Ellie Banks is the author of the new novel Lies Make Perfect. Ellie Banks is the pseudonym for author Maisey Yates, who has written more than 100 books. She lives in the Pacific Northwest.
Q: What inspired you to write Lies Make Perfect, and how did you create your character Margo?
A: I was inspired by watching the documentary I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, which was about the process Michelle McNamara went through to write her book about the Golden State Killer – it led to the crime being solved, but also to her untimely death.
Writers tend to be obsessive people (thankfully I write fiction, but it’s a quality I relate to) but I was inspired by that drive, that obsessiveness and then the human aspect of someone like that – and what happens with that obsessive drive when tragedy hits home.
Q: Without giving anything away, did you know how the novel would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?
A: When I write romance, I generally don’t plot, but with stories like this I find I have to know the answers or I’ll take too long to get there.
There was one point where I was plotting where I wrote things going a different way, and what I realized was that I personally wasn’t happy with that because it meant the truth changed nothing.
I realized that for me it’s important that truth matters. That’s where I find hope in a book that has darker subject matter. In a romance novel people are fighting to let go of emotional damage and accept love, and I think in a book like this it’s a fight for hope in humanity, even in the midst of terrible things.
Q: What do you think the novel says about society’s fascination with true crime stories?
A: I think it’s adjacent to the allure of Greek tragedy. You can take a look at the real horrors that exist in this world, and then look at your own life and take a sigh of relief that everything is fine in your home. I think that’s human nature.
I think too, the idea that maybe you can be part of solving something, that you could shed light on a situation and fix a tragedy is motivating as well (that’s definitely something that drove Margo to become a true crime writer).
I always say that I’m a control freak in a world I can’t control, which is why I write fictional scenarios that are often difficult – so I can fix them.
Q: You’ve written many books in various genres--do you have a preference?
A: Romance will always be my primary “home,” but every book I write is about people. That’s my main interest. What makes people work, what makes them do terrible things, good things, what makes them hurt and what makes them heal.
I love that in domestic suspense I can explore some different themes, but what brings me back to romance is the hope embedded in the genre. Because it isn’t just about people going through hard things, but about them figuring out how to heal from those hard things, and I think as people that’s the hardest work we ever do.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I’m working on my new Western romance series, Rustler Mountain, coming out with Kensington publishing in February.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: If you want to connect with me you can find me on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/maiseyyates/) or Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MaiseyYates.Author).
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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