Book Details:
Book Title: Lies To Forever by Marlene M. Bell
Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 316 pages
Genre: Suspense Thriller
Publisher: Ewephoric Publishing
Release date: March 2026
Content Rating: PG because: There are a couple of references such as "hell" or "damn" in the dialog. No sex. Mild attraction. Mild description of dead bodies. Not too graphic. No strong language.
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 conned out of her life savings she’s left with an eviction notice and one last hope: reclaiming her old job at an architectural firm, even if it forces a showdown with head architect Hunter Ellis, her cheating ex-boyfriend.
There’s only one small hitch. The owner of the firm is dead, and the last thing April expects to find is the bloody murder weapon on her doorstep.
As the killer runs free, disturbing reminders arise from April’s troubled childhood, and suspicion flares at every turn…from the mysterious new handyman, to an estranged family member she’s tried to forget. Only one thing is certain. Death is stalking April, and she must unmask the killer before they land the fatal blow.
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.
Author Interview :
What literary pilgrimages have you gone on? Living on a sheep ranch doesn’t allow for
luxuries like travel unless it’s to the woods! However, I had an opportunity to
attend a TX Writer’s Retreat close to home a few years ago where I met many
local writers and a literary agent from a boutique agency. It was my first deep
dive into the literary world with likeminded people. Most of my pilgrimages
take place in coffee table books used for researching new locations.
What is the first book that made you cry? This one will date me. As a child of the 1960s
that book would be THE WIZARD OF OZ. To this day, I still cry when
Dorothy finally goes home via her ruby slippers with Toto in her arms.
Does writing energize or exhaust you? Writing energizes me. I’ve been a creative
since I was eight-years-old and able to hold a pencil to a sketch pad. Visuals
like drawing and painting on paper and canvas came much earlier than writing.
When I’m not creative, I’m bored and have to jump into the next project
quickly. As I’m editing the final draft of a book, I’m already outlining the
next novel in my head.
What is your writing Kryptonite? Something I battle endlessly is falling into
the trap of telling my stories instead of showing enough action. I began
writing fiction in third-person point-of-view and changed over to first-person
a few books ago. Having a main character narrate brings the reader in closer,
but there’s an art to doing this without over storytelling. My books are heavy
in informational dialog as well, which can be a problem when trying to break
the telling habit. LIES TO FOREVER’s pacing is suited for my short, punchy
writing style which works best for me in first-person point of view.
Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym? No. I’ve been a catalog entrepreneur with
sheep-related gifts since 1985 and an online presence since 1998. In the sheep
world, I’m already known for my Ewephoric company and what I do as Marlene Bell
the livestock breeder. I added my middle initial when I started writing because
of another artist named Marlene Bell on the East Coast.
What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help
you become a better writer? I
network with many Texas authors and even more from book groups on Facebook. We
all have the same hurdles to overcome, and social media book groups give us a
window into how to navigate the familiar sticky parts. I listen to my intuition
and try new suggestions from authors with many more books and years in the
literary world than I have.
Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to
build a body of work with connections between each book? Since I write in multiple genres including
children’s, I’m still trying to find my comfort zone and decide where I feel
most confident. I began with a romantic standalone that didn’t work on its
own. A rocky path with the Annalisse series developed over five years, and by
the fourth book, it was time for a change of characters and genre. The cozy
mystery, A HUSH AT MIDNIGHT, was my segue into a slower pace, even though the
slow reveal wasn’t my favorite. I like a tight, fast read. LIES TO FOREVER has
short chapters where there are few rests for the reader.
What authors did you dislike at first but grew into? I know it sounds harsh, but if I dislike an
author’s writing style, I can’t afford the time with a second look. Especially,
while I’m working on my next novel. Most writers tend to hold their styles in
subsequent work. It’s easy to pick up their habits by spending too much time in
their worldbuilding. I’ve done this. Bestselling authors can break writing rules
from time to time that independent authors can’t. Nora Roberts is one of the
greats, but I spent too much time reading her prose and picked up flowery
metaphors in my first book during edits. Without knowing it, I had echoed inappropriate
similes and metaphors that didn’t belong in my story.
What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel? It’s actually a series by Sibella Giorello, a
journalist. My first introduction to a woman sleuth and how she solves
mysteries via her tenure at the FBI. It felt like growing up with Raleigh
Harmon as I followed her as a young girl into adulthood while she finds as she
finds the truth about herself.
As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit
animal? Ha! My writer’s logo
includes a sheep already!
How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have? Zero.
What did you edit out of this book? A few inappropriate words some readers might take offense to. In
Texas, we use a lot of slang in daily language. Being politically correct is
something I look out for in my books as a rule. However, the landscape keeps
changing when it comes to references about people in text. Words that we grew
up saying in the late 20th century are now no longer appreciated and
have taken on new meanings.
If you didn’t write, what would you do for work? I’d be sitting in front of my easel oil
painting instead of behind a keyboard and personal computer.
Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people
will find? I wouldn’t call them
secrets, exactly. My main characters tend to be a lot like me. Sometimes naïve
and gullible when it comes to what evil is capable of accomplishing. I look for
the best in people and take them at face value. My protagonists tend to get
taken advantage of, which can frustrate younger readers. I write what I know,
and stories usually double back to the art world, like LIES TO FOREVER and my
next book!
