Mary is your typical student, your typical homebody. She doesn’t know what to do with her life and doesn’t expect much out of the days to follow until things suddenly change for her. A serial killer is on the loose and kidnaps her off the streets with the intent of ending her life. But then his plans change. Instead, he keeps her like a pet, chained up in his apartment.
Abuse follows as well as the manipulative games he plays. He toys with her, slowly diminishing the hope she has at being found and at being saved, while his own feelings of what seem to be love begin to blossom for her. All while he battles his own urges—it’s them or us.
Kole, Mary’s brother, searches for her with the help of Steven and Carl, two detectives frantically running into dead ends with what little clues this killer leaves behind.
Can Mary survive, even as Stockholm syndrome begins to take hold?
If Kole finds her, will she ever be the same?
Enjoy this psychological thriller set in the 1980s, said to be gripping and emotional that will leave you turning pages until the very end.
Hello book lovers! Today is a day where I will be writing another author spotlight for a well-accomplished author whose work I have loved. As you know book lovers I love learning about authors and the inspiration behind their work, it fascinates me and adds to the depth of the book because the reader will be able to better understand it. That is how the author spotlights were created because I soon discovered that you lovely readers ALSO love learning about author’s, so I am excited to tell you a little bit more about author Lana Lindemann whose book Lying With the Devil thrilled me from beginning to end. I personally would recommend this book to all of those that love thriller’s but really the book can be read by anybody as it is flawlessly written and highly enjoyable. With today’s author spotlight, a biography of the author and an interview between me and Lana Lindemann will be shared, and I hope that you book lovers enjoy reading it! To kick this off here is an author bio about the wonderful Lana Lindemann!
Lana Lindemann, is a loving Nebraskan mother living in the suburbs. Married, with two children, Lana enjoys writing having been writing since she was a child, and playing online video games with her husband and friends. Lindemann was inspired to write by her grandparents, having been told a mix of dark fairy tales and make-believe that she grew to love and admire. Her dark, twisted but sometimes crudely humored stories reflect that. There are no white picket fences in Lindemann’s world, but most love that about her work. In 2019 she won the award for best psychological thriller in American Fiction Awards, and later that year was awarded Gold for best Thriller in Dan Poynter’s Global Ebook Awards. Covering that same year, she was respectfully awarded the title of finalist in Horror in the Best Book Awards. Lindemann’s first book LYING WITH THE DEVIL topped the charts in Audible, making it a best seller on their newest releases list.
With a fondness for serial killers, Lana’s storytelling has been expressed as deeply enthralling, and raw, and not one to disappoint.
Now, how wonderful does Lana Lindemann sound?! Lana Lindemann is a truly exceptional writer and I hope that you lovely readers have a read of the author’s work because you will not regret it! Please see below an interview between me and the author and I hope that you enjoy Lana Lindemann’s answers to my questions, they are incredible and provide some great advice too!
Thank you for joining us today at Red Headed Book Lover! Please tell us more about yourself
My name is Lana Lindemann, I’m a 32-year-old author and mother of two wonderful children, named Chester and Casey. I was born in Florida and grew up on the rural side of Lakeland, Florida. I’m a country girl at heart but grew up being taken care of by great-grandparents. My Oma Rose, and Opa Alvin. My Oma was a Chicago born, tough-as-nails woman that had a love for all things musical and handy-crafts, from making clothes, croqueting blankets, to making my toys. My Opa was a German-born gentleman that came to the United States shortly after WW2. I was born on his birthday, so in short, I was always told I was his favorite birthday gift. They both gave me their love for creativity, storytelling and art in general. My Opa had been drafted into the war, but before then had wanted to be a writer himself. He took upon himself to teach me, and in the meanwhile, told me Germanic fairytales that I grew to love and admire. Though often dark, they usually came with a lesson or two that I took to heart. My Oma was fond of playing the piano, and always told me I should myself, as I had ‘pianist’s fingers.’ But I never did, though if I could go back in time, I wish I would’ve paid more attention to her lessons. After their passing, I moved to Kokomo, Indiana and stayed there until I met my husband of now 15 years and moved to Nebraska where I now reside. I live with my family, happily, and keep in contact with my large family. I am the 13th child out of 25, so there is a lot to do and a lot of love to spread.
Could you please tell us readers about your book and what inspired you to write your book?
Lying with the Devil is the story of Mary Krowely, a girl that is stuck in life and not sure what to do about it. She’s a college student but isn’t quite sure what to make of herself. That is until she meets Michael. Kidnapped off the streets by him, and about to be murdered, something ‘snaps’ in him that changes his plans. Instead, he chains her up in his apartment, bent on making her see things his way and feeling the feelings that are growing inside him; that he can only explain to be love, though warped, as being a sociopath has never really granted him much in the ways of empathy. Through manipulation, abuse, and other torture, Mary slowly dives into Stockholm Syndrome and his warped views start to become her own.
