The premise of my newest psychological thriller, We Live Next Door, was partially inspired by a well-known app where local people can ask questions, share information, or express concerns about regional or neighborhood issues. I am one of the millions of people active on this app, called Nextdoor, and am often entertained and informed by my neighbors’ posts. Other times, though, I can’t believe some of the things people have the time and energy to complain about. A few recent and colorful real-life examples include app users in my hometown screaming foul over new bike lanes, late garbage pickup, rude strangers, people who take too many books from little free libraries, bad coffee, slow drivers, fast bikers, bikers who don’t come to complete stops at stop signs, dogs off-leash, dogs who bark too much, dog owners who throw dog waste bags in private garbage bins, cats who kill birds, and my favorite—people who complain too much. (Yes. People are complaining about complaining. Oh, the irony.)

In my city, there is one user in particular, who I do not know personally (thankfully!), but who regularly engages in name-calling and posts unpopular, obnoxious, and sometimes abusive comments. These comments always ignite a firestorm of angry responses to follow. (After talking to others in various regions of the country and world, I’m convinced that every town has at least one of these people.) This particular unnamed person has been twice banned from my local app. Our local newspaper even wrote an article about him and his unpopular views. Somehow, though, he continues to find his way back into the forum, probably threatening lawsuits and citing his right to free speech.

After reading one of this man’s offensive posts and the combative thread that followed, a few fleeting thoughts passed through my psychological thriller writer’s mind. First, what past events must have happened to this man to make him think it’s okay to act in such a horrible manner? Secondly, how many dozens of names from my community would make the suspect list if this person ever died under suspicious circumstances?

Shortly after having these thoughts, I created a character named Barbara Draper. She is a woman who I love to hate, and she dies a suspicious death in Chapter One of my novel. (Many thanks to the ill-tempered man on Nextdoor for the inspiration!) And what fun it was to write Barbara’s cringe-worthy character, especially her cantankerous posts on my fictional version of the app, The Neighbor List.

I’d like to say it was just as much fun to kill off Barbara, but as I developed her backstory, I realized I actually felt sorry for her. I can’t say too much here for fear of spoiling a couple of the big twists and turns in the novel, but suffice it to say that everything is not as it seems with Barbara Draper. In uncovering the woman’s painful past, I hoped to answer my own questions about why some people behave the way they do and the potential repercussions of their actions.

Writing We Live Next Door was somewhat therapeutic for me. Social media can be more stressful than ever, yet it is difficult to avoid. I continue using my Nextdoor app because I often find helpful information posted there, including community events, local business recommendations, and road closures. Now, when I come across a ridiculous, abrasive, or offensive post, I think about Barbara Draper, and I don’t take it so personally. I even keep a list of the particularly unbelievable posts. Who knows? Maybe one of them will provide a spark of inspiration for my next novel.


Laura Wolfe’s fascination with things that go bump in the night probably stems from having watched too many scary movies when she was younger. She is an active member of multiple writing groups, including Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and International Thriller Writers. Laura enjoys living in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with her husband, son, and daughter. She can often be found hiking through local nature trails, eating vegetarian food, or doting on her rescue dog.