Cover Reveal! The Breakup Artist by Nichole Severn

Welcome to the Weird, the Wild, & the Wicked for a very special event. My friend Nichole Severn, a romantic suspense author who knows Las Vegas better than I do, has asked me to help show off her gorgeous new cover art for her upcoming release, The Breakup Artist from Beyond the Page Publishing.

This is a novella length romantic suspense and knowing Nichole, should have you at the edge of your seat. :)

Here's the blurb:

Demi Shepherd is going to jail.

As a professional heartbreaker, she’s been charged with the murder of one of her clients. She can’t explain how fifty thousand dollars ended up in her bank account, how her fingerprints were found on the murder weapon and who called in an anonymous tip labeling her as the murderer. Determined to clear her name and find out who uprooted her life, Demi goes on the run and turns to the least likely of allies: the man she believes set her up for murder.

Jack Austin is Demi’s only chance of clearing her name, but as an undercover organized crime agent, whose only goal is to bring down the organization laundering money through one of Vegas’ casinos, he’s not willing to risk his life or career for her. That is until Demi shows her innocence.

With former clients and victims on her trail and unknown shooters finding her every step of the way, Demi fights for her life and her damaged heart, but will Jack protect either?

About Nichole

Originally from Las Vegas, Nevada where she spent most days at her grandmother’s house watching X-Men, Married with Children and The Simpsons, Nichole Severn migrated to the Salt Lake City valley to live life as scandalous romance author.

She graduated with a degree in psychology from Utah Valley University, which stemmed from her obsession with serial killers, and received her bachelors in English Literature from Nevada State. Over the years, she’s experimented with selling jewelry, insurance, and clothing, but now she just sells books. The serial killer obsession has toned down…a little.

She resides with her very supportive and patient, husband in Utah, where she constantly injures herself running, rock climbing, and snowboarding.

And to keep up with Nichole, you can find her here:
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Google Plus
Goodreads
Amazon

Thanks for stopping by. Keep an eye out for The Breakup Artist, coming April 23rd 2014. Happy reading. :)

5 Questions for a Romantic Suspense Author - Nichole Severn

Welcome back to the Weird, the Wild, and the Wicked. Today I have the honor of hosting romantic suspense author Nichole Severn with a new release through The Wild Rose Press, Sour Cherry. Nichole holds a degree in psychology, which fuels her interest in serial killers and suspense, and she’s been my friend for several years now. What does that say about me? Eep! Now she offers a new contemporary romantic suspense to entice you. She is also graciously offering an excerpt and a copy of her ebook to one lucky commenter.

Welcome, Nichole. Thank you for being with me today. What started you on the path to becoming an author?

It’s a little embarrassing, but I have to say Stephanie Meyer inspired me to sit down and write my first book. Not just with the Twilight series, but with The Host too. She made it look easy (it’s not) and I took a chance. From there, my passion grew until I realized, at age twenty-one, once the inspiration is used, it never stops! I’ve been writing for over five years now and can’t see myself quitting. Add some great friends, some serious research and a lot of tears, and I finally made it into “authorship”.

Congratulations on your recent release on Sour Cherry with The Wild Rose Press. Introduce us to the main characters and premise of your story.

Thank you! This is one of my favorite stories I’ve written so far. My heroine made me laugh practically the entire time with her sarcasm and banter and my hero turned out to be one hunky guy. Here’s the little snippet my editor wrote about the characters and premise.

Cherish "Cherry" Williams has been betrayed by her own motorcycle club. After a late night package delivery goes bad, her club president wants her head. With every member of the club out looking for her, she seeks help from the last place they'd suspect to find her: behind enemy lines.

Cooper Nolan was supposed to be a one-night stand. Now he's her only hope of survival. But the Vice President of Cherry’s rival club has secrets of his own, and war between their clubs is inevitable if he doesn't turn Cherry over to her president.

As connection after connection unravels, Cooper and Cherry's days—and lust-fueled nights—become a race against time. Will she and her hot, sexy bartender choose love and trust over duty and image or will murder, corruption, and lies turn Cherry and the best night of her life into nothing more than a memory?

Did anything in particular inspire this story?

So many things, one of which I’ll answer in the next question.

I’ve fallen into the habit of choosing a theme song for each book I write. It’ll depict the tone, perhaps even a character or two, and help me along the way in tough spots. For this particular story, Sour Cherry by The Kills played a huge role. The beat and odd lyrics gave me the tone—and the title—I needed to get the story right. As you can see, it also gave me my heroine’s nickname.

