Laura Benedict is the Edgar- and ITW Thriller Award- nominated author of seven novels of suspense, including the recently released The Stranger Inside. On the lighter side of mystery, Benedict wrote Small Town Trouble, a cozy crime novel, for the Familiar Legacy series. Her Bliss House gothic trilogy includes: The Abandoned Heart, Charlotte’s Story (Booklist starred review), and Bliss House. Her short fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, and in numerous anthologies like Thrillers: 100 Must-Reads, The Lineup: 20 Provocative Women Writers, and St. Louis Noir. A native of Cincinnati, she lives in Southern Illinois with her family.From Benedict's Q&A with Deborah Kalb:
Q: How did you come up with the idea for The Stranger Inside, and for your character Kimber?Visit Laura Benedict's website.
The Stranger Inside came from several places: my frequent nightmares about strangers trying to get into my house (occasional zombies, too), my general paranoia, and so many news stories about people whose houses end up being occupied by strangers while they're on vacation, in the hospital, or have listed an unoccupied house for sale. It's often difficult to evict these criminals, which is one of the reasons Kimber's story gets complicated.
I love complex characters. A protagonist who is a good person with only slight or non-tragic flaws is dull to write, which is why my novels often challenge readers' expectations of a protagonist's assumed righteousness. Kimber isn't just a victim of a random crime. She's something more. The book is as much about her as...[read on]
The Page 69 Test: Bliss House.
The Page 69 Test: The Abandoned Heart.
The Page 69 Test: The Stranger Inside.
Writers Read: Laura Benedict (February 2019).
--Marshal Zeringue