TSM: Tell us about your upcoming release, Behind the Lies.
MC: My third novel takes a turn to suspense. Somewhat comparable to “The Last Thing He Told Me” by Laura Dave, the main character, Will, is given unexpected news by his boss. This news echoes throughout the book as the boss spirals into a comatose state before Will can decipher the message.
TSM: What was the inspiration behind this story?
MC: I’ve long been a fan of mystery & suspense fiction and fell into a new rhythm with this story that felt very comfortable. The inspiration was to try my hand at revealing a bit of the “fake it til you make it” culture in biotech.
TSM: What was your process in developing Will’s character?
MC: Will is the kid who grew up wounded by the loss of his parents, a nerdy wunderkind in the scientific community and somewhat naive about the temptations of his new world in the morally challenged biz climate of biotech wannabes. I am a character-driven writer and once I had his personality outlined, I threw some challenges his way….it was fun!
TSM: Since your first release in 2019, how has your writing process changed?
MC: My process has changed slightly. While I have never been dogmatic about writing every day, I now am more aware of allowing my muse to guide me. Sometimes that means writing every day for 10 days straight, and sometimes I leave it alone for a week and come back when my subconscious has done some homework for me and I’m ready to trust a new path.
TSM: Did you approach this novel differently than your previous ones?
MC: My novels are all different, but I always start with a theme—something that troubles me or that I want to explore in fiction. My first book, “A Better Next”, published in May of 2019, is about healthcare mergers and the effect of these macro changes on the lives of those who are involved — I chose characters who were on opposite sides of the business amid a domestic crisis to display the effect.
My second book, “Finding Grace”, published in July of 2022, was based on motherhood choices and who should make them. The theme became more relevant with the controversy over reproductive rights.
TSM: Were there any unexpected challenges that you faced while writing this book?
MC: After I approved my first pages, one of the final checks before a book goes to print, the hurricane in Florida hit Sanibel Island and knocked out a section of the bridge access to the island. While Sanibel was not a major site for the book, my publisher and I realized it may be a distraction, so we changed the Florida location before it went to print. Lucky catch!
TSM: What do you hope readers take away from this book?
MC: Integrity is an important value and can be hard to find in a business climate if the leadership doesn’t attend to building the culture to uphold it.
TSM: What elements of the real world do you draw inspiration from in your writing?
MC: Corner office types are often vulnerable to feeling invincible and above the milieu governing regular humans. Arrogance and avarice can quite easily be the rules of the game.
TSM: What drew you to the thriller genre? Are there any authors or works in the genre that influence your writing?
MC: Thrillers, mysteries, and suspense genres are my go-to reads. I am a fan of Tana French, Jane Harper, Allen Eskens, William Kent Krueger, Mindy Mejia, David Housewright, John Sanford and Laurie Buchanan to name a few.
TSM: What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
MC: Read, write, read some more, and so on and so on….
TSM: And finally, what’s next? Do you have plans for new projects in the future?
MC: I’m not sure yet, will evaluate that as I get closer to my book release, but you never know!