A Morgan County Author Turns Faith Into Suspense

A lot of people say they want to write a book. Jessica Mangus actually bet on herself and did it, taking a severance package as the push to turn years of story ideas into a published novel. Jessica is an Indiana indie author writing Christian fiction with real mystery and suspense, and she joins me to share what it looks like to build a writing life from the ground up in Morgan County, one page at a time.We get into her debut, Scott Killian And The Letter, a dystopian end-times thriller set during the tribulation where an 18-year-old from Franklin, Indiana finds a letter tied to his mother’s disappearance. Jessica talks about weaving faith into a gripping plot without turning the story into a sermon, using themes like forgiveness, redemption, and Christ’s love while still delivering twists, danger, and momentum. She also touches on how modern fears around AI and technology can shape believable suspense.Then we go practical: self-publishing versus traditional publishing, why so much advice online conflicts, and what she learned after her first launch led to a redesigned cover and a stronger second edition. Jessica also shares her simple three-step writing framework (create it, make it make sense, make it good) and what writer’s block really looks like when the problem is transitions, not imagination. We wrap with a tease of her next release, The Rebellion Of The Watcher, a biblical fantasy with dragons, giants, and world-building influenced by scripture and the Book of Enoch, plus where to find her books on Amazon, Kindle Unlimited, Barnes & Noble, Walmart.com, and more.If you enjoyed this conversation, subscribe, share it with a writer friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.