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

Interview with the Author

1)What does success as an author look like to you?

On a practical (financial) level, I’d love to make enough to pay my monthly rent, publish my books, and support other authors by purchasing theirs.

Beyond financial considerations, I view success as hearts touched. When a reader lets me know that my book has echoed their experiences and allowed them to feel seen, I know I’ve done my job well. For me, that is true success.

2)Which character did you connect to best in this book?

I am most connected to Lauren and understand the feeling of being a “surprise”/unwanted child. My birth came at an inconvenient time after my parents had taken steps not to have any more children. While they were initially happy after I was born, they would often bring up how they were disappointed to learn they were going to be parents again and share how their immediate reaction was crying, “Oh, no!” or outright anger that their surgical solution had failed. That kind of family “history” can wreak havoc on a person’s psyche.

Lauren has a few years of freedom from the people who are most angry about her birth, but then falls victim to bullies at her school. Her already low self-esteem keeps her stuck in a constant cycle of emotional abuse until her birth-father reaches out to her.

3)What inspired this book?

The premise of the novel is “what happens to youth groups that are left behind after their leaders’ ungodly actions are exposed and they’re shuffled off to another church?”

Our church was the recipient of such a leader. After he was made choir director, soloist for special music, photographer/video contributor, and leader of the 6th-grade Sunday school class, he didn’t leave his old church due to a family disagreement with his father/pastor. Instead, he’s come to our church while fleeing a bench warrant for molesting a teen in his former church.

My seventeen-year-old son was the one who made the discovery. The youth leaders at our church immediately took the new member’s side and expressed anger and frustration that my son would “bitterly” speak out against him. My son felt betrayed that those who insisted he live a life “above reproach” would support a man who showed no remorse for his actions and whose very presence put the young people of our church in danger.

In Plague of Lies, the focus is on the youth group left behind. Scott Andrews and his friends patterned their whole lives after the teachings of their leader only to discover that he’d been living a double life all along.

4)What is your favorite Bible verse or life verse?

My life verse is Micah 6:8

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

It is God’s simplified explanation of what he expects from his people. He’s set the example of good and expects us to follow it in three specific ways: justice, mercy, and humbleness. All of human behavior can be filtered through this verse. If it isn’t just or merciful, it isn’t of God. If the person demanding allegiance promotes self over service, they aren’t of God.

5)What are you reading right now?

I’m currently finishing City of Truth (Provenance Chronicles Book 2) by Katelyn Pfeffer. Her work is a delightful blend of post-apocalyptic fantasy and science fiction.

Yesterday, I received Carolyn Miller’s new book in the mail, so I’ll be reading that next. It’s titled Not Exactly Mr. Darcy, and I can’t wait to start it!

I’ll also begin my yearly re-read of Forgiving St. Nick by Catherine Brusk. It’s one of my favorite holiday stories.