Interview with by Bishhal Paull , Author of “The Liar Among Us”

Bishhal reflects on writing fear through silence, blending filmmaking instincts with fiction, and why isolation and moral ambiguity drive The Liar Among Us.

on Dec 26, 2025

Interview with by Bishhal Paull , Author of “The Liar Among Us”

Frontlist: The book has mystery, fear, and dark secrets. Which part was the most challenging for you to write?

Bishhal: The hardest part was writing the silences. The things characters refuse to say. Fear isn’t in jump scares; it’s in denial, guilt, and the moment someone chooses to look away. Holding that tension without explaining too much was the real challenge. Especially since there are so many characters and it’s very plot driven too.

Frontlist: You are a filmmaker and entrepreneur too — how did these experiences help in writing this book?

Bishhal: Filmmaking taught me rhythm and restraint. It really helped me keep my writing visual in its approach. Entrepreneurship taught me the importance of consequences. Both helped me write a narrative that moves fast, and yet, leave the readers engrossed.

Frontlist: As someone who works in media and storytelling, how do you balance real-world experience with fiction?

Bishhal: I try to steal emotions, and just not events. Reality gives me the right texture for my stories, while fiction gives me real freedom to explore them. The truth is always emotional, even when the story isn’t factual.

Frontlist: If you had to reveal one secret about the book that readers usually miss, what would it be — and why did you hide it?

Bishhal: The real antagonist is not just one person. It’s a lot more complicated than that. I hid it because I want to build a world which is complex and that makes you question your own morality while judging the actions taken by characters in the book. There is no black and white. In fact it’s a wide range of greys.

Frontlist: If The Liar Among Us were a psychological experiment instead of a book, what human behavior do you think it would reveal most clearly?

Bishhal: How easily people trade truth for belonging. And how far we’ll go to protect systems that make us feel safe, even when they’re rotten.

Frontlist: If you removed the Sikkim boarding school setting, do you think the mystery of The Liar Among Us would still work — or would the story fall apart? Why?

Bishhal: I feel it would fall apart. The setting is everything in the world which I’ve so painstakingly built. I would say the isolation in that world is in fact the key driving force behind the story. The landscape traps the characters the way institutions trap truth. Without that, the whole world building will collapse.