Maggie Smith’s “Truth and Other Lies” Is One Journalist’s Fast-Paced Search for the Truth

Podcast: Download (Duration: 38:09 — 35.0MB)

In this episode 296, we visit with Maggie Smith, author of “Truth and Other Lies,” a story about a young reporter’s search for the truth and the fall-out that could follow.

“Truth and Other Lies” is a mix of fraud, secrets, and politics. Three women. Two secrets. One Lie.

Young protagonist Megan Barnes’ life is in free fall when the story begins, having lost her job as a reporter and her boyfriend on the same day, and having no choice but to move back home to live with her mother, who is running for office as a Republican on a pro-choice platform that is opposite everything Megan stands for. As a way out and up, Megan takes a temporary job helping with publicity for the memoir of a Pulitzer-prize-winning journalist she idolizes, but she soon faces tough choices when questions arise as to whether the journalist committed plagiarism. She does not believe the charge at first, but something makes her investigate, and then she finds herself caught in a web of deceit and blackmail that could ruin her and her mother.

Hank Phillippi Ryan, Emmy-winning investigative reporter and USA Today bestselling author of Her Perfect Life, had this to say about the book: “Twisty, timely, and rivetingly thought-provoking. The talented Maggie Smith mines the intensity of competition, the duplicity of the human psyche, and the terrifying knowledge that with one wrong word or one wrong decision, your life can be changed forever.”

Connect With the Author

Website     Facebook     Twitter     Instagram     Goodreads 

About the Author:

In a career that’s included work as a journalist, a psychologist, and the founder of a national art consulting company, Maggie Smith now adds novelist to her resume with the publication of her debut, Truth and Other Lies. In addition to her writing, Maggie hosts the weekly podcast Hear Us Roar, where she interviews debut authors about their novel and their path to publication and blogs monthly for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers.

A board member of the Chicago Writer’s Association, she’s Managing Editor of their Write City Magazine, and coordinator of Book Nook, which highlights Chicago-area independent bookstores. Her short story, The Devil You Know, was published in the 2018 Anthology False Faces: Twenty Stories About the Masks We Wear.

Additional Praise for the book:

Expert storytelling, and a sharp exploration of the complex relationships between women — mothers and daughters, mentors and protégés, best friends and frenemies — are at the heart of Maggie Smith’s compelling and savvy page-turner. Good thing books are calorie-free, I gobbled it down in a single afternoon.

—Karen Karbo, author of In Praise of Difficult Women

The political skews personal in Maggie Smith’s debut novel, which focuses on the bonds of powerful women in the rough-and-tumble world of politics and government. Smith’s characters sometimes do each other in, more often do each other proud, always with an awareness of the fragility of reputation set against the abiding strength of spirit. Smith leads with boldness and heart from the first page.

–Jacquelyn Mitchard author The Deep End of the Ocean and The Good Son

Maggie Smith’s ambitious debut tackles not only mother-daughter dynamics and family secrets, but also the workplace and real-world politics affecting modern women. Written with an engaging, conversational tone, the story conflicts are both realistic and substantial. Readers will empathize with Megan’s personal and professional dilemmas while eagerly turning the pages to see if she can resolve them without upending her entire life. Complex and insightful, TRUTH AND OTHER LIES, is ultimately a tale about how to move through a world in which things are rarely exactly as they seem.

~ Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author Jamie Beck

Extra Stuff

Sign up for The Book Report for free on the Home page. We won’t spam you. That takes too much time.

Receive exclusive audio content when you become a supporter of the podcast for a small monthly contribution. You will be able to access author interviews on the craft and business of writing and other creative topics. Check out the offerings on the Exclusive Content Page or scroll through what’s available at the Patreon page.

Use promo code Charlottereader (all one word) to get a free audiobook when you join Libro.fm, the audiobook provider that supports independent book stores.

Meet Our Network:

Queen City Podcast Network  is a carefully selected collection of more than two dozen podcasts produced in and centering around Charlotte, North Carolina focused on news, non-profits, entertainment, literature, sports, food, culture, health and wellness, and comedy.

Meet Our Team:

Learn About Our Social Media Team – Social Grit Marketing

Learn About Our Publicity Manager – Spellbound Public Relations 

Learn about our Web Master – TM Petaccia

Thank you for listening!