Expected publication: August 5th 2013
Stephanie Carovella came back to Los Angeles to face her past and nearly lost her future to a serial killer.
Now she has a chance to start a new life with a new man.
But is that what she wants? While she battles Jase Devlin, the man who won't stop until they are together, she gains the attention of another serial killer.
This time it's a copycat killer; one who will stop at nothing to possess her.
Can she survive the madness of another killer? Will she give in to Jase Devlin's advances? And will she see the real threat before it's too late?
Or will Stephanie Carovella discover she has Nowhere To Hide?
Whats the worst/most embarrassing
CD/Album you've ever owned and do you still have it? *Gasp* I don’t get rid of any of my
CD’s. The ones I loathe become coffee coasters. As a music Journalist, I had to
review some albums I absolutely detested. I think the worst CD I owned was
Justin Bieber’s first album. I was forced to review it and listening to it was
excruciating. It became a coffee coaster as soon as the review was written.
If you could only ever sleep with one celebrity, who would you choose? Damn, only one? This is a toughie. For me, it has to be Stephen Arnell (Arrow). The man is F.I.N.E, Fine.
What's the naughtiest or most embarrassing thing you've ever done? Had sex in an elevator.
How do you come up with the inspiration for your characters and their quirks/personalities? The main character, Stephanie Carovella, has a lot of my own traits. Like her, I’m a former Journalist. Her relationships and experiences have been closed to my own (apart from the whole being stalked by a serial killer I’ll pass on that one, thanks).
Where did you get the idea for the Stephanie Carovella series? I actually didn’t mean to write Nowhere
to Run. I was in my apartment mucking around on my laptop one night and
started writing. First it was the Prologue and then it was a chapter or two and
the next thing I knew I had a book. The first idea sort of came to me as I
wrote it, and before I’d finished the novel, I had ideas flooding through my
mind for the second in the series Nowhere to Hide. I already have a
loose outline for Deadly Secrets and I am currently writing Damaged, which is the
prequel to Nowhere to Run and *gasps* a romance. It’s actually Stephanie and
Dominic’s love story and you go back to where it all began.
Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination? A lot is based on real life experiences. Dominic is actually based on a real life person, who did die in a car accident. As mentioned earlier, aspects of Stephanie’s lives and her friend’s lives are based on my own life and the lives of my friends and associates.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? I was born in Wellington, New
Zealand and moved to Australia when I was 13. I always knew I wanted to be a
writer and have written stories all my life. I graduated from University with a
double degree in Journalism and Public Relations but I also have a Professional
Writing and Editing Degree and a degree in Media.
Before I became an author, I was a
freelance Music Journalist, created and produced my own Music show for three
seasons, and worked as a freelance photographer and worked in PR (which I
detested).
I’ve been all over the world – even
paragliding 28,000 feet off the Australian Alps. Did I mention I loathe
heights?
It took me years to take the plunge
to become an author and every day is a challenge still. I live to write and
can’t imagine doing anything else. Being an author is the best job in the
world.
What do you do when you are not writing? Sadly, these days it feels like when
I’m not writing, I’m marketing, trying to update my blog and keep it update,
brainstorming and doing something in relation to being an author. An author’s
job never ends.
Do you have a day job as well? I do and let me tell you, it’s exhausting juggling. I live for the day when I can quit my day job and work fulltime as an author, but those days are not close yet.
What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why? It’s hard to pinpoint a chapter I loved writing in Nowhere to Hide, but it would have to be the last line of the novel. The last sentence actually brought up ideas for the beginning of Deadly Secrets¸ so I can’t help but love it.
Are there certain characters you would like to go back to, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with? Yes. In Nowhere to Run, I introduced Ben Reynolds and Jesse Carlisle. I’d like to tell their stories and plan on writing Ben’s story in the spin-off series A Million to One. I also want to write Gena Evan’s story, Jake Carlisle’s story and also Dominique Arlington’s story. So many characters, so many ideas and not enough time!
What made you choose this setting and story line? I always was going to write crime/thrillers/romantic suspense. I feel comfortable writing it, and I also really love writing twisted tales. I chose Los Angeles because it’s a city I know well and it fitted the Hollywood theme in Nowhere to Run. Nowhere to Hide follows the same theme, but it also deals with someone who grew up in the Hollywood spotlight and the power of the media.
