Blog
Check out a series of posts over the months since Mary first sought publication of her novel, Tangled Darkness. Because Tangled Darkness includes themes of severe mental illness, alcoholism, and opioid addiction, the earliest post gives information about these issues, including access to treatment and getting help.
Have any comments on the posts? Send me a note on the CONTACT page! I’d love to start a conversation with you.
The Psychology of Suspense: A Psychiatrist’s Take
Suspense works because the brain treats imagined threat much like real threat — the same vigilance, the same dread, the same flood of relief — while the reader sits in perfect safety. That gap between felt danger and actual danger is where the entire thriller genre lives. I spent thirty years practicing general and addiction…
Themes & Tropes of Psychological Thrillers
The defining themes of psychological thrillers are identity, memory, manipulation, obsession, and moral ambiguity — the five places where a mind can be turned against itself. The genre’s familiar tropes (the unreliable narrator, the perfect marriage, the late twist) are simply those themes wearing their work clothes. I write these books, and before that I…
Psychological Thrillers: A Complete Guide
Psychological thrillers are suspense stories where the real danger lives in the mind — in memory, perception, obsession, and the things people can’t admit to themselves. The genre has its car chases and its bodies, but its true engine is doubt: about what happened, about who’s lying, and sometimes about whether the person telling you…
What Is a Psychological Thriller?
A psychological thriller is a suspense story driven by the mind — fear, obsession, memory, and unreliable perception — rather than by external action. The danger is real, but the deepest threat is usually internal: what a character believes, represses, or can’t quite trust about themselves or the people closest to them. I write these…
The Books That Made Me a Writer
Originally posted on the Archeolibrarian blog as part of my Virtual Book Tour. I’ve loved literature since I was a child, and my fondness has only grown over the years. Every stage of my reading life has added significant elements to my writing, changing not only my style but also how I think about what…
Unraveling the mind: Why We Love Psychological Thrillers
The psychological thriller genre, known for its unique blend of suspense, mystery, and elements of horror, has a special place in the hearts of many book lovers. I’d like to explore some reasons behind the enduring popularity of psychological thrillers and why fans like me can’t get enough of these mind-bending stories.