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

Are you a one project at a time author or do you have multiple projects going at once?

I definitely have multiple projects going at once, but it’s not always intentional. Projects tend to collect over time. I’ll have one that I’m prepping for publication, and one waiting in my computer files for an edit, while a new idea starts to take hold and demands I scratch out a few pages of a rough draft that I’ll get back to when I have time. Right now, my main focus is rereleasing all of my previously published indie books in The Rose Collection, starting with Plague of Lies. Still, I’ll also have two new novels in the collection coming out in September and November.

How has your life experience helped in your writing journey?

Plague of Lies was inspired by a real event our family experienced while serving as ministry leaders at our church. I was a high school teacher, and my husband was the school administrator. We raised our sons in the school and church, encouraging them to be dynamic members of their youth group. Our oldest was at college, and our youngest son was very close to his teachers/youth leaders when he recognized a man who became a new member of our church after only one service. He was the coach of a team our school played against in basketball. My son reached out to friends from that team, wondering what had happened. The friends didn’t know. Their youth leader/choir director/coach just left without a word to any of them. After a basic internet search, my son discovered police reports, arrest records, and a bench warrant for the man. He’d been grooming and assaulting a teen from his church for six months. He’d fled to our church in an attempt to flee his bench warrant while his father/pastor encouraged the victim to drop the charges. Instead, the new member accepted a plea deal that kept him off any registry.

Our pastor refused to tell the church they had a molester in their midst (claiming it would hurt the man’s family), and staff who protested were silenced. The members of the youth group staff were firmly on the side of the new member, and as one turned against my son for trying to expose the man for what he was. The pastor and deacons claimed they would “keep an eye” on the man, but he was allowed to lead music, direct the choir, and even call high-school football games. The final straw was when he sat on the bench during a basketball tournament, serving as a “volunteer” coach. He couldn’t help being around teens, and when parents at the school discovered his background, he was finally asked to leave.

How do you relax after a long day of writing?

In the summer, I love to swim. I’ll work out plot points and character development while doing laps. I’m also a huge fan of movies, so I’ll watch a couple every week. For hands-on creative work, I bake cookies and try new dinner recipes.

Where do you find your greatest inspiration?

There are so many young men and women who were victimized by churches that covered up for abusers. In the modern age of podcasts, they finally have places where their voices can be heard. My son, Eric Skwarczynski, hosts The Preacher Boys Podcast and was featured in the documentary Let Us Prey: A Ministry of Scandals.

Listening to the words of people who have faced spiritual abuse and are now on the road to healing is my greatest inspiration. I admire the courage and strength of these individuals as they speak up.

Do you have extensive outlines when writing or do you write a book as you go?

I’m a pantser through and through. I’ve tried outlining, but it tends to crush my creativity. My favorite thing is when a character “takes over,” saying and doing things that I didn’t expect. For me, that’s a peak experience as a writer.