and challenge their beliefs and integrity—people who would do almost anything to protect the people they love.
Richards’s new novel, Where Secrets Live, was a finalist in the Mystery/Suspense category of the 2018 Daphne du Maurier contest.
Born in Omaha, Nebraska, she has lived throughout the Midwest and currently resides in Northern Minnesota. She also spent several years in the Pacific Northwest, moving back to Minnesota to be closer to her family. Every winter she wonders what the hell she was thinking.
Here Richards dreamcasts an adaptation of Where Secrets Live:
So, what do you do when the most important person in your life is gone and you find that your entire life has been one lie after another—that the people you trusted aren’t the people you thought they were? You keep going because, at some point, turning back isn't an option anymore.Visit S.C. Richards's website.
Where Secrets Live is a novel of suspense. Elizabeth McCallister, her sister, Meredith, and their cousin, Fred, are the last generation of a wealthy family—old money, deep roots and dysfunctional as hell. Until, Elizabeth finds her sister murdered in her lake home.
As Elizabeth searches to find what had been going on in her sister’s life that got her murdered, she is confronted with all sorts of family secrets, each one uglier than the one before, until she doesn’t know who she can trust anymore.
Elizabeth and Meredith lost both their parents at a young age and were raised by two stepparents. They learned, early on, that they needed to rely on each other, because the grown-ups in their lives were too unreliable.
My belief has always been that it is the characters who drive the story. If a movie were to be made of Where Secrets Live, I would be thrilled and honored to have any of the talented actors listed below to be tied to the movie version of my book.
Elizabeth, the main character, is an intelligent, beautiful alcoholic. And when it’s important—where her family is involved, she can also be driven. The two actresses that I could picture in this role were either Mila Kunis or Molly Ephraim, both exude intelligence and could bring a polished presence to Elizabeth’s tortured self.
Tom Martens, is the investigating agent to the murder and has a past with the McCallister family. In high school and again in college he’d dated Meredith, the murdered sister, and Liz had always had a huge crush on him. The first and only person who came to mind for the role of Tom was Ryan Gosling.
Ruth is the cold, reserved matriarch who does everything with class and no one, in my mind, is classier than Angelica Houston.
David is Liz and Meredith’s stepfather. His role isn’t as prominent as some of the other characters, but it is significant. Again, if I get to choose from some of the best actors in Hollywood, I’d go for Tom Hanks. The character of David is so different from other roles he’s played, but I can’t think of anyone who could do a better job.
Fred McCallister, Liz and Meredith’s cousin is outwardly flashy and irresponsible, but he also brings a solid presence to Liz’s life. He’s a handsome, stereotypical playboy with a deep commitment to the people he loves. Here I could see Liam Hemsworth as Fred.
Maynard Edman, the private investigator Liz hires to help her, was the easiest one of all to cast. I rarely have actors in my head when I’m writing, but for Edman, I kept picturing Muse Watson and the character, Mike Franks, that he played on NCIS. Very similar people. Strong, tough, and reliable.
--Marshal Zeringue
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