Alongside that, Vegas has always been a part of my life. Being born and raised here, then coming back in adulthood, I think the city provides an unlimited amount of opportunities to explore. And it did just that when researching gang activity and boundaries.

What made you choose motorcycle gangs as your stage set?

Sons of Anarchy! Haven’t missed an episode.

Living in such a dangerous world, amazing things are bound to happen. I love the complicated situations and relationships that can arise out of such hazardous situations involving guns, drugs and blood. By setting my characters within rival motorcycle gangs, I explore the “opposites attract” idea, but give my characters common ground as well. From there, I’m able to tap into a whole world of fictitious villainy.

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

I’m excited to announce my self-published suspense, Let Me Out, is being released through Beyond the Page Publishing in the next couple months! Should be available everywhere by Spring 2013.

I also have the sequel, Die For Me, coming from Beyond the Page Publishing right around the same time! We’re in the middle of edits right now, but I’m so looking forward to sharing this amazing story with you. I’ll keep you updated!

Thank you for joining me today, Nichole, and we look forward to all your upcoming releases!

If you’d like a copy of Sour Cherry, you can find it at:

Kindle Direct Program until official release date May 29, 2013 here.

If you can't wait that long, Nichole is giving away a free ecopy of Sour Cherry to one commenter who tells Nichole who’s your favorite badass character (television or novel) and why. Please leave your email address or Twitter handle in your comment to have a chance to win. The giveaway is open until 8:00 pm Pacific time Thursday, February 21, 2013. The winner will be announced on the blog on Friday. Please void where prohibited and you must be 18 years old to win.

You can find Nichole at:

www.nicholesevern.com 

@nicholesevern

Facebook

Excerpt:

Some people are cursed with the ability to remember every object and scent in their surroundings for the rest of their lives. Sherlock Holmes, Sean Spencer from Psych, and even Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory share this predicament. They possess something called Eidetic Memory.

I, however, do not.

Which would explain why I couldn't remember how I'd ended up with a broken nose on Las Vegas Boulevard at eight in the morning.

Oh, wait. Yes, I could.

The bitch standing in front of me had just hit me in the face. With a skateboard.

My name is Cherish Williams, Cherry for embarrassment's sake, and right now, I looked at a whole lot of woman. Blonde, to be exact, with tattoos, and a set of Double Ds. Complete opposite of my five-foot-six gangly frame. Along with the fact that I've never been the kind of person to hit someone in the face with a skateboard as they walked down the Las Vegas Strip. I tried to inhale the hot, dry air through my now-broken nose, but the sounds of passing cars reverberated too loudly in my head to concentrate on one simple task. Breathe in. Breathe out.

All I could see was Blondie. The amount of pain coursing through my head wouldn't be anything compared to how much it would hurt for me to deflate that chest of hers, but if anger management had taught me anything, it was to evaluate first then react. I coddled my nose, wincing when waves of pain filled my skull. "What the hell is wrong with you? Do you just randomly hit people in the face with skateboards?"

Bonus Scene from White Trash Beautiful by Nichole Severn

Good morning, dear readers. I have a treat for you today. My good friend and critique partner Nichole Severn has stopped by with a bonus scene from her romantic suspense, White Trash Beautiful, from Evernight Publishing. So sit back and relax as Nichole tells you a tale.

White Trash Beautiful came about while I watched an episode of Cops at work one day (during lunch, of course). They were shooting here in Vegas and an officer, who'd just arrested a prostitute, asked where the woman's condoms were. Viola! I had my idea. What would happen if a cop and a prostitute fell in love? Well, throw in the mob, a psychopath (love my psychopaths), and a small town, and White Trash Beautiful was born. The original title was "Caught Without Panties" because of the jail scene in the first chapter, but quickly turned into White Trash Beautiful after hearing Everlast's "White Trash Beautiful". The song fit the story so perfectly, I knew I had a winner!

“So you’ve never been to therapy before?” Dr. Carl shifted in his chair, pen poised, notepad on his lap. The office reeked of incense.

“Never saw a need for it.” Luke’s shoulders tensed under Trey’s fingertips. His eyes shifted toward her. “Until now.”

She didn’t blame him for being nervous. Their...problem wasn’t normal.

“Ms. Aston, you’ve never had this problem before, even when...”

“When I was a prostitute?” she finished for him with a smile. Trey tickled Luke’s ear with her index finger. “No. I guess Luke just brings out the best in me.”

