My target readers are those who like edgy stories and gravitate toward the peculiar. Those willing to ask the questions the book asks of themselves.
Suzanne Junered – 22 October 2026
The Back Flap
Southern suburban housewife Lia and her husband Evan have long dreamed of becoming parents—but when a pregnancy test shows positive, Lia questions whether she wants the child and keeps her pregnancy a secret.
As she’s holding new life inside, she intentionally surrounds herself with death by blackmailing her way into a job at a forensic anthropology center endearingly called The Body Farm. At The Farm, monsters emerge from within Lia—the desire to kill—and she begins daydreaming about murder. Because fantasizing never hurt anyone. Or so she thinks.
Then a body donation to The Farm turns out to be someone she’s imagined killing, and reality and fantasy begin to blur. As people around her begin to die, Lia loses trust in her loved ones and herself . . . and ultimately must put her monsters to bed.
About the book
What is the book about?
Goodnight Monsters is about exploring the depths of impulses and desires. The plot specifically follows a Southern housewife who is obsessed with death and must decide if she’s fit to bring new life into this world—especially after someone she imagined killing turns up dead.
When did you start writing the book?
I began writing the bulk of Goodnight Monsters in 2015 around the time my second child was born.
How long did it take you to write it?
The first draft came out of me in about a year, but ultimately it took 10 years to its publication date. Finding the right publication home took multiple editors, multiple agents, and multiple decisions along the way.
Where did you get the idea from?
I wanted to write about a woman who had murderous fantasies, and I wanted to give her a job where someone she imagined killing ended up dead on her “desk.” Where these initial ideas came from is beyond me. Many aspects of the story mirrored my own experiences (besides the murderous fantasies!) once I got into the story more—anxious thoughts about motherhood, curiosity about relationships, and understanding how trauma can reemerge years later.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
The muddy middle is what always takes me the longest. How to move the story toward the ending I envision. But part of writing the muddy middle is deeper discovery of the characters and storyline, so it’s never as bad as I imagine it to be.
What came easily?
Full honesty? The sex scenes! They’re the most fun to write.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
I don’t think a single character can be entirely fictitious, because if we writers did not pull from real human experiences, no readers would ever connect with our characters. Having said that, none of the characters in this novel are specifically based off anyone I know.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
I’m not sure if other authors have influenced how I write as much as what I write. Authors Gillian Flynn, Caroline Kepnes, and Margaret Atwood gave me permission to write provocative characters and plotlines. Without their books, I might have played small and never written the stories I really wanted to write.
Do you have a target reader?
My target readers are those who like edgy stories and gravitate toward the peculiar. Those willing to ask the questions the book asks of themselves.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
I have tried and tried to create a habitual writing time, but my reality is I write when I can. I aim for 2 hours on weekdays, and it’s definitely easier to drop into the story and be more prolific when I’m writing regularly.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
I write out what I envision happening in a scene either by a few sentences or bullet points before I begin writing it. I don’t outline the entire book because I am very much discovering the story as I write it.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
Both—I edit each chapter as I write it and am quite slow because of this. Then I edit again and again once the initial manuscript is complete. Then again. And again. . .
Did you hire a professional editor?
I always hire a professional editor before submitting my work to a publisher or agent. There is a creative side of writing book and the business side of publishing, and I find that hiring an editor helps me bridge those two.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
I’ve realized that if I listen to music with lyrics or a familiar melody, I am easily distracted and will give part of my focus to the song. What works well while I’m writing is meditation music. I do create a moody playlist to set the tone of certain scenes, and when I’m not at my desk, I like to listen to this music as inspiration and reminders of how much I love the project. It keeps me with the book even when I’m away from the actual writing of the book.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
Goodnight Monsters has previously been represented by two different literary agents, so I have been through the query trenches and submission process with the lot of writers out there. Those agents and I parted ways on good terms—one left the business and the other shifted her focus to romance, and while I love to read romance, it is far from my genre. When Goodnight Monsters finally found its home with She Writes Press, I was not agented, and it has been fun to have a hand in the process and learn about the business side of publishing.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
It was a gradual process for me. I think I needed to make an attempt through the traditional route so I wouldn’t always wonder if that was my path. Along the way I met many authors both traditionally and indie published and have come to feel that neither is superior. So even though I “tried” the traditional route, I don’t consider indie publishing a failure or a plan B. It’s what became right for me and for this book.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
She Writes Press has an in-house cover design team, and they are fabulous. We authors complete a multi-page form when communicating with the design team, so it’s very much a collaborative process, but the artists truly should get all the credit. I think visual and graphic art takes such talent.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
My goal for Goodnight Monsters is visibility. I’m still discovering what that looks like. I’m speaking on podcasts, collaborating with Bookstagrammers, offering giveaways. I recently came to terms with the fact that publication day is not the end goal; it’s just the beginning! There will be many marketing opportunities over the lifetime of this book, and I look forward to seeing what works well for me.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Publishing is a long game, and patience is required. Or a healthy coping mechanism when impatience takes over!
About You
Where did you grow up?
Chattanooga, TN
Where do you live now?
Boulder, CO
What would you like readers to know about you?
I, myself, am not scary!
What are you working on now?
I’m about to launch a podcast, No Secrets No Shame, which revolves around real life themes and topics that influence my fiction. I have a second novel releasing September 2027: House of Mannequins. And I’m writing the story of a beachfront resort somewhere on the edge of community and cult, and which involves manifesting practices and a very powerful plant.
End of Interview:
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Get your copy of Goodnight Monsters from Amazon US.
