Leslie Kain
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Leslie Kain writes “Psychological Fiction With Heart”, about flawed people whose greatest barriers to happiness lie within them.
Leslie was always writing something as a kid — fantasies, poems, secret plans, culminating in running away cross-country at fifteen, never looking back. Her careers in psychology, Government Intelligence and nonprofits limited her writing to professional and research pieces, but life has so many stories! So when she returned to fiction during spare moments, her short stories found their way into literary journals and anthologies. She developed personal relationships with her characters, who relentlessly nagged her into longer stories. After her Sept. 2022 debut novel ‘Secrets In The Mirror’ (which has won numerous Gold and Finalist awards), the main character told her what the sequel must be! 'What Lies Buried' — already receiving early accolades — releases May 14 2024. Kain leverages her education, training and experience in psychology to write stories about complex dysfunctional people and families. She earned degrees from Wellesley College and Boston University. Originally from “all over” the U.S. (although a piece of her heart remains in Boston), she now resides in Mexico with her husband and 17-year-old cat Sheba.
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Secrets In The Mirror
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Psychological Thriller
Family. The same people who destroyed Gavin's self-esteem are the ones he must save. In this multi-award-winning psychological drama about finding self in a dysfunctional family, Secrets In The Mirror grapples with the imperative to save others versus the struggle to save oneself. Gavin tries to salvage his self-esteem from Dad's bullying and from narcissistic abuse by his identical mirror twin, while Mom resists spousal abuse to assert sanity into the clan. But when Devon gets into drugs and trouble with the Mob, people die. Gavin flees far away to protect himself and his new family, but he can't escape his sociopathic brother, or the Mob. Yet inextricable bonds tie him to Devon, and Gavin vows to rescue his twin from his self-destructive path. But he is warned: You can't save anyone until you save yourself. "The novel provides a thoughtful consideration of a disorder that has the capacity to devastate relationships.. A somber, absorbing coming-of-age tale." - Kirkus Reviews "A psychological thriller that brilliantly portrays how psychological disorders can affect lives and even destroy families." ―Literary Titan, Gold Medal Winner Award 
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What Lies Buried
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Psychological Thriller / Women's Fiction
The emotional abuse and traumatic violence of Gavin’s childhood resurfaces in adulthood as Complex PTSD. Now as he settles his father’s estate, confronting the trauma of his childhood and his family’s mob history, his volatile flight/fight reactions to the triggers of his C-PTSD threaten him and his young family, putting them all in the crosshairs of dangerous people. Meanwhile, his wife Katie uncovers relics of the artistic talent and passion she abandoned after her father died, leaving her the responsible child caregiver to her disabled mother. With her family’s safety and well-being at stake, she must choose whether to save her marriage and the man she’s always loved, or save their child, and the unique Self she buried long ago. The generational dysfunction in the award-winning Secrets In The Mirror continues in this dual POV sequel.
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