I came up with the idea for Lies We Tell when I was listening to Adele’s song Hello. In my head, I could see Stella sitting outside the prison, dying to see Owen, but unable to get past all the lies and misunderstandings of the past.
LOCATION:
Corbett is a fictional town based on where I grew up. Although it’s a small town, it has all the drama of a big city: drugs, sex, adultery, murder, and corruption. The community is tight-knit and wary of outsiders, but they are also fiercely loyal and protect their own.
STELLA’S HOUSE
Stella’s house is a combination of my home in “Corbett” and my grandparents’ farmhouse. My house was on the edge of town, surrounded by cornfields on two sides. Even though I was in the city, I could see and hear cows from my back porch.
THE NOBLEST GUY EVER…
What can I say about this guy? If he had been born six-hundred years ago, he would have been a knight in shining armor.
STELLA
I liked the idea of a strong female character who doesn’t take crap from anyone but has an extreme loyalty to her family (Lanie).
“DAD” SHERMAN
CINDY SHERMAN
The Shermans are like the parents Stella, Lanie, and Owen never had.
MICHAEL LUDLOW
Michael is a strong, good man who is incredibly vulnerable when it comes to Stella. He’s used to being in control of his women. She doesn’t really need him, and I think that bothers him a lot. If Stella had never met Owen, I think she would have ended up with Michael.
LANIE
This girl…she is a hot mess, but I love her anyway. Stella was the only mother-figure that she ever had. Despite her immaturity, she’s a good person at heart. I wanted her to be vulnerable. I really feel like she’s the most tragic person in the book.
THE RIVER
When I was a teenager, I would go to the river with my friends. We lived out in the middle of nowhere–there weren’t any movie theaters or places to hang out, so we did all our partying in the country. Saturday nights were spent around a bonfire, fishing, and hanging out.