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Defusing Theories
In Serial Obsession, a journalist-turned-cold case investigator discovers new information in the case of a serial killer and sets out to uncover the truth behind a wrongful accusation. How were you able to strike a balance between suspense and romance?
I always want my novels to be plot-heavy and use the sex and intimacy as just a part of what’s really going on. I want there to be purpose for the relationship, and that purpose will usually be that the main characters find it more advantageous and a lot more fun to work as a duo. Naturally, this arrangement creates depth in the relationship and helps it develop into something almost surreal. The danger and the unknown seem to pull the lovers in even closer, making their connection not only fiery but also a testament to mutual respect and loyalty. Serial Obsession is a great example of how a story creates the relationship, and the lovers’ romance enhances the story.
What do you find to be the most challenging aspect of writing a series? The most rewarding?
The Map Dot Series is different than most book series because the books are actually stand-alones. We call it a series because every book has a common thread—the action takes place in a little Midwestern map dot town. The town is real, and even the locations such as Whittle’s Pub and Grub from Serial Obsession are real, but the story and the characters are entirely from my overactive imagination. These books have no reading order and are only numbered to show the order of release. So, in this case, my challenges were minimal.
Honestly, I spend a lot of time defusing theories about who’s who because everyone thinks there’s a little truth woven into the plot and characters. But that’s just not the case. I just like to build my stories around the places I know best because it helps me visualize and keeps me from taking too many liberties with the flexibility of fiction. Most definitely, the most rewarding aspect of creating this series is going to the little towns, talking with the people there, and getting feedback on the books.
Can you give us a glimpse inside Book 3 of the Map Dot series? Where will it take readers?
Desperate Measures, Book 3 in the Map Dot Series, comes out this spring. This time, the unassuming little map dot town is Argenta, Illinois, and the location is partially the town pub, Bargenta. This book was inspired by my upcoming participation as an attending author on the Love Lit Cruise in February 2026. The main character is a romance novelist who suffers tremendously with the details of her own love life. And, yes, she is embarking on an adventure on the high seas aboard the Love Lit Cruise early in the book. But let me remind you, my characters are not based on anyone real, despite the fact that everyone will assume I am Poppy Wallcroft (sigh). This superficial description of the book might seem like I’m venturing into a more traditional romance subgenre; however, Desperate Measures contains my signature female power character, plot twists that will have your head spinning, and thrilling danger that makes you gasp. Words Matter Publishing and I are shooting for an April release.
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“I’m so sorry, I just came out here half-dressed like I owned the place.”
“…please don’t apologize for making my day,” he said, flashing her a look from those sexy blue eyes. “I never knew that old t-shirt could look so good.”
Camille Hargrove is a serious cold case investigator. When a tip leads her to Lake of the Ozarks to reopen the Kelcee Meyer rape and murder case, Camille vows to find justice for Kelcee and her family. In the process, she encounters Ross Paine, the innocent man framed for the crime. The investigation heats up when Camille and Ross give in to their fiery attraction and become partners in more ways than one. When they expose Shane Simpson, the real killer, Camille becomes his target, and they discover that Shane’s connection to Ross is more complicated than they ever suspected. Unravel the mystery and catch a killer with this sexy duo in Serial Obsession, Marcy Bialeschki’s second stand-alone novel in the Map Dot Series.
Serial Obsession
Serial Obsession is a romantic suspense novel set around the Lake of the Ozarks, and it opens with a chilling hook. A serial killer named Shane Simpson hunts a young woman, Kelcee Meyer, and frames an innocent man, Ross Paine. When journalist turned cold-case investigator Camille Hargrove stumbles onto new information, she heads into the small Midwestern “map dot” towns to uncover the truth. The story weaves between a murder mystery, a wrongful accusation, and a slow-building connection between Camille and Ross, all against the backdrop of a community shaken by fear and rumor.
