaging and unique. Next up is another 2023 debut, Johanna Porter Is Not Sorry by Sara Read.

10. What are you working on now?  Any projects coming out soon?

I turned in my fourth book on Sunday! My second 2023 release (suspenseful women's fiction) Beverly Bonnefinche is Dead releases September 2023, my second Marie Still book My Darlings releases August 2024. I'm working on my second Kristen Seeley book right now.

To learn more about Marie Still and her work, check out her website and follow her on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.