So, I wrote this book—Lies That Bind.
Basically, everyone in the book is lying about something, i.e., the heroine and the hero lie to the heroine’s daughter, telling her that the hero is her father, when, in fact, he isn’t. The hero lies to the heroine, tells her that: 1) he needs her help finding this villain (which he does); and 2) that the man will never see her (he does). That one is a whopper… The hero and the heroine lie to the hero’s mother, telling her that the heroine’s daughter is his daughter. Of course, the m-i-l is pissed off because, well… she’s missed out on five of the most important years of a child’s life. Not to mention the villain, who has lied to himself on how much the heroine wants him. Talk about a tall-tale.
And, don’t think for a moment that the child gets out of this story without her share of falsehoods and half-truths.
The truth of the matter is, this subject started me thinking that people have all kinds of reasons for lying, but is lying really okay? It’s one of those gray areas where the answer starts with: it depends.
As you can see from the little chart above there are variations of lies. One study actually shows that white lies are essential to keep society running smoothly. But as any good doctor will tell you (Dr. Paul Seager), there’s no such thing as “Pinocchio’s nose” to discern when someone is lying to you.
TheHopeline.com explains “Eight Types of Lies” that people tell.
White Lies — the least serious of all lies. You know…the ones that keep society running.
Broken Promises — the failure to keep one’s spoken commitment.
The Lie of Fabrication — telling others something you don’t know for sure is true.
The Bold Face Lie — telling something that everyone knows is untrue.
Lies of Deception — trying to create an impression that is intended to mislead. The false impression, so to speak.
Plagiarism — this is both stealing and lying. Taking someone else’s work and claiming it as your own.
Compulsive Lying — perhaps caused by low self-esteem and / or a need for attention. The compulsive liar can’t not tell an untruth.
I digress. So while lying on the whole is wrong (except for those minor infractions that keep society running) the sole reason for this post was to show that one can write an entire book based on relationships and their need for not telling the complete truth. Lying, in a sense, is human nature! Okay, that isn’t quite the truth. But sometimes we lie to avoid hurting someone’s feelings, or to save face, or perhaps a life…
Things that sound good in our head, but most times come back to bite us in the ass.
excerpt:
She slid under the water to rinse the conditioner from her tangled hair. Let the heat seep into her sore muscles. She stayed under until she was forced to rise for air.
“Comfortable?”
“What the f…”
“Uh- uh-uh,” Alex reprimanded, wagging a finger.
She sputtered water. “Where’s Taylor?”
“Happily, cleaning the kitchen, on her own.” He grinned, turning her insides to mush.
“You bribed her?”
“Of course not. I told you, she’s happy to do it.” Alex sat on the closed seat of the toilet, legs stretched before him crossed at the ankles, arms folded, holding a piece of paper.
“You should respect my privacy.”
“I am. I’m sitting over here, aren’t I? When I’d rather be in there.” He pointed. “With you. Besides, I brought you more coffee.”
“You did?” She’d forgive him anything for that. Her irritation shifted to gratitude.
Alex handed over a new cup to her outstretched hand. One glance, showed he’d doctored it. His eyes, burning with heat, never lifted from the water.
“Did you want something, barging in here?” She eyed the paper he held warily.
He looked up quickly, clearing his throat. “Oh, yes. I…I wanted to ask if you were all right?”
“I’m fine,” she said. “Thank you for asking.”
“And I want to talk to you about Eck—”
“We don’t have to talk about sex.”
“Sex?” he echoed. Alex shook his head, drawing a quick smile from her. Apparently, he’d been as affected as she. “No, I want to talk about Eckert.”
“Now?”
“Can you think of a better time?” He leaned forward and dropped a kiss on her lips. “You’re naked, warm.”
Her cheeks flamed. “What’s that in your hand?”
“This?” Alex waved the paper in the air. “Colorado marriage requirements. I just printed them. Off Colorado’s state site.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she snapped. “We are not getting married. I told you last night, we could just say we did it back then.”
“Did it?” he repeated, narrowing his eyes on her.
That bland tone might land him in the lake, she fumed. Or the creek. One hardly mattered over the other.
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Bio: Kathy L Wheeler (aka Kae Elle Wheeler) has a BA in Management Information Systems from the University of Central Oklahoma that includes a vocal minor. Her day job included a Java Programmer for the Hertz Corporation for over 15 years before she began writing full-time in 2015. She loves the NFL, the NBA, musical theater, travel, reading, writing and just to scratch the singing itch…. karaoke. She is a member of the Oklahoma Romance Writers and The Beau Monde chapters, currently serving as editor of both the Regency Reader and Novel Notes Authors newsletters. Kathy lives in Edmond with her attorney and musically talented husband, Al. She has one grown daughter who has an adorable baby boy, and one bossy cat, who acts as if she were the rescuer rather than the rescue-e!!
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