Meet Corinne Whitaker | Behind the Story

Corinne believes there's a proper way to do everything.

A proper way to dress. A proper way to behave. A proper way to raise children. And, most importantly, a proper way to run a household.

To some, she might seem old-fashioned. To others, she's exactly the kind of woman every struggling family needs.

Corinne is organized, dependable, and confident in her decisions. She doesn't waste time wondering what needs to be done. She makes a list, establishes a routine, and gets things accomplished.

But where did that certainty come from?

A Childhood Built on Discipline

Corinne grew up in a household where expectations were never unclear.

Her father, Henry, believed discipline built character. Beds were made, shoes were polished, and children were expected to behave properly. He wasn't a man who believed in making excuses or avoiding difficult lessons.

Her mother, Sally, offered a gentler kind of care, providing comfort where Henry insisted on strength.

Corinne learned from both of them.

As an adult, she looks back on those years believing that the structure of her childhood prepared her for life. Other people might have considered her father's expectations severe, but Corinne has never viewed them that way.

To her, those lessons were necessary.

And she intends to pass them along.

A New Family, A New Beginning

When Corinne meets Leon Whitaker, she sees a man who has spent years trying to hold his family together.

He's raising two children, Laurie and Leo Jr., and doing the best he can. But the household lacks the consistency Corinne believes children need.

She doesn't see a hopeless situation.

She sees an opportunity to build something wonderful.

Leon needs a partner. The children need guidance. And Corinne wants a family where she truly belongs.

She has every intention of becoming the wife and mother they need.

The Trouble with Good Intentions

Corinne doesn't believe love means giving children everything they want.

Love means preparing them for the world. Teaching responsibility. Establishing boundaries. Expecting them to become capable, respectful adults.

If a child makes a mistake, there's a lesson to be learned.

If a rule is broken, there must be a consequence.

And if something isn't working, perhaps the rules haven't been followed carefully enough.

Corinne sees nothing wrong with that reasoning.

After all, isn't a parent's responsibility to teach children right from wrong?

But what happens when the person establishing the rules never questions whether those rules are right?

What happens when a quiet house is mistaken for a happy one?

And when does teaching children to be respectful become teaching them to be afraid?

Meet Corinne in A Proper Kind of Poison

Corinne isn't a woman who wakes up each morning intending to hurt someone.

She believes in what she's doing. She believes she's building a better family.

And perhaps that's what makes her story so unsettling.

Because the most harmful decisions aren't always made out of anger or cruelty.

Sometimes they're made by someone who is absolutely certain they're doing the right thing.

A Proper Kind of Poison is the second standalone novel in the Quiet Poison series, set in the fictional town of Lakehaven, Michigan.

I'd love to hear your thoughts: Can someone genuinely believe they're doing what's best for their family and still cause lasting harm?