What books grace your book shelves/ereader? Everything! I read every genre, from romance to erotica to crime to biographies and history books. I love reading and it doesn’t have to be the genre I write in. Usually when I’m writing crime novels, I try to avoid reading that genre. I don’t want other people’s work to pollute my own.
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest? Yes. I really loved Laura Dunaway’s Distorted. I found it fresh, easy to read and it was a romance that sort of went back to traditional romances. It was a romance that focused on the storyline and not just pure sex and bad boy characters.
I also really love Kate McCarthy’s
novel Give Me Love. I thought it was
really well written and the characters grabbed me instantly.
To be honest, there are so many
wonderful new authors out there and we have more coming out as we speak. It’s
exciting.
Which of your characters resemble
you the most? Stephanie Carovella. I think a lot
of women can relate to her in the aspect that she is a strong character, who is
also vulnerable. She has her demons and she’s not afraid to admit that. She’s
not perfect. She makes mistakes, but she is loyal to her friends and she loves
passionately and learns from her mistakes.
She’s also damaged and is the first
one to admit it. She’s been through a lot in her life. Lost people she has
loved and suffered for it. But she’s determined to keep going and lives her
life at a neck-breaking speed.
I like to think I’m all of those
things as well and I definitely tend to move at warp speed LOL.
Which character was the easiest to write and who was the hardest? Stephanie was the easiest to write,
as were believe it or not the serial killers. I found them fun to write.
Stephanie was easy because I can relate to her and she has qualities about her
I admire. Gena was harder for me, as she’s a tough character with a vulnerability
that doesn’t always reveal itself. She’s also always in Stephanie’s
shadow.
Was there a character who surprised you? Jake Carlisle. He was supposed to be a minor character and somehow pushed himself right into Nowhere to Hide to the point he will be back in book three, four and five of the Stephanie Carovella series. It doesn’t hurt that he’s drop-dead gorgeous :P
Do you have any vices while writing (like music, snacks, drinks)? I love to listen to music. It helps relaxing me and I sometimes have a glass of wine while writing to relax and I just let myself go and write whatever comes into my head.
No Where to Hide Excerpt:
Stephanie Carovella ran
along the track, the sound of her feet hitting the hard earth slicing through
the morning tranquility. Breathing deeply, she struggled with her emotions.
Three months. It had been three months since she’d killed Rafe. Three months in
which the media hadn’t left her alone.
She’d ignored countless
requests for interviews, hating the intrusion into her life. From the moment
she’d shot Rafe, her life had been ripped apart. It had started with The Globe writing an exposé on her,
dredging up all the dark secrets she’d carefully protected. She’d been stupid
enough to believe she could meld into the background, letting the LAPD take the
credit for Rafe’s death. Instead, she’d been thrust into the spotlight.
The Globe had
been brutal in their exposé; not caring she used to be one of their own.
Instead, she’d become just another headline for the paper she’d once loved
writing for. Grudgingly, she acknowledged they had written her in a sympathetic light, but it didn’t change that
they’d revealed her innermost, darkest secrets to the world. No, they hadn’t
been content with just covering Rafe’s death. They’d brought up Katrina’s
murder and the murder of her parents, underlining she’d been a witness to both
crimes. They’d also brought up Katrina’s murder and somehow, uncovered her
parents’ murder, underline the fact she’d been a witness.
Stopping abruptly,
Stephanie leaned back against a tree, balancing herself with her left foot.
Taking her headphones out of her ears, she scowled in annoyance. Once The Globes’ story broke, she’d been
inundated with phone calls; requests for interviews to hear her side of the
story.
She laughed harshly. If
she’d thought being stalked by a serial killer was hellish enough, it was
nothing compared to being stalked by the media. In the beginning hoards of
photographers and journalists followed her everywhere. She hadn’t been able to
go out to dinner without being harassed by reporters wanting a sound bite. When
she’d refused, they’d gone for blood. They’d wanted to know why she’d shot
Rafe. They’d demanded to know if the LAPD had charged her or if they thought
she’d killed Rafe in self-defense. They’d asked question after question. In the
end, she’d stopped going outside, secluding herself in Jesse’s house.
Finally, the media
caught wind of another scandal and, little by little, the journalists and
photographers hounding her trickled away. Unscrewing the lid of her water
bottle, she lifted it to her lips, drinking quickly. Of course, she hadn’t just
become a pinup for the media. The Globe had
used the fact she’d been one of their own to draw readers in. They’d used their
connection to her while ripping apart her life without any thought to the
impact it might have on her.
