Lie - kindle ebook by Rathan Krueger


Once upon a time, this novel started as something else. A novel about an asylum for lovefools. Someday I'll get back to that because I really loved and spent a lot of time on that idea. I think it was two or three months of planning. There were even three chapters written. None that ended up in "Lie". In fact, the only thing the two novels have in common is that they both start with "L". What made me switch so recklessly?

I'm a big film geek, as will become apparent during a few chapters of "Lie". Don't worry: I don't throw out references for reference's sake. Every nod, wink, and nudge (of which there are few) are there for the characters and not myself. Save one thing. I've never read a novel that had a chapter dedicated to watching films, so there's a sliver of selfishness lurking. One of my favorite films is an 80s horror film, "Evil Dead". It's about a group of friends who go to a cabin for a getaway and some serious evil stuff happens. It was recently remade and even though I knew about it, I was in a state of denial. Until I watched the trailer earlier this year. I was so angry that the only thing I could do was... write a novel that's inspired by "Evil Dead": "Lie". It's about a group friends who go to a cottage for a getaway and some serious woman stuff happens. Originally, there was supposed to be an equal balance of the drama portion with the horror portion, but I started caring more about the drama as I wrote.

I think in around two weeks, "Lie" was plotted enough so that I could start writing it. By that, I mean that the ideas wouldn't stop for around two weeks. With the almost-novel, it was a few ideas here and there over the course of the months. Something else that kept the floodgates lodged open was that I saw an opportunity to create a long-form story with realistic female characters. I tend to glaze over female characters in films because they're usually there as The Girlfriend or The Nag, or some other generic title. Instead of waiting around for someone to create female characters like the women I've known, I decided to make them.

Six months and three spent pens later, I stopped being angry about the "Evil Dead" remake (well...) and I created four female characters I'm very proud of. I hope you enjoy their journeys as much as I do.