Author Spotlights Nicole Severn

Welcome local Las Vegan and good friend Nicole Severn. I am tickled to have her here today on my blog and I must say her latest release really blew me away! The best part is she is giving away a free copy of her book Let Me Out. Just leave a comment below, telling her who your fantasy man/woman is and why :)

 She will be picking the winner in 72 hours so good luck. Here is a little about her book.



Let Me Out blurb:

For a psychopath, murder is addictive.

 

With every remorseful drop of blood spilled, the violent whispers in her head are silenced, but to Adelaide Banvard’s disappointment, only for a short amount of time. Used as an assassin, the schizophrenic monster inside her head grows stronger the longer Christian Wren takes advantage of her demons. Knowing this life will have her behind bars or six feet under, Adelaide wants out by any means necessary in order to save her sanity and her life.

For a federal agent, revenge is even sweeter.

 

ATF Agent Marcus Grant has declared war on Wren after the death of a fellow agent and forces his way into the weapon manufacturer’s entourage to seek his revenge as an undercover bodyguard. Fully aware that men like Wren never risk getting their hands dirty, Marcus sets his sights on the first woman who has captivated him in a long time, Wren’s personal bodyguard, Adelaide Banvard.

 

Adelaide realizes the man who can put her behind bars for life is the opportunity she needs to overcome her bloodthirsty desires, but can she convince Marcus she’s not the killer he’s after?

Excerpt for Let Me Out

It seemed neither the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms nor Agent Marcus Grant were concerned with security. It’d been too easy to get his address from ATF’s records and Marcus hadn’t invested in an alarm system. Adelaide wanted a challenge.

     Homey, she thought, tracing her fingertips over the back of the soft leather couch. She’d imagined breaking into an agent’s house would be harder, that there would be some type of risk involved. There was even a hope she hadn’t been clever enough to throw Christian off her trail. A pang of disappointment settled in her chest.

     Her unplanned escape from the mansion tonight so far had turned out to be for naught. She needed to know who Marcus Grant was, where he came from, what made him special, but very little told her that somebody lived here.

     No photos. Nothing to suggest a hobby of some kind, not even paint on the walls.

     Adelaide made her way upstairs. There had to be evidence of a life before Marcus had pushed his way into hers something she could use for her own benefit. The office was the logical place to search first, but overwhelming curiosity pulled her toward the bedroom.

     People hid secrets in bedrooms.

     Her eyes roamed over the space, taking in a four-drawer dresser, a hamper full of dirty clothes, a door that most likely led into a walk-in closet, a nightstand and finally the bed. With no headboard, sheets ruffled and stained pillow cases, the bed kept nothing from Adelaide’s imagination.

     This bed got a lot of use.

     She walked to one side, shoving her hands beneath the mattress. Nothing. She did the same to the other side and came up empty handed. She had to find something. Her freedom depended on it. Adelaide bent down to search beneath the bed, catching sight of a pair of tan workboots on the other side.

     Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest, but Adelaide forced herself to breathe evenly. She’d burn through the sedative too fast if she didn’t calm down, and, realizing the boots were empty, she was able to lower her heart rate.

     You need my help. The monster was never really gone, but only a soft echo remained long enough for Adelaide to understand its demands. It wanted out. She shook her head out of habit and straightened.

     An arm wrapped around her neck from behind and she reacted automatically. She threw her elbow back. Hard. Her elbow connected with a set of masculine ribs, but he didn’t let go. Adelaide did it again and this time she got herself free. Nobody knew she was here. Spinning to confront her attacker, she froze as the barrel of a gun pressed lightly to her forehead.

     “I thought we had a deal,” he said.

     Adelaide’s chest rose and fell in gasps. Hopes that her sedative would last longer faded as the monster slowly began to appear to her right, a ghost transitioning back into the world of the living.

     Surprise! it yelped with a smile. It jumped up and down like a child, twirling in circles. Pieces of the monster’s hair brushed Adelaide’s face, passing right through her. Did you miss me?

     Adelaide kept her eyes on the man in front of her despite her desire to just kill him and continue on with her search. The shadows hid his face, but she didn’t have to guess who he was. She hadn’t been clever enough after all.

     “I told you not to hunt without me.” He reached for the lamp on the nightstand and turned it on. Christian righted himself, lowering the gun.

     Hunt. As if she was some type of animal. Flashes of her days in the ring assaulted her. She had been an animal back then. Despite her past, she refused to react to his words, but his implication was steadily increasing her adrenaline. He’d tried to convince her the urges were normal for someone with her condition, but she’d never really believed it. Taking one night a month to release the pent up anxiety, to kill some unknown homeless man, wasn’t normal. Not even by her standards. Those years in the compound had taken her mind and her humanity.

     “This isn’t your usual taste.” Christian stepped into her, merely centimeters away, but his eyes surveyed the room. “So what about this place so important that you had to hide it from me?”

     She shook her head in response.

     “You think I came unprepared?”