“And Luke, has your job as an officer been affected?” Making a few notes, Dr. Carl raised his gaze for the briefest of moments, but Trey noted the amusement in his eyes before he focused again.

He obviously didn’t have any other clients in their situation.

“I’ve gotten looks. My partner knows, but so far has kept his mouth shut. Can’t say how long that’ll last.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “She just can’t stop.”

A chuckle rushed passed Trey’s lips.

Neither Dr. Carl or Luke seemed to appreciate it.

“Come on!” She clamped down the urge to run for the door. She’d agreed she needed help, but treating her as if she was a fiend hit a sore spot. “It’s not like I beat him. It’s all in good fun.”

“Does this look like fun to you?” Luke nearly ripped his collar showing off the marks she’d left on him last night. Lowering his voice, he shot a hard stare in her direction. “You have sharp teeth.”

“Ms. Aston, have you always had an oral obsession with your lovers?”

Oral obsession? What is this? The Sigmund Freud special?

“Biting is not an oral obsession and this is ridiculous.” This time, she made it to the door. Turning at the last moment, she addressed Luke, the man who’d saved her life and turned her black heart soft. Her hero. “And you, I have a different idea of oral obsession. Meet me in the car if you want to find out more.”

She flashed Luke a wide grin before strolling down the hall.

It didn’t take him long to catch up with her. Luke’s lips pressed into her cheek and his arms snaked around her waist just as she hit the door. “About that oral obsession of yours...”

“Yeah?”

“Can we keep it off...uh...” He pointed down South.

“Can’t promise anything.”

If you're interested in more of White Trash Beautiful, here's the blurb:

Trey Aston is hiding from the mob.

Desperate to save her life, she sells her body in order to make the monthly payments her father owes The Camino Family. But when Trey discovers her father hasn’t been paying his debt, she’s forced to turn to the one man she hoped never to see again.

As a deputy of the Parkvista Police Department, Luke Johnson refuses to acknowledge his high school sweetheart is a prostitute and it determined to make Trey see it for herself. That is, until she starts treating him as a client. His faith in his ability to know right from wrong is challenged and he isn’t the only one who’s notice. His brothers on the force don’t have his back where Trey is concern, leaving him to fight against them for a criminal.

The Family is out to make her pay, her father’s drunken rages are getting worse and the town is cracking down on prostitution, but what really has trey on edge is the fact she’s falling for the deputy who wants her behind bars.

You can find a copy of White Trash Beautiful here:
All Romance Ebooks
Amazon
Barnes&Noble
Bookstrand
Evernight Publishing
Smashwords

Nichole Severn graduated with a degree in psychology from Utah Valley University is an active member of International Thriller Writers, Romance Writers of America and Mystery Writers of America.

Her stories are filled with edge-of-your-seat-suspense, psychological trauma and bad guys readers love to hate. If she's not writing, she's snowboarding, rock climbing or buying her husband popcorn at the movies. She resides in Las Vegas, NV, and can be contacted through her website, Facebook, Goodreads, Blog, and Twitter.

Thanks so much for stopping by and happy reading! :)

Saturday Souvenirs: The Kreativ Blogger Award

So this week has been a great one with the release of Queen Bitch of the Callowwood Pack, my Siren debut. Not only that, but I was awarded the Kreativ Blogger Award by Chessny Silth, a wonderful YA writer from Norway (this will become important in a moment).

Thank you, Chessny! I really appreciate it. :)

Part of this award requires me to tell you ten things about myself before I pass it along, and then pass it to five more people. :)

1. I have a master's degree in geology, emphasis in paleontology (that's right, I dig up dead things).
2. My uncle's family is from Norway (see, I told you it was important), and my cousin carries the name of a town there.
3. I can speak three languages and I'm learning a fourth, Hungarian, one of the hardest in the world.
4. On one international trip, I went to India and Italy, and on another I went to Alaska and Australia.
5. I don't like red sauce for my spaghetti, and can't stand cooked cabbage.
6. I have written a scientific thesis project that is as long as one of my novels, and in which I made 10,000 measurements on the comparative specimens for it.
7. I didn't learn to read until I was 9 years old.
8. My grandfather was a mechanic for the machine gun turrets on the old B-29 bombers from World War II.
9. I was a mime for the Colorado Renaissance Festival for two years.
10. I was an extra in a movie when I was a kid (you can see my ponytail silhouette at the front of the stage in a concert scene).

The five people I'd choose for the award are:

Wakefield Mahon, Nichole Severn, Shannan Albright, Zee Monodee, and Cara Bristol.