I was inspired to write Lying with the Devil after years, and years of being in love with serial killers. I’ve been a fan since I was five. (Yes, five.) After seeing Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. I was told not to watch it by my uncle, but I did anyway, from behind the couch in your typical sneaky five-year-old fashion. Once I got a hold of the internet as a pre-teen, it was pretty much a free-for-all on all the knowledge I could handle on grisly cases. I often wondered what it would be like to be trapped in a similar scenario to Mary’s and what one would do, or how the mind could handle such a thing with such an imposing figure, and thus, Lying with the Devil was born. There are homages to Henry, the movie, in the book as it was my first exposure to the dark world and twisted minds in it was through that film and even Michael Rooker has a copy of the book. I have no idea what he thinks about it though.
What would your advice be for aspiring writers?
In the words of my Opa, “Aller Anfang is schwer.” Which means, “Every beginning is hard.” Keep pushing. Keep trying. Don’t feel discouraged. Not everyone will love what you do, but that audience that does will love it immensely and continually support you. I know some days can be hard, and you feel like giving up, but know someone out there has read what you’ve written and because of it, it has made their day or put a big smile on their face and rekindled their imagination. We do not what we do because of the money, but because of the stories we weave and the souls we touch with our words. Creativity is a beautiful, beautiful thing to be blessed with.
In your opinion, what is the most important thing about a book?
Less filler and more character development. While I love details about certain scenes, I feel like a lot of books anymore feel hand-holdy in a way that they over-explain everything. I really don’t need six pages on how a room looks, but I would really love to know how the character feels, or what is going on in their mind or how they’re handling the current situation. Let my mind wander and imagine the rest of the scene around them with what you can give me, without filling out several pages on how a desk lamp looked.
What is your writing process like?
I am a night writer. Because of my children, I can never find time to write during the day. I love them to death, but their endless questions and begging for snacks will drive any sane person mad. Besides, that time should be spent with them, especially when they come home from school and want to tell me about their day. So, at night, I find my respite and spend it writing my heart away. I usually sit down with a big mug of tea, or a giant cup of water, and some form of snack, and type till about 4 am, then drag my sorry butt to bed for an early start.
What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
Depending on the book; a lot of topics. Currently, I’m studying occult propaganda of WW2 for a dark fantasy/historical fiction book I’m writing called, The Calling. I’ve spent weeks researching everything from Himmler’s Witch Division, the Ahnenerbe, and Wewelsburg Castle to Nordic traditions, stories, and lifestyles. With Lying with the Devil, I did a lot of studying on the effects of Stockholm Syndrome, mainly on women, as well as battered women’s syndrome which is similar in a way. Because of that I was emailed by a psychiatrist and told that they planned on using the book to showcase its effects to incoming students, and I couldn’t be prouder. That to me is better than any award I’ve won, and I hope I can do more in the field of mental health as it gains more ground.
Do you have a set schedule for writing, or do you only write when you feel inspired?
I believe in writing when inspired. I get that a blank page will stay a blank page unless you start writing, but I feel it becomes hopeless and makes you feel downtrodden when you write several pages, only to delete them because you weren’t inspired and going with your personal flow. Though my breaks in between chapters can be long. (3 to 4 days) when I do finally sit down to write, I feel refreshed, and ready to start typing away, and my work feels more satisfying.
Do you read much and if so who are your favorite authors?
I mostly read true crime books, if I’m being honest. I’m a fanatic when it comes to that. My favorite author is Ryan Green, and I love his books, especially on Henry Lee Lucas and Carl Panzram. Those have to be my top favorites.
Lastly, when can we readers expect to read more wonderful books from you?
My second book is already out, the second in the series for Lying with the Devil titled, Lying with the Devil: Redemption. You can find it on Amazon, Barnes&Noble, and AppleItunes.
My third book I will be submitting to my publisher here shortly, it’s titled Angel’s Grove. It will be my first historical fiction book, set during WW2. It takes on the perspective of Adelisa, an Afro-German woman that is married to what they would’ve considered an Aryan man and has had two mixed children because of it. They stay hidden but are eventually reported and taken to Angel’s Grove, a camp that is run by a tyrant of a man named Gottfried. He separates the family, taking Adelisa into his cottage to serve her imprisonment as his personal maid, making her life a living hell, and while fearing for the safety of her family in the camp below, she does what she’s told for a time, but when it becomes clear that he’s after more than just her services as a maid, she begins to play a deadly game of cat and mouse in hopes of holding out, saving her family and escaping, all while the ravages of the war play out around them.
Its official book lovers, I am obsessed with Lana Lindemann! If you have liked what you have read about the author and are interested in learning more, then please do have a browse of the links below and be sure to have a read of the preview too! You will not regret it.
Goodbye for now book lovers,
Amazon U.S. – Amazon U.K. – Goodreads
Author: Barnes & Noble – iBooks – Facebook – Instagram – Twitter – Website
