What or who inspired you to start writing?
I’ve always loved to read. The best writers I read could always take me into their world and that’s what I wanted to do to my readers. I wanted to make them apart of the world I created.
How did you come up with your idea for Darkness Within?
A lot of my novels begin with a single sentence. Darkness began with a notion that a serial killer was coming after a law enforcement agent. The Agent- Sable Quinn would spent most of her time figuring out why. All the twists and turns I put in the book was to give it that end-of-the chair feeling. The kind of feeling that you have to keep turning the page to see what happens next.
What expertise did you bring to your writing?
Just what I’ve picked up from learning my craft from scratch. I know what I like to read and I went from there. I don’t have any formal education but life is a great teacher.
What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?
I love to create situations for my characters. At some point in the book they take over my thought process and all I can do is hang on for the ride. I know my characters as well as they know me and sometimes they can get into trouble. I like to wait and see how they manage to get out of the situations they find themselves in.
As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?
More books! The possibilities are endless. There are readers out there that don’t know about me yet and I plan to find them. I love to write and I’ve waited a long time to get where I am, so I’ll keep writing as long as the ideas keep coming.
I’ve always loved to read. The best writers I read could always take me into their world and that’s what I wanted to do to my readers. I wanted to make them apart of the world I created.
How did you come up with your idea for Darkness Within?
A lot of my novels begin with a single sentence. Darkness began with a notion that a serial killer was coming after a law enforcement agent. The Agent- Sable Quinn would spent most of her time figuring out why. All the twists and turns I put in the book was to give it that end-of-the chair feeling. The kind of feeling that you have to keep turning the page to see what happens next.
What expertise did you bring to your writing?
Just what I’ve picked up from learning my craft from scratch. I know what I like to read and I went from there. I don’t have any formal education but life is a great teacher.
What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?
I love to create situations for my characters. At some point in the book they take over my thought process and all I can do is hang on for the ride. I know my characters as well as they know me and sometimes they can get into trouble. I like to wait and see how they manage to get out of the situations they find themselves in.
As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?
More books! The possibilities are endless. There are readers out there that don’t know about me yet and I plan to find them. I love to write and I’ve waited a long time to get where I am, so I’ll keep writing as long as the ideas keep coming.
Can you give us a sneak peak into this book?
Sable lay in bed later that night waiting for sleep to come. Her mind was busy replaying the events of the day and try as she might she couldn’t make it stop. She couldn’t help but wonder who he was or why he had picked her. What did he want? Was he going to try and murder her or did he really want her to find him?
She glanced at the bedside clock and was surprised to find it was only 11:30. It seemed to be much later than that. She closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind. She didn’t realize she had drifted off until the phone rang. Sable groaned at the intrusion and reached out to answer it. “Hello?” she whispered into the mouthpiece.
“Did I wake you Sabella?” a voice she didn’t recognize whispered back.
Sable frowned and sat up. Snapping on the bedside lamp she glanced at the alarm clock and noted the time. It was close to 3 a.m. “Who is this?” she murmured.
“I think you know who I am.” The voice told her.
“What do you want?” Sable asked as she gripped the phone. She could feel the fear and panic growing inside her, but she knew she couldn’t give into it or she would be lost.
She heard him hesitate before he announced, “I got tired of playing the same old game and I decided I needed a new and exciting challenge.”
“What game?” Sable wanted to know.
“I think you know very well which game I’m referring to.”
“Spell it out for me so there is no mistake.”
He chuckled softly. “Okay for the sake of clarification, let me make myself very clear as not only is my own life at stake, but now so is yours.”
“That sounds like a threat.”
He chuckled again. “No not a threat, more like a promise, if you will. But as I have an advantage…”
“What advantage?” Sable asked.
“I have to let you know that I’ve been watching you for the last few weeks and I’ll bet you didn’t know that I was even there did you?” He taunted her. “You didn’t notice me at all.”
“You sound like that’s something to be proud of. Is that part of your M.O., following your victims for awhile to learn what you can by learning their movements?” Sable asked trying to keep her mind on the task as she felt panic welling up inside her.
“Perhaps…” he told her quietly. “Do you know how hard it is to go undetected by someone you don’t want to know that you’re there? It’s harder than you think.”
“Why me? Why did you choose to come after me?” Sable wanted to know.
He hesitated then told her bluntly, “Why not you? What makes you think you’re special? You are just one of a million women I could have singled out.”
“What do you mean singled out?” Sable was curious.
“Most of my victims, if not all of them have left me wanting…” He began.
“Wanting? Wanting what?” She interrupted.
“I think I’m to the point of wanting more of a challenge. The element of risk behind the hunt has grown stale.”
“How many women have you killed over the years?” Sable asked quietly.
“Why does that matter to you?”
“I was just wondering if it ever bothered you. The act of killing another human being would bother most people.”
He snorted. “In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m not like most people. Oh, by the way, just so you know, the act of killing another human being doesn’t bother me at all. I don’t get a sexual thrill from the act of killing them either. I wouldn’t want you to get that impression.”
“Then why do you kill?”
“I wish I knew. I’ve always had this beast inside me and I didn’t know what to do about it. Then one day I cut myself and when I saw the blood running down my arm it sparked something deep inside and I knew how to quiet the lust growing inside my head. It doesn’t make any sense I know but that’s how it began for me.”
“That makes you one very sick individual.”
“Maybe, maybe not. Do you think I’m the only one that has these feelings? Do you think that I am the only one that kills for the sake of ending someone else’s life?” He paused. “Look around you lady, this whole world is sick. More and more people are giving into the basic urge, sometimes to just feel some emotion other than despair.”
