Fill Your Day with Suspense - Author Nichole Severn

Welcome back to the Weird, the Wild, and the Wicked. Today I have the honor of hosting suspense author Nichole Severn with her recent release, Let Me Out. Nichole and I met at the Las Vegas Romance Writers meeting and she gave me the best grin.

Welcome, Nichole. Thank you for being with me today.

Thanks so much for having me! I’ve been looking forward to it.

What started you on the path to becoming an author and why did you pick suspense?

Nobody believes me when I tell them this story, but it’s true…sadly.

I read Twilight. Stephenie Meyer made writing look so easy, I prayed to have a revelation about a plot I could write like she did. Her Twilight Saga all started with a single dream. I constantly thought about and hoped for characters I’d fall in love with, a plot line to keep readers interested and just an all-around idea for a book.

I got my wish.

On June 30, 2008, I had a dream about Nicholas Cage from Con Air. He came to my apartment and asked for quarters for the communal washer and dryer. That was it. That was my dream. I wrote it down, played with some ideas and suddenly came up with Daniel Banvard, an ex-con just looking to start over in life. I have that scene in my very first novel (which will never see the light of day) and my love grew from there.

The first novel was contemporary romance, in which my heroine died at the end. Needless to say, I couldn’t sell the book as romance and I was so sick of it by the time I stopped trying, that I never wanted to look at it again. First novels do that to you.

So I wrote a second book and it starred Daniel Banvard’s daughter, Adelaide Banvard, my protagonist of Let Me Out. The book originally started out as a romance because I’m so attracted to the idea of “opposites attract”. She was a criminal and she’d fall in love with a cop. It didn’t turn out that way. Because of everything this woman has been through in her past, she can’t have normal relationships. Therefore, suspense was born.

Nicely done. It's hard to switch gears in the middle. Congratulations on your recent release Let Me Out. Introduce us more to the main characters and premise of your story.

Thank you! It’s been a tough ride. All right, so my characters:

Adelaide Banvard is a sociopath. Kidnapped at the age of 7, she was taken to Mexico and forced to fight children her age in illegal underground fighting. At first, she hated it. She just wanted to go home, but the more she won, the more she killed and was tortured, the more she got a taste for it. (Yep, this is my protagonist).  Because of the dual issues, fighting against the urges and loving them at the same time, she had a break down. As in, another-person-resides-in-her-head breakdown. She wants to get rid of “her monster” as she calls it because it constantly urges her to spill blood, but it takes over just that much more of her mind when she does kill. Adelaide is afraid of losing herself and wants to live a normal life.

Insert her solution: ATF Agent Marcus Grant. He’s out for revenge for the death of his partner and Adelaide’s employer is at fault. His voice just happens to keep her monster at bay, but you’ll see just how much the monster wants let out and how willing it is to kill everyone to do it.

Given the trickiness of your main character, did anything in particular inspire this story?

Bellatrix LeStrange. That bitch is crazy and gave me the perfect inspiration for Adelaide’s monster.

Are there other genres in which you write and what is your favorite?

I write suspense and romance (paranormal, contemporary, and suspenseful) I LOVE writing suspense because of the action and fast-paced plotlines, but romance gives me the opportunity to get to know my characters better. With romantic suspense, I get the best of both worlds, making it my favorite.

What other projects are on the horizon for you that we’re likely to see?

[Contains spoilers from Let Me Out]

Ha! Got room for another three pages of stuff? My brain never shuts off, especially when I’m focusing on just one project. This year, you’ll be seeing my first novella, White Trash Beautiful from Evernight Publishing, in which a hooker and a cop overcome their differences. :)

The sequel, but stand-alone title to Let Me Out, Bleed For Me switches gears into Daniel Banvard’s other child, Taigen Banvard – Adelaide’s twin – and his determination to save his sister. And my first paranormal romance series is starting off with Mortal Eclipse, focusing on the war between angels, demons and mortals. I have several (about 7) stories in the works presently, but most of them you won’t see until next year. I don’t even want to look at them until next year. :)

Thank you for joining me today, Nichole, and we look forward to all your upcoming releases!
Be sure to pick up a copy Let Me Out at the following vendors:

            Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/137658

            Amazon, Trade Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Let-Me-Out-Nichole-Severn/dp/1469958961/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330625206&sr=8-1

            Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/let-me-out-nichole-severn/1109212873?ean=2940013931275&itm=1&usri=let+me+out

            CreateSpace: https://www.createspace.com/3778748

            Autographed Copies available at www.nicholesevern.com

You can find Nichole at: Twitter (https://twitter.com/#!/TheLVWriter)

Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Nichole-Severn-Author/143542389049887), and www.nicholesevern.com

Nichole is very generously giving away a signed Trade Paperback copy of Let Me Out to one lucky commenter (all you have to do is say hi to me or Nichole). Please leave a valid email address or Twitter handle in your comment so we can contact you if you win. The contest will run until 5:00 pm PDT and the winner will be announced here in Thursday.

Thanks for stopping by and happy (or in this case, suspenseful) reading! :)