     Adelaide should have guessed he knew whose house this was.

     “What I can’t figure out is why you’re here.” His breath was warm on her cheek. “He’s nothing to you.”

     The monster screamed at the contact. It attacked Christian, passing through his flesh and bone. Adelaide enjoyed the visual performance of living out her fantasies and she felt a smile lifting the corners of her mouth.

     Christian stepped in closer. He was too close and she tried to back away. The bed hit the back of her thighs, cutting off her escape. Lowering his mouth to her right ear and gripping her biceps with both hands, he whispered to her. “She can’t hurt me, Adelaide. And neither can you.” Pulling back, he merely watched for her to react, but Adelaide wouldn’t give him a damn thing.

     She kept her gaze steady with his, but the hallucination circling to her left was slowly wearing her down.

     He’s there, my love, it whispered. Just take what’s yours. Make him pay for all those times he locked us up.

     Adelaide’s hands twitched. She fisted them, digging her nails into the palms of her hands. She couldn’t kill him yet. She needed him. The reminder made a knot form in the pit of her stomach.

     Breaking contact with her, Christian leaned to his left and opened the nightstand drawer, shuffling the items within. “I’m sure Marcus would have a problem with you rummaging through his things.” None of the articles seemed to interest him and he turned back to her. “Do what you came here for.” Without warning, he walked toward the bedroom door.

     Adelaide’s chest relaxed the further he made it across the room.

     “And Adelaide,” he said from behind, his toner lowering an octave.

     She refused to acknowledge him, afraid one twitch would give her monster reason to act.

     “I don’t need to remind you that I was the one who saved your life in Mexico. Not Marcus.”

Links to Let Me Out

Smashwords

Barnes and Noble

CreateSpace

Amazon, Trade Paperback

Now get comfy and meet my friend and Authro Nicole Severn.



Do you do anything to get you into the zone to write?

First, I have to clean. I can’t sit down to concentrate on writing if I can smell the garbage or the dishes rotting away. Second, music. I make playlists within iTunes for ever novella or novel I work on. The songs apply to the plotline or character by lyrics or emotion. From there, I just have to get my husband to stop talking to me long enough I can write!

 Which authors inspire your writing?

           

            Stephanie Meyer was the first. If you don’t believe me, check out this post on Siobhan Muir’s blog. She inspired me to start writing, but authors such as Carolyn Jewel (romance) and Patrick Lee (suspense) put plotlines in my head.

What is your favorite book, character and why?

           

            I have a couple favorites of each :) My first favorite book is Wuthering Heights. I’m addicted to dark romance, but The Princess Bride is full of adventure, romance, and RUOSs. My favorite character would have to be one of the characters from my own work. Taigen Banvard gets my motor running.

Do you prefer to write erotic or sweet?

I prefer a sensual level of romance. While I’m not opposed to reading erotic, my style of writing and confidence level just doesn’t go there.

Which famous person, living or dead, are you drawn to?

            Daniel Craig. Need I say more?

Where do you see yourself in five years?

           

            I see myself with Janet Reid, literary agent and a publishing house who believes in my work as much as I do.

Finish this sentence: I know I’ve made it when_______________?

            I’ve already made it. This year has been awesome. I’ve achieved the goal of getting published after 5 long years of work, starting my own business, scoring a job as an editor with a great publisher and accomplishing my weight goals. Stick a fork in me; I’m happy.

What advice would you give aspiring writers?

            I’m going to give you the quote I live by in my writing career. “Become a professional writer: meet deadlines, educate yourself about the market, network, refine and apply your skills, complete and market projects.” – Maria Connor from the RWR.

What do you see yourself writing in the future?

            I’m primarily focusing on my suspense novels. I write romance, but I LOVE suspense.

If you could have one superpower what would it be and why?

            Patience. That’s not a superpower, but I desperately pray for it every day!

What time of the day are you at your best to write?

           

            Night. I’m not a night owl because I work two full-time jobs, so I go to sleep at 9PM, but once I’m home, I write like mad.

And now for something completely different…

What do you look at first with an attractive man or woman, face, body or smile?

           

            BODY. Yum...

Explain your perfect day.

            Waking up at 8:00 (I have specific happy wake up time), go for a run, shower, do some editing during the day and write by night. No interruptions. No one to talk to. Just me.

What is the most decadent desert you can’t say no to?

           

            Decadent usually means chocolate in my book, but I’m allergic to that :) Don’t worry, I still eat it. A lot. Raw cookie dough. I can’t even finish making cookies before I sit down with the bowl and just eat it by the spoonful.

Do you have a favorite holiday what is it and what makes it special to you?

            I LOVE Halloween. There is no special reason. I don’t do anything on Halloween, but I fall in love with the decorations every year.

What key words describe you best?

            Determined. Blunt. Crazy (according to my husband and close friends).

Want more of Nicole Servern and what to know what she is working on next?

Find Nichole on Facebook, Twitter, her website and her blog.