The Lies That Bind

Reader FAQs

Personality type—Depends on the test. If we're talking Myers Briggs, Calla is identifies as an ISTJ (the Logistician), while Cooper is considered an INFP (the Mediator). According to their Enneagrams, Cooper is a 6 (the Loyalist) and Calla is a 3 (the Achiever). 

Likes and dislikes—Based on Cooper's ongoing List of Things Calla Hates, we already know some of her dislikes: frilly pink cakes, tacky Christmas sweaters, vapid ex-girlfriends, and animals in general (especially cats). She hates New York City. Hates motel rooms. Hates small talk, the color yellow, sour cream, romantic comedies—honestly, the list could go on. In terms of her likes, she really only derives true enjoyment from tequila, Cooper (most of the time), and scaring children on Halloween. 

Cooper's dislikes include: the number two, wet socks, tequila, the cold (winter in general), parties, loud music, cilantro, highschool, and birds. He loves warm weather, fajitas, scented candles, video games, fantasy sports, the smell of books, hoodies, long car rides, late night drives, and cooking (even though he's really not that good at it). 

Love language—Of the five love languages, Cooper's is predominantly acts of service. Calla's is physical touch, though receiving gifts is a close second. Of course.

Other random details—Calla's favorite color is purple (this used to be Rachel's favorite color). Her least favorite movie is Love Actually. Calla believes marriage is a scam, and is terrified of the thought of having a child one day, because she secretly fears it would turn out just like her. 

While Cooper wants children in theory, he's terrified of the possibility that he might turn out like his own father. His favorite color used to be blue, but is now red. He also happens to be a true crime junkie, and religiously checks for new episodes on his favorite podcast every Wednesday night.

orvienna also very curious if there's any plans to possibly get TPND published?

I would absolutely love to be published one day, but the industry can be brutal. That said, I'm going to attempt to find a literary agent in the next few months to see if we can make that publishing dream a reality.

If I'm persistent (and extremely lucky), perhaps you'll see The Psychopath Next Door on the shelf in the future!

Phycaryour I have plenty! Most of them are stupid questions so I'm just gonna ask three: Cooper's character development was one crazy ride fr. Idk if this counts as a question, but I would love a little insight on the thought process that formed Cooper's development.

I ADORE answering these types of questions, so please feel free to ask whatever you'd like!

Re: Cooper's character development—it really came down to wanting to explore the boundaries of his unswerving loyalty. At his core, that's who Cooper Daniels is: loyal. To his friends, family, and beliefs. And for most of his life, those things were conducive to each other.

 But what if that weren't the case? What if something, or someone, came along that forced him to make a decision between what was right (objectively speaking), and a necessary evil that would ultimately keep his loved ones safe? Could he bend his moral compass to fit the "good guy tasked with making a few awful decisions" narrative? Or would morality win out, in the end, at the cost of everything else?

Those were a few of the questions I had to parse through early in Cooper's development, and as I answered them, I began to draw unexpected parallels between Cooper and Calla's development that weren't immediately obvious, because while Calla is the more blatantly toxic and selfish of the two, especially at the onset of book one, Cooper—for all his good intentions—is actually quite problematic in his own way.