Caleb Stephens is an award-winning thriller author writing from Denver, Colorado. His novels include “If You Lie,” “The Girls in the Cabin” and “Feeders.” His short story “The Wallpaper Man” was adapted to film by Falconer Film & Media in 2022. He’s hard at work writing his next thriller.
SunLit: Tell us this book’s backstory – what’s it about and what inspired you to write it?
Caleb Stephens: “If You Lie” is about two estranged sisters reuniting on a cruise that may or may not be chartered by a cult. I love a good locked-room thriller, and this idea just seemed like too much fun not to write.
UNDERWRITTEN BY
Each week, The Colorado Sun and Colorado Humanities & Center For The Book feature an excerpt from a Colorado book and an interview with the author. Explore the SunLit archives at coloradosun.com/sunlit.
SunLit: Place the excerpt you selected in context. How does it fit into the book as a whole and why did you select it?
Stephens: It’s the first chapter of the book, which chronicles a very traumatic event in the protagonist’s (Olivia’s) life. This event sets the tone for the book and foreshadows what is to come.
SunLit: What influences and/or experiences informed the project before you sat down to write?
Stephens: Let me just say that I found writing a cult authentically to be more difficult than I originally anticipated. You have to create the cult terminology and the related hierarchical structure. You need to understand the organization’s motivations. You need to understand why people join cults in the first place. I spent a lot of time studying real-life cults in this pursuit, NXIVM in particular, because I find what happened with that group to be absolutely fascinating.
“If You Lie”
Where to find it:
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SunLit: What did the process of writing this book add to your knowledge and understanding of your craft and/or the subject matter?
Stephens: I certainly gained an appreciation of just how many MLM (multi-level-marketing) cults are out there. If you want to lose your money and independence, there is no shortage of opportunities.
SunLit: What were the biggest challenges you faced in writing this book?
Stephens: Initially, I had a difficult time connecting with this book. I wrote over a quarter of the book in third-person POV and it wasn’t working. I couldn’t feel my characters. So, I scrapped it and started again in first person and it flowed much more smoothly.
Every book you write as an author is a different animal, and it takes a while to get to know what the book needs to be the best version of itself and how to provide that in a way that works.
SunLit: What do you want readers to take from this book?
Stephens: Nothing but a good time. Snap it up for your next beach read!
SunLit: How do you know when an idea is good enough to turn into a book?
Stephens: That one’s simple. An idea that, once you have it, won’t leave you alone until you write it down.
SunLit: Tell us about your next project.
Stephens: My next thriller is about a man whose pregnant wife is abducted in front of him and he doesn’t know why. Worse, he has to successfully solve a series of riddles in a limited amount of time, or she dies. It’s been a blast to write. I’m really excited to put this one out.
A few more quick items
Currently on your nightstand for recreational reading: SA Cosby’s “All The Sinners Bleed”
First book you remember really making an impression on you as a kid: “The Hobbit”
Best writing advice you’ve ever received: Never give up. It’s trite, but it’s true. The amount of rejection a writer must overcome is overwhelming at times. A LOT of writers give up.
Favorite fictional literary character: Santiago from “The Old Man and the Sea”
Literary guilty pleasure (title or genre): The “Dungeon Crawler Carl” series. Lit-RPG. It’s absolutely fantastic — so much fun.
Digital, print or audio – favorite medium to consume literature: Print with Audio a close second
One book you’ve read multiple times: “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy
Other than writing utensils, one thing you must have within reach when you write: Coffee. Lots of coffee.
Best antidote for writer’s block: A conversation with another author
Most valuable beta reader: All the members of my personal writing cult. You know who you are.