The Birth of a Thriller

By Iris Glazner Leigh

There is no magic to writing a book. I can safely say that, as it took me eleven years of editing, rewriting, and sifting through rejections from publishers and agents to bring Liza’s Secrets from inception to publication. Throughout that process I remained determined to tell the story, a cautionary tale to women who might not know they were in trouble until it was too late.

People often ask if Liza’s Secrets is autobiographical. No. It is mostly the product of my overzealous imagination, but as often happens in fiction, real life incidents provide inspiration. Liza’s Secrets began when the brakes on my secondhand Saab failed, and I sailed through a stop sign near my home. I was terrified. My car just came back from the repair shop, where the mechanic assured my husband, the brakes were working fine. Or at least, my imagination noted, that was what he told me.

When I bought a brand-new Subaru to replace the Saab, I applied for a car loan. I learned I needed a co-signer. I made a respectable salary, so that surprised me. What I did not know was that my husband had withdrawn money from our home equity loan to pay the semester’s bill for our son’s college education. It turned out either of us could borrow money without the other knowing it. 

These two incidents struck me as opportunities for perfect crimes. What if my kind-hearted husband wanted to kill me? The faulty brakes could do it. Also, what if he wanted to amass a significant amount of money without me knowing about it? Enter the scenarios of the home equity loan. A thriller was born. 

But writing Liza’s Secrets began before that. My husband and I summered on Cape Cod. When the kids were old enough for seasonal jobs, I had time on my hands and decided to write a novel. Enrolling in a writing class at a community college, I filled a three-ring notebook with impractical notes. Getting started was much harder than I thought.

The next summer, I signed up for another course. The instructor provided us with prompts. One was “if only…” What I wrote began with, “If only I had known my husband was trying to kill me, I would have left sooner.” Each subsequent week I wrote story lines that answered the new prompt and also could be added to my previous responses. Tying the prompts together led to Chapter One. On the third summer, I enrolled in another class and read my chapter aloud. A few women approached me and asked if I was okay. Shocked, I realized they thought my story was true. I knew I had a winner.

The women in the class started a writing group, and I joined them. I did not know that the hard part was ahead of me or that it would take years to complete the book. I rarely had time to write fiction in the winter and there were many months with no additions to the Liza story. Each June, I sat at the computer and asked myself what was going to happen next in the chapter I was writing.

I never thought beyond that chapter. When I took walks, the characters seemed to speak to me, and I anticipated their actions and reactions. Like the stuffed animals that lived on my bed as a child, they were splendid company. My husband’s job kept him from vacationing more than a few days at a time at the Cape, and I spent long evenings with Liza, her cat Licorice, Jeff, and Barry. 

Finally, my story of Liza Kasner discovering that her husband wanted to kill her and take the money from their house to pay off loan sharks blossomed:

She arrives in winter in Cape Cod with a new identity and her cat, Licorice. On the run and frightened, Liza cuts herself off from even her son at college. Initially staying in a rundown motel, she meets Jeff who is remodeling the place. While Liza settles into off-season Cape Cod, she realizes how different life is here than in metropolitan New Jersey. She is an outsider and needs to navigate a new culture. Liza finds a house-sitting position, complete with another cat, and a full-time job in Chatham, and builds a life for herself. When Barry discovers she is missing, along with a substantial amount of money from their home equity account, he is furious. Liza does not know he is ruthlessly tracking her. When Barry and Liza collide on Cape Cod, Liza discovers a new-found resilience. Twists add to the suspense. 

In April 2024, Black Rose Writing published Liza’s Secrets. I had rewritten it so many times it bore little resemblance to my first draft. However, the essence of the characters, Liza’s self-deprecating humor, ruthless husband, and lovable cats remained central to the book. After every rejection, I sent the book out again and while I waited for a response, I added to the Liza Kasner Series. Book two, now in the stage of rewriting and editing, will follow soon. 

Liza’s Secrets has suspense, romance, humor, and an ending you will not see coming. It is in print, eBook, and audio on Amazon: 

LISA’S SECRET

“In Liza’s Secrets, everyone has a secret, and some are about to explode.” –Jacquelyn Mitchard, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Good Son

What happened to Franny Blackman? Franny is now Liza Kasner and is hiding in Chatham on Cape Cod. This newly minted blonde escaped from suburban New Jersey with her cat in the middle of the night. As she settles into the off-season beach resort, people from her hometown keep appearing. Can she lie well enough to keep her abusive husband, Barry, off her trail?

The longer Liza stays in Chatham, the more she falls in love with the place. Jeff, a promising romantic interest, is determined to do anything to make Liza happy, even finding the perfect bagel for her.

However, Barry owes big money to his business partners. He needs his wife dead to collect her life insurance to pay them back. Just as Liza begins to feel safe, Barry finds her. Can she stop him before time runs out?

Liza’s Secrets is a fast-paced domestic suspense set in idyllic Chatham. Iris Leigh’s page-turner is told with juxtaposing tension and humor. Its a fun read and should be in every beach bag and book club list. What would you do if you had to hide and had no place to go?

BUY HERE

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Iris Glazner Leigh has an infinite curiosity about seemingly routine interactions in her world. Even an ordinary woman sunning on the beach can inspire a story. When not removing green paint from her cat’s paws, Iris can be found painting landscapes, singing in a local chorus, and crafting her Liza Kasner suspense novels. Iris is a retired international presenter on bullying prevention and an occupational therapy educator. She and her husband reside on Cape Cod. Iris finds inspiration in the gardens, endless beaches, and sand dunes on one of the most stunning places on earth. 

 

 

 

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