I am thrilled to be hosting George Morris De’Ath today for an interview about his psychological thriller FACE OF EVIL.
FACE OF EVIL
Author: George Morris De'Ath
Publisher: Aria & Aries
Publication Date: February 11, 2021
Summary:
Purchase:
If you play games with a killer... you can't afford to lose.
Looking for a subject for her book about evil, Lydia Tune travels to the infamous Mortem Asylum in seedy Decanten City. Her target is Jason Devere, a death row serial killer notorious for his precise and grotesque murders.
Lydia is beautiful, ruthless and manipulative – she always gets what she wants. She knows the only way to get Jason to speak is to engage him in a dangerous battle of wits. Local detective and old friend Alex Gilbey warns her off the case, but he has no idea just how far Lydia will go to court darkness.
The more Lydia digs into Jason's story, the clearer it becomes that there is a bigger story to uncover. But the problem with playing with killers is that they never play nice...
A glittering and suspenseful debut psychological thriller, Face of Evil is impossible to put down.
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Describe FACE OF EVIL in 10 words or less.
George Morris De'Ath: Okay, I’m going to go with:
1. BLOODY
2. DANGEROUS
3. THRILLING
4. TWISTED
5. ROMANTIC
6. CHILLING
7. DISTURBING
8. CRUEL
9. CREEPY
10. And last I’ll throw in ASYLUM as I know that will prick up a few ears!
What was your favourite (non-spoiler) scene to write in FACE OF EVIL?
George Morris De'Ath: Oh wow, well I suppose the final confrontation at the end of the book, just because it’s so thrilling and satisfying I feel. It certainly was from a writing perspective. That’s what the book builds to and boy does it hit that point with a bang! I remember distinctly writing that chapter with a smile on my face the whole time because it really makes you punch the air but then afterwards, lament on it in a bittersweet kind of way.
What is the most interesting part of writing a thriller?
George Morris De'Ath: I think the most interesting part of writing a thriller is finding new ways to do it that haven’t been done. You know, the thriller genre is so over saturated, especially now! So I think it’s fun as a writer trying to cook up new ways of keeping the genre fresh for your story. I really do see coming up with a story as a puzzle that you have to piece together and make work and keep it as much as a game as to keep yourself going with it. If you can keep that plate spinning until the last line of the book then you can be proud of yourself.
How do you plot out the twists? Do you think of what you want the big reveals to be and work backwards or do they come to you as you're writing?
George Morris De'Ath: I tend to personally plan everything out before I start writing a single word of the first chapter. There’s that thing isn’t there that you’re either a planner or a gardener and both have their pros and cons. Naturally, I’m geared much more towards the planning spectrum of writing. I like to know my twists and turns and endings before I do anything and plan every chapter with detail.
But then again, I will occasionally throw in some fun little moments in the heat of the moment just because I feel the moment needed it and it felt natural to go in that direction. But no I like to know what that juicy twist or ending is before I do anything. I feel, for me, it’s always what I’m building towards. As if everything that comes before it are paper clips being drawn to a large magnet.
How do you hope people will interpret Lydia's actions in getting close to a serial killer with any means necessary for her story?
George Morris De'Ath: Well, Lydia is a very complicated character and I think to some she’s likeable but to others…not so much haha! She’s very much a Slytherin girl and fundamentally she is a sociopath, a fully functioning member of society sociopath. And I think to have her contrast with an actual psychopathic killer is an intriguing way of comparing the two. We’ve all met a Lydia Tune in our lives and sometimes we like them and sometimes we don’t, but there’s always that allure to them. Lydia is very cold and analytical and that’s served her up until the point you meet her in the book.
You know, she gets what she wants and doesn’t care what dirty tactics she has to pull in order to get what she wants. But when she’s somewhat confronted with emotions she doesn’t quite know how to handle in this story, she seems to kind of pull back a little. Lydia doesn’t know how to handle them and I think that’s interesting with sociopaths.
People tend to think they can’t love, that’s not true at all, it’s just their view of love and how they express and feel love is very different to typical neuro-functioning people. So that exploration of how she copes with those emotions and how she juggles that with getting what she wants I feel is fascinating. Sorry, I’ve rambled a lot there haha! At the end of the day I hope that people can find Lydia as a morally grey protagonist that is interesting and compelling.
What can we expect from you next?
George Morris De'Ath: Oooof! Who’s to say! Surely not me! Haha! I’m currently working on a few things at the moment but we’re just waiting to get them finalised. I will say…this is not the last you’ll see Lydia Tune and maybe some other characters from this book, but don’t expect a direct sequel per se. That’s all you’re getting out of me! You’ll have to stay tuned for the next part or parts of the story!
Have you read this one? Are you going to pick it up?
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