About the Book

Book: Plague of Lies

Author: Marbeth Skwarczynski

Genre: Contemporary Christian Fiction

Release Date: January 6, 2026

Plague of Lies

The man who taught him how to live was living a lie.

Scott Andrews was content to be a rule-follower, happily attending church and youth group while planning a future with his beautiful girlfriend, Cindy. He and his friends planned to change the world. But when his mentor is exposed as a fraud, Scott’s life turns upside down. He’s forced to grow up, but unlike the man who betrayed him, Scott is determined to live honestly.

Lauren spent her life believing she was a mistake. Then, on her eighteenth birthday, a letter arrives from the father she’s never met. It seems out of character for a deadbeat dad who wanted nothing to do with her. But with the letter in hand, Lauren’s life suddenly has a purpose. She’ll confront the man and demand to know why he abandoned her so many years before.

It’s time for the truth to come out.

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About the Author

Like many writers, I began as a reader. My favorite authors were those whose styles were realistic and relatable, so when I began creating my first novel in my thirties, I knew that, above all, I wanted my stories to connect with readers.

My first foray into writing was a book about the biblical character Ruth. I spent years rewriting and shelving the book before finally submitting it to Elk Lake Publishing. They loved the book, and helped me prepare it for publication. Now, my work of biblical fiction, Princess of Moab: A Novel of Ruth, is finished and ready to find its readership.

I also have a contemporary Christian fiction series called The Rose Collection. These timely novels spotlight healing after spiritual abuse. I keep my characters grounded in the real world, so while they grow, learn, and seek solutions, they must also confront the detritus of the past. I write what I know, whether firsthand or through close observation, infusing the joy, happiness, and humor that come with spiritual freedom and love. The Rose Collection goes further than the deconstruction of broken spirits to the reconstruction of rescued souls.

My non-fiction book, The Women Who Set the Precedents: An Exploration of the Bible’s Bill of Rights for Women, is a deep dive into the prophecy of Bathsheba. Each chapter explores the life of a biblical woman as she embodies the principles of empowerment, intelligence, and spiritual maturity mentioned in the iconic, but often misapplied, last chapter of Proverbs.

More from Marbeth

I wrote Plague of Lies during school holidays while teaching at my church’s Christian school and raising two teen boys. Some of the conflict in the novel was inspired by the sudden appearance of a youth pastor from another school (my sons played against that school in basketball and football). He joined our church and was immediately placed in leadership positions. Later, it came out that he was fleeing from a bench warrant.

My story follows the fallout after a beloved church leader and mentor is exposed as a fraud and shuffled off to another church. I wanted to explore what happened to one of the students left behind as he attempts to pick up the spiritual pieces of his life.

While the book contains some heavy subject matter, it also offers hope, encouragement, and relatable main characters.

Scott Andrews, a seventeen-year-old who is blindsided by his mentor’s moral failing, has a failing of his own. But, instead of running away, he repents and becomes determined to live his life with complete honesty.

Eighteen years later, the fallout of the lies and betrayal continues as Lauren Andrews-Gianni reconnects with her long-lost father and learns the truth about her birth, why Scott walked away, and how he remembered her during their forced separation.

The rebuilding of Scott and Lauren’s relationship is the crux of the book and serves as a picture of how our Heavenly Father is preparing a home for us

Author Interview

Can you tell us a little bit about what readers can expect from your books?

I write contemporary Christian fiction spotlighting healing after spiritual abuse. My characters work to overcome what they’ve been taught in closed communities and instead embrace the truth of God’s Word by studying the Scriptures for themselves.

My novels are timely, reflecting the age in which we live and the stories in the news, on podcasts, and shared via social media.

Can you share 5 random facts about this book?

Plague of Lies was inspired by a real event at my church when a man fleeing a bench warrant showed up and was immediately given a leadership position. He’d been a youth leader at his previous church and left without saying goodbye—and before his criminal acts came to light. I wondered what it was like for the kids he had left behind.

The name of Scott’s mother came from a vintage series, Peggy, that I read (and re-read) in high school. It followed a teen girl named Peggy Andrews and her experiences in a 1950s youth group.

All of the book titles, television shows, and movies in my novels are real (and serve as some fun Easter eggs), but all the music groups/songs are made up. I do this so I can write lyrics whenever they’re needed.

The teaching that “if a teen acts like an adult, he must live like an adult” was unfortunately common in the 90s. Instead of teens getting the support they needed to correct their mistakes, they were shoved away from everything they knew and abandoned by those they’d trusted.

The characters in Plague of Lies “visit” later novels of The Rose Collection. For instance, Megan’s teacher in POL is the main character in book two: Twists, Turns, and Curves.

Can you share something interesting or surprising you learned while researching for the book?

I read several first-hand accounts of women who experienced medical abortion and was shocked at how violent and debilitating it could be. The statement that it’s “like a bad period” isn’t true for most women. Women have reported passing out, bleeding heavily, and being so weak that they couldn’t care for themselves.

What do you hope readers will take away from the book?

I hope parents of teens will remember that when their child makes a mistake, they need support and help, not abandonment by churches and parents in the name of “God.”

I hope that adults who were abandoned will realize that they didn’t deserve to be treated as anything less than amazing gifts from God who needed guidance, love, and care in their most difficult days.

I hope that adults in churches today will make it a point to live honestly and humbly, that they fight for justice by reporting abusers to authorities, and that they offer mercy to the victims left behind.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. Before you go, where can readers keep up with what’s next?

Please check out my website at https://marbethskwarczynskiauthor.wordpress.com/

And follow me on social media!

Bluesky: @marbethskwarczynski.bsky.social

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skwarczynskimarbeth/

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