I felt pulled in by how grounded the world was. The lake towns feel authentic. People work long shifts, drive beaten-up cars, and deal with messy families. The author leans heavily into the genre’s blend of romantic suspense, giving us both danger and desire, and she doesn’t shy away from intensity in either direction. Sometimes the scenes get gritty, sometimes tender, and sometimes downright chaotic, but that unevenness actually made it feel more like real life. I liked that Camille isn’t a perfect detective. She’s passionate, stubborn, and occasionally a hot mess, and that combination kept her relatable.
The book moves quickly from plot to plot: murder, investigation, flirtation, danger, repeat. I realized the speed mirrors Camille’s own momentum. She throws herself into things whether she’s ready or not, and the narrative matches her energy. Ross, meanwhile, is written with this quiet heaviness that lingers. You feel the injustice hanging over him. The contrast between his guarded calm and Camille’s spark gives their scenes a natural tension. Even the villain gets space to be more than a shadow. We see the twisted logic behind his actions, which made the thriller element feel more unsettling.
By the end, what stayed with me wasn’t only the mystery but the themes simmering under it: how communities rush to judgment, how a rumor can ruin a life, and how hard it is to rebuild trust once it’s been shattered. The romance adds warmth, and the suspense keeps the pages turning, but there’s also this thread of “fairness” running through the story that gives it more weight than your typical thriller.
If you like romantic suspense that leans into both sides of the genre, with small-town atmosphere and characters who feel bruised but determined, I think you’ll enjoy Serial Obsession. Readers who want a gritty mystery wrapped in a relationship-driven plot will probably get the most out of it.
Pages: 356 | ISBN : 978-1968542061
“You’ll Wanna Love Like Aria & Mac“
Deception & Consequences follows a woman vacationing in St. Lucia who finds herself the target of a human trafficking ring. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I wanted Aria to be a regular woman doing regular everyday things like vacationing. And in doing those everyday things, she is threatened by some of the most harrowing danger anyone could ever experience. Aria’s conflict was important because I wanted to show her personal growth and how all the adversity she goes through only makes her stronger. The Aria Donaldson we have at the end of the novel is a much stronger, more independent woman than the one we met in St. Lucia at the beginning.
The human trafficking element was something I came up with because it was the worst case scenario— the most dangerous and unimaginably horrible experience any woman or any person could go through. I needed a devious reason for Simon to target Aria. It just seemed natural that as a conman, he could pretend to be in love with her and actually be another thing all together, which plays exactly into the deception element of Deception & Consequences. However, even the sinister playboy is charmed by the Midwestern beauty, making his life quite difficult. Aria needed to be portrayed as the kind of woman any man could fall in love with, but at least in my story, the good guy wins and the bad boy suffers the consequences of his actions.
I enjoyed the romantic relationship between Aria and Mac. How did their relationship develop while you were writing it? Did you have an idea of where you wanted to take it or was it organic?
Mac Brunner is a direct contrast from Simon Longoria. In order for the reader to see how Simon was not her soulmate, a true soulmate had to be created. Mac Brunner is absolutely one of my favorite characters ever. Initially, he’s Aria’s guardian angel, and he feels compelled to help her, but as the story goes on, he realizes she doesn’t need his help anymore. What I love about Mac is that the more independent Aria becomes, the more he loves her. I coined the phrase “you’ll wanna love like Aria and Mac“ because I honestly believe I could never, ever, ever write a storyline with a couple so perfect for each other again.
How did you balance the action scenes with the story elements and still keep a fast pace in the story?
Often, I worried that there was too much going on in the novel. As a suspense element, I wanted to keep Aria and Mac in constant danger. If one problem got solved or seemed to get better, something else had to happen that would keep them on their toes. And once again, there had to be constant danger because I wanted to show that personal growth in Aria’s character; and I’ll be honest, some of those events that were happening one right after the other, I was making them up as I went along. I didn’t have an outline for the entire novel when I started. The book was initially a novella and ended after Mac and Aria got together in the hospital. Everything from that point on was written ‘on the fly.’ And since I am disclosing some of my dirty little secrets here, it wasn’t even going to be a series until I got to the last chapter and thought of that brilliant way to lead into the next book. I’m amazed how it all came together.