“Don’t try to justify what you do. Most people are decent law abiding people.” She couldn’t stand the way this conversation was going or the man on the other end of the phone line. She wanted to hang up but there was one more thing she had to know. “Why did you leave the pages where you knew I would find them? Didn’t you realize that I work with the FBI?”
He chuckled. “Of course I knew. That’s all part of the game.”
Sable gripped the phone. “You mentioned this game before. What kind of game are you playing?”
“The game where you find me before I get bored and go on the hunt. You work with four other people. Anyone of you can be my next target. That means only I know which of you will die.” He paused and then told her, “The clock is ticking and you never know when it will stop. Tick tock, tick tock.”
When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step?
I have been looking for a small press and this one was want I was looking for. You have to start any endeavor with small steps. Rogue Phoenix Press is giving my career a start by showcasing my books in print.
What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)
Sable lay in bed later that night waiting for sleep to come. Her mind was busy replaying the events of the day and try as she might she couldn’t make it stop. She couldn’t help but wonder who he was or why he had picked her. What did he want? Was he going to try and murder her or did he really want her to find him?
She glanced at the bedside clock and was surprised to find it was only 11:30. It seemed to be much later than that. She closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind. She didn’t realize she had drifted off until the phone rang. Sable groaned at the intrusion and reached out to answer it. “Hello?” she whispered into the mouthpiece.
“Did I wake you Sabella?” a voice she didn’t recognize whispered back.
Sable frowned and sat up. Snapping on the bedside lamp she glanced at the alarm clock and noted the time. It was close to 3 a.m. “Who is this?” she murmured.
“I think you know who I am.” The voice told her.
“What do you want?” Sable asked as she gripped the phone. She could feel the fear and panic growing inside her, but she knew she couldn’t give into it or she would be lost.
She heard him hesitate before he announced, “I got tired of playing the same old game and I decided I needed a new and exciting challenge.”
“What game?” Sable wanted to know.
“I think you know very well which game I’m referring to.”
“Spell it out for me so there is no mistake.”
He chuckled softly. “Okay for the sake of clarification, let me make myself very clear as not only is my own life at stake, but now so is yours.”
“That sounds like a threat.”
He chuckled again. “No not a threat, more like a promise, if you will. But as I have an advantage…”
“What advantage?” Sable asked.
“I have to let you know that I’ve been watching you for the last few weeks and I’ll bet you didn’t know that I was even there did you?” He taunted her. “You didn’t notice me at all.”
“You sound like that’s something to be proud of. Is that part of your M.O., following your victims for awhile to learn what you can by learning their movements?” Sable asked trying to keep her mind on the task as she felt panic welling up inside her.
“Perhaps…” he told her quietly. “Do you know how hard it is to go undetected by someone you don’t want to know that you’re there? It’s harder than you think.”
“Why me? Why did you choose to come after me?” Sable wanted to know.
He hesitated then told her bluntly, “Why not you? What makes you think you’re special? You are just one of a million women I could have singled out.”
“What do you mean singled out?” Sable was curious.
“Most of my victims, if not all of them have left me wanting…” He began.
“Wanting? Wanting what?” She interrupted.
“I think I’m to the point of wanting more of a challenge. The element of risk behind the hunt has grown stale.”
“How many women have you killed over the years?” Sable asked quietly.
“Why does that matter to you?”
“I was just wondering if it ever bothered you. The act of killing another human being would bother most people.”
He snorted. “In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m not like most people. Oh, by the way, just so you know, the act of killing another human being doesn’t bother me at all. I don’t get a sexual thrill from the act of killing them either. I wouldn’t want you to get that impression.”
“Then why do you kill?”
“I wish I knew. I’ve always had this beast inside me and I didn’t know what to do about it. Then one day I cut myself and when I saw the blood running down my arm it sparked something deep inside and I knew how to quiet the lust growing inside my head. It doesn’t make any sense I know but that’s how it began for me.”
“That makes you one very sick individual.”
“Maybe, maybe not. Do you think I’m the only one that has these feelings? Do you think that I am the only one that kills for the sake of ending someone else’s life?” He paused. “Look around you lady, this whole world is sick. More and more people are giving into the basic urge, sometimes to just feel some emotion other than despair.”
“Don’t try to justify what you do. Most people are decent law abiding people.” She couldn’t stand the way this conversation was going or the man on the other end of the phone line. She wanted to hang up but there was one more thing she had to know. “Why did you leave the pages where you knew I would find them? Didn’t you realize that I work with the FBI?”
He chuckled. “Of course I knew. That’s all part of the game.”
Sable gripped the phone. “You mentioned this game before. What kind of game are you playing?”
“The game where you find me before I get bored and go on the hunt. You work with four other people. Anyone of you can be my next target. That means only I know which of you will die.” He paused and then told her, “The clock is ticking and you never know when it will stop. Tick tock, tick tock.”
When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step?
I have been looking for a small press and this one was want I was looking for. You have to start any endeavor with small steps. Rogue Phoenix Press is giving my career a start by showcasing my books in print.
What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)
I think critiques are great. If there is something wrong with the book from an editor’s view I will try to make it better. They often if asked, will tell me what is wrong with the book. They know what’s marketable and what’s not. So I always ask.
Do you outline your books or just start writing?
I outline my books but in the end the outline may or may not have been used. Sometimes my characters stray from the outline and come up with something much better
Anything else you might want to add?
Do you outline your books or just start writing?
I outline my books but in the end the outline may or may not have been used. Sometimes my characters stray from the outline and come up with something much better
Anything else you might want to add?
If you are just starting a writing career, be patient and learn to accept that not everyone will like what you write. If you can look at a critique and learn to make your story better from it then you may get where you want to be someday
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