Their headlines
described her as the journalist who took on a serial killer and won. It had
drawn the rest of the media to her, and then it made her a target. In becoming a darling of the media – the
survivor of not just one but two serial killers –she’d also become a pinup for
all the sick fucks in the world.
Using her foot to push
off from where she was leaning against a tree, she stood up straighter, staring
ahead. She’d started receiving letters from prisoners on death row – from
serial killers pledging their love to her. It was just what she’d always
wanted, she thought sarcastically, to be their aspiration.
Taking a deep breath,
she stretched, glancing around her. At 5am the university was completely
isolated. She could come and go without being disturbed.
Her smile faded.
Everyone wanted to discuss her feelings, especially her own damn friends. They
thought if she got everything off her chest, she would feel better. They
expected her to break down and cry. They didn’t understand. Killing Rafe hadn’t
scarred her. She felt nothing but pleasure. She’d enjoyed killing him. He’d
deserved to die. The only regret she had was she hadn’t done it sooner.
She shook her head. The
thing that surprised her the most was that they actually expected her to open
up and discuss her feelings with them. She didn’t know why. She hadn’t
discussed how she felt with them before, so why would she now? Did they
honestly think by killing Rafe she was miraculously healed?
Closing her eyes, she
took another deep breath. Ben was the only one who hadn’t tried to dissect her.
He hadn’t asked any questions. He hadn’t demanded explanations. He hadn’t judged her. He’d just taken her into his
arms and held her. Her lips curved into a smile. He’d been her anchor. He was always her anchor. He’d been there for
her when Jase–
Opening her eyes
abruptly, she refused to think about Jase Devlin; the man who reminded her so
much of Dominic, with his strength and steely determination. He was also the
man who had walked away from her after she’d killed Rafe, unable to understand
why she had killed him or unable condone what she’d done.
Putting her headphones
back in, she turned up her i-pod, the sounds of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Devil Take the Hindmost’ calming her.
Setting off into a steady jog, she headed towards the university car park.
Reaching the opening, she hit the pavement, her eyes moving towards the lone
Volkswagen sitting in the empty car park. She stopped mid-stride, realizing the
car’s driver’s side door was slightly ajar.
Studying the car ahead,
an uneasy feeling slid over her. Her gut told her she wasn’t going to like what
she found, but it didn’t stop her from slowly walking towards the car. As she
drew closer she noticed a woman sat slumped in the driver’s seat. Even before
she reached the car, she knew she was dead.
Scanning the area for
any sign of the woman’s attacker, she slowly walked to the front of the car,
freezing at the sight of the blood spatter on the windshield. Walking back to
the driver’s side, she opened the car door wider. Quickly leaning closer, she
took the woman’s limp wrist in her hand, checking for a pulse, knowing even as
she did she wouldn’t find one.
Standing up straight
again, she took out her headphones, startled by the sound of music playing in
the car. She frowned, the sounds of The
Partridge Family’s ‘I Think I Love You’ penetrating her thoughts. Scanning
the crime scene, she focused on the stray bullet casings on the ground.
Carefully picking one up she turned it over in her palm, studying it. It was a
.44 cartridge.
Frowning again; she
lifted her eyes off the bullet casing to study the crime scene again, her mind
racing wildly. She knew this crime scene. She didn’t know how, but she
recognized it. Pulling her phone out from the back of her jogging pants, she
dialed the number she knew off by heart.
“Gena, I need your
help.”
Giveaway:
(1) ebook copy of your choice of either Nowhere to Run or Nowhere to Hide (to be delivered when it releases)
No purchase necessary
Giveaway runs from 6/28-7/4/13
Value of eBook is estimated at $2.99 USD.
The winner will be selected randomly using a third party company called Rafflecopter (please check back on this post to see the name of the winner) and chosen on July 4th. I will be sending winners their gift via Amazon or B&N gifts within 3 days of closing on the giveaway.
Giveaway runs from 6/28-7/4/13
Value of eBook is estimated at $2.99 USD.
The winner will be selected randomly using a third party company called Rafflecopter (please check back on this post to see the name of the winner) and chosen on July 4th. I will be sending winners their gift via Amazon or B&N gifts within 3 days of closing on the giveaway.
0 comments