Will there be a follow-up novel to this story? If so, what aspects of the story will the next book cover?
Seduction and Revenge is book II in the 4-book series. In it, the third and final Halprin brother and Aria’s Aunt Caltsya join forces to avenge Deuce’s death. The family drama and secrets continue to unfold, and Mac and Aria’s relationship gets spicy, but is tested to the brink.
Preview: Book III explores a second generation, and Book IV is a prequel that goes back and explains how the two families became so entangled beginning with CiCi and Franklin’s forbidden love affair.
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“I’m not going looking for a fight, but I’m not going to back down from one either.” Aria
“I’ve been wondering for a while now what you would look like right before I kissed you.” Mac
Meeting Simon Longoria on the beach in St. Lucia seemed like a dream come true. For Aria Donaldson, it was the vacation of a lifetime complete with sand, sun, and lots of raw, adventurous sex. At the time, Aria had no idea that her encounter with Simon would entwine her with Deuce Halprin, a sinister man determined to destroy her family. When an ominous dream from her childhood begins playing out in real life, Aria is convinced that Simon is somehow involved, and her real nightmare begins.In the midst of unimaginable danger, Aria meets her guardian angel, her soulmate, her lover-Mac Brunner. As Aria and Mac’s romance heats up, Aria discovers that she is at the center of a nasty family feud that goes back a generation. Aria and Mac now must uncover the family secrets that Deuce Halprin is determined to protect. Haunted by the deception lurking in her past, Aria faces its consequences and finds herself caught between the life she always knew and the reality she must face.
Deception & Consequences
Marcy Bialeschki’s gripping novel, Deception & Consequences, introduces us to Aria Donaldson, a woman targeted by a human trafficking ring led by Deuce Halprin. This criminal network also seeks to eliminate Aria’s father, undercover FBI agent Will Donaldson, whose investigations threaten their operations. Aria’s life takes an unexpected turn during a memorial vacation in St. Lucia, where she meets the charismatic but dangerous Simon Longoria. Their whirlwind romance blinds her to his true nature, though her brother Manny remains suspicious of Simon’s intentions.
The story’s setting in Peoria, Illinois, where Aria struggles to move on after weeks of silence from Simon, is both relatable and engaging. Simon’s sudden reappearance brings hope, but it quickly turns to terror as he attempts to kidnap her. Aria’s narrow escape leads her to the care of Deputy McDonald Brunner, who discovers her unconscious in the freezing cold and feels compelled to seek justice on her behalf.
Bialeschki’s writing captivates readers, driving them through a narrative filled with well-developed characters and a compelling storyline. The connection between Aria and Deputy Mac grows naturally, offering a refreshing portrayal of their bond during her recovery. Their relationship is a standout element, providing a comforting sense of hope and resilience amidst the dark themes of the book. The author’s portrayal of a major human trafficking ring sheds light on an urgent and pervasive issue, encouraging readers to recognize warning signs and act against such crimes. Bialeschki deserves praise for tackling such a difficult subject with sensitivity and depth. The way she intertwines the personal struggles of her characters with broader social issues is both powerful and thought-provoking.
Deception & Consequences is a must-read, offering a layered narrative, rich character backstories, and thrilling action. The pacing is excellent, with enough twists and turns to keep readers on the edge of their seats. Bialeschki’s work not only entertains but also raises awareness about human trafficking, urging readers to be vigilant and proactive in their communities. This book comes highly recommended for its engaging plot, well-drawn characters, and its important message. Bialeschki has created a story that is as enlightening as it is captivating, making Deception & Consequences a standout novel that will resonate with readers long after they turn the final page.
Pages: 325 | ASIN : B0CZK4N8R2
LITERARY TITAN 