Thanks so much for stopping by and I welcome comments. If you are one of the recipients, just copy the badge from my site and take it to your own. Happy reading! :)

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! :)

#ThursThreads - Week Seven - Winners

Week Seven of #ThursThreads had some fantastic tales! Great thanks to all who entered this week. I'm honored to see all of you and read your tales. And it was great to have some new "faces" join us. Huge thank you to judge Nichole Severn for reading through all the stories.

Entries:

• Kimberly Gould | @Kimmydonn
• Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil
• Ryan Strohman | @rastrohman
• Wakefield Mahon | @WakefieldMahon
• Stevie McCoy | @theglitterlady
• Nancy Porter | @ModernBard1024
• Toni Wyatt | @Toni1777
• Charles W Jones | @ChuckWesJ
• Cara Michaels | @caramichaels
• Jeffrey Hollar | @Klingorengi
• Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir
• J. Whitworth Hazzard | @zombiemechanics
• David A Ludwig | @DavidALudwig
• James Bambury | @James Bambury
• Nellie Batz | @solimond
• Aurora Lee | @AuroraLee
• @LupusAnthropos

Winners Announcement:

Honorable Mentions

J. Whitworth Hazzard | @zombiemechanics

Nichole says: It made me laugh and had great imagery.

Wakefield Mahon | @WakefieldMahon

Nichole says: Made me laugh and one word: "Boobalicious" lol.

Week Seven Winner

Toni Wyatt | @Toni1777

Nichole says: First place had a great twist and a dark storyline that I love.

Bending over the prostrate body in the middle of the motel room, Detective Dufus looked at the markings on the woman’s neck. He looked over his shoulder at Commissioner Wellder.

“You’ll have to order a full investigation with this one,” Dufus said.

“As a matter of fact, we are,” Wellder said, turning away to roll his eyes.

“Looks like she’s been strangled.”

“Seems as if.”

“No doubt it’s a murder.”

“Appears so.”

“The person who did this must’ve really hated her.”

“Enough to choke the life out of her.”

“Do we know who she is?”

“You don’t recognize her?”

“No, should I?” Dufus asked, turning to look into the woman’s purple-black swollen face.

“Yes, I imagine you should.”

Dufus squinted his eyes and shook his head.

“Well, I don’t.”

“That’s funny. She’s your wife.”

“What?” Dufus looked at her again, scratching his head. As he brought his hand down, he noticed the marks down his arms. Looking up at the Commissioner, his eyesight grew blurry and he blacked out.

“Damn, Dufus. I knew he was having marital problems. Who knew he’d be such an idiot.” Wellder turned to his sergeant. “Splash some water on him and then book him.”

Wellder waited until the man had gone into the bathroom. He smiled, patted the belt he’d used, and pulled down his jacket.

Congratulations Toni, J. Whitworth, and Wakefield! Claim your badges and display them with pride. You certainly earned it! :) 

Pass on the great news on Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, shiny mirrors, Morse Code, and signal flags. Check out all the stories here and I hope to see you all back next week for #ThursThreads. :)

 

#ThursThreads - The Challenge that Ties Tales Together - Week Seven

It's Thursday, so what should you be doing? Writing #FlashFiction, that's what! Welcome to Week Seven of #ThursThreads. It's the end of January and there's been a lot of writing going on, but even more editing. Thank goodness for this challenge.

Here's how it works:

• The prompt is a line from the previous week's winning tale.
• The prompt can appear ANYWHERE in your story and is included in your word count.

Rules to the Game:

• This is a Flash Fiction challenge, which means your story must be a minimum of 100 words, maximum of 250.
• Incorporate the prompt anywhere into your story (included in your word count).
• Post your story in the comments section of this post
• Include your word count (or be excluded from judging)
• Include your Twitter handle or email (so we know how to find you)
• The challenge is open 7 AM to 7 PM Pacific Time
• The winner will be announced on Friday, depending on how early the judge gets up. ;)

How it benefits you:

• You get a nifty cool badge to display on your blog or site (because we're all about promotion - you know you are!)
• You get instant recognition of your writing prowess on this blog!
• Your writing colleagues shall announce and proclaim your greatness on Facebook, Twitter, and Google + 

Our Judge for Week Seven:

The sexy, suspenseful, storyteller of twisted tales, Nichole Severn.
 

  Nichole on Twitter

Nichole on Facebook

And now your #ThursThreads Challenge, tying tales together.

The Prompt: 

"As a matter of fact, we are."

Away with you, Flash Fiction Fanatics, and show us your #ThursThread. Good luck! :)