Hi, Mary Dixie! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

I started out as an actress, then became a journalist and eventually transitioned to being a novelist. Marguerite by the Lake is my second novel. I’m grateful for the prior careers because those skills inform my writing in many ways.

I live in Brooklyn with my husband and two children. My family and I have spent a lot of time at a lake in Connecticut that was the source of inspiration for Lake Spiro in Marguerite by the Lake.

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

I’ve loved reading and writing my whole life, but it wasn’t until after college that I began to believe in myself as a writer. And it was more than a decade later that I thought I could write a novel that someone might want to read.

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: The Ant and Bee stories by Angela Banner
• The one that made you want to become an author: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Your latest novel, Marguerite by the Lake, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

A tense, haunting, dark, Gothic mystery. (That was six words, but “A” doesn’t count!)

What can readers expect?

They can expect to follow Phoenix, a young beautiful gardener, on a surprising journey that takes a sharp turn into her worst nightmare.

Where did the inspiration for Marguerite by the Lake come from?

My mother had a lifelong friendship with an Italian artist who painted her many times over the course of fifty years. After my mother passed away in 2010, I would visit my stepfather, returning to the home that he and my mother had shared, and my mother’s presence in the house was still strong. I think much of that had to do with the portraits hung prominently throughout the house.

In Marguerite by the Lake, there’s a world famous portrait of Marguerite that hangs over the fireplace in the Grays’ home. Even after Marguerite dies, she continues to play an enormous role in the other characters’ lives. Though Marguerite Gray bears little resemblance to my mother, there was something about my mother in the paintings. Like Marguerite, she was still a force to be reckoned with.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

The very first scene I wrote takes place on a dark and deserted lakeside road. The genesis of it was a friend’s story that stuck with me. She got in a fight with a family member and she was so angry she couldn’t bear to be inside the house for a minute longer. So she left her house at midnight and went for a two hour walk around a lake.

I thought about how mad I’d have to be to leave my house at midnight and wander on a dark road by myself. That’s what Phoenix does. And then . . . she sees someone in the distance trailing her.

Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?

Just starting with a blank page and trying to create a story is like pushing a boulder up a hill—torturous sometimes. In the early stages, I always make myself sit at my computer for six hours a day, whether or not I’m productive. Also, for me, the best way out of writer’s block is reading really good books. Sometime books outside of my genre are best—because I can come away with a fresh perspective.

What’s next for you?

I’m working on another novel that has a newborn baby at its center!

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?

I can’t wait to read Annabel Monaghan’s It’s a Love Story, Catherine Mack’s No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding, and Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay.

Will you be picking up Marguerite by the Lake? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Mary Dixie Carter, Author of ‘Marguerite by the Lake’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

APRIL

Lies We Bury by Elle Marr

Marissa was born in captivity.  It’s been twenty years since she gained her freedom, but a new string of murders threatens to bring all of her secrets to the surface.

The Perfect Daughter by DJ Palmer

Grace has to visit her teenage daughter in the state psychiatric hospital where she is being held on a charge of murder.  Doctors have disagreed about a diagnosis of multiple personality disorder, but what dark and shocking secrets will be uncovered if she goes to trial?

The Truth About Unspeakable Things by Emily A Myers

After horrific trauma, Emma has finally opened her heart to love again.  She has kept so many secrets about the abuse she experienced, her past may destroy her before she gets her second chance at love and happiness.

Her Three Lives by Cate Holahan

After a violent home break-in, a family no longer knows whether they can trust anyone, even each other, as doubts, questions, and suspicions abound.  Gaslighting galore!

In The Company of Killers by Bryan Christy

A tightly wound debut thriller! Tom is an investigative reporter, but only as a cover – he’s also a CIA spy.  While he is on assignment in Kenya, his carefully crafted double life begins to fall apart, revealing truths that even Tom doesn’t know about.

MAY

The Next Wife by Kaira Rouda

Does anyone really ever ‘have it all’?  There is no limit to what some women will do to try to have it all, or to keep it.  In the name of love, or revenge, there is no limit to what a woman might do.

Find You First by Linwood Barclay

The master of psychological suspense is back with a deadly race against time when the unconventional heirs of a dying tech millionaire begin to meet mysterious ends.

The Hunting Wives by May Cobb

An elite club that focuses equally on target practice and martinis leads to a life of dangerous behavior, obsession, seduction, and murder when Sophie, her husband, and young son settle down in a small Texas town.

The Photographer by Mary Dixie Carter

After observing the wealthy and elite of New York City through her camera lens, Delta feels an uncontrollable desire to no longer be separated by the camera, and instead be part of their world.  Manipulation at its strongest is on full display here!

A Good Mother by Lara Bazelon

An exciting debut thriller with two young mothers in different positions in the same murder trial, where the decision about what defines a good mother has to be answered by the jury!

JUNE

The North Face of the Heart by Dolores Redondo (Translated by Michael Meigs)

A young but experienced female detective literally follows a murderer into the eye of a storm when she helps the FBI find a killer using natural disasters to hide his crimes and aid his escape.

Hairpin Bridge by Taylor Adams

The author of No Exit is back with a new thriller where a young woman refuses to accept the official police version of her sister’s death.  Lena is willing to fight for the truth, but instead may be fighting for her life.

The Fiancee by Kate White

What should have been a relaxing family vacation is turned on its head when a mysterious woman is involved.  An unexpected death further rocks the family, but was that only the beginning?

Hostage by Clare Mackintosh

The ultimate locked-room mystery, a claustrophobic thriller that takes place entirely on a twenty- hour flight from London to Sydney. A lot can happen in twenty hours.

Survive the Night by Riley Sager

Set in 1991, when help was not just as close as a cellphone call away, two people share a car ride when neither person knows enough about the person they are riding beside.

JULY

Choose Me by Tess Gerritsen and Gary Braver

When a young woman who is both beautiful and brilliant plunges from her apartment balcony, the detective in charge can feel in her gut that there is more to the story than meets the eye.  Discovering her sordid secrets provides more questions, rather than answers.

For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing

This best-selling author is back with a new thriller set in a prestigious private school.  Meddlesome parents, murder, Teacher of the Year, and overachieving students – what else could we ask for?

Her Last Breath by Hilary Davidson

When it is discovered that a woman predicted her own murder, her sister will absolutely not let the truth be brushed aside, despite being a pariah in her own family. Digging for the truth may come at too high of a cost, however.

Safe in my Arms by Sara Shepard

At an elite preschool, the principal is attacked and three moms who don’t think they fit in with the ultra-wealthy community work together to both find out who is trying to frame them as well as how to keep their real secrets hidden.

Silver Tears by Camilla Lackberg

Three generations of women have been hiding from one man, but secrets always eventually come out.  Betrayal and tears are sure to follow.

Are you as excited as we are about all of these upcoming thrillers? Are some of your favourite authors back with something new? Which books are you most excited to pick up? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Thrillers We Are Eagerly Anticipating In The Next Few Months appeared first on The Nerd Daily.