I am beyond excited to bring you today's Author Interview with
Allison Brennan, a New York Times Best Selling author and author of
Love Me To Death, the first book in the Lucy Kincaid series.
About Love Me To Death: Six years ago, Lucy Kincaid was attacked and nearly killed by an online predator. She survived. Her attacker did not. Now Lucy’s goal is to join the FBI and fight cyber-crime, but in the meantime, she’s volunteering with a victim’s rights group, surfing the Web undercover to lure sex offenders into the hands of the law. But when the predators she hunts start turning up as murder victims, the FBI takes a whole new interest in Lucy.
With her future and possibly even her freedom suddenly in jeopardy, Lucy discovers she’s a pawn in someone’s twisted plot to mete out vigilante justice. She joins forces with security expert and daredevil Sean Rogan, and together they track their elusive quarry from anonymous online chat rooms onto the mean streets of Washington, D.C. But someone else is shadowing them: A merciless stalker has his savage eye on Lucy. The only way for her to escape his brutality may be another fight to the death.
My review of Love Me To Death will be posted tomorrow, along with a GIVEAWAY! for a copy of the novel. Be sure to check back for that!
And now, on to the interview:
Bookaholic Does Blogging: What inspired you to write your first book?
Allison: My answer is more complex than you might expect!
I have always written, but never wrote seriously toward publication until after my third child was born. When I was on maternity leave from my job in the California State Legislature, I read 77 books—including THE SEARCH by Iris Johansen and THE THIRD VICTIM by Lisa Gardner. Those two books in particular highlighted everything I loved about romantic thrillers—while there was an important relationship in the story, the focus was on the suspense plot. Those books showed me that what I wanted to write was possible.
I wrote five books before I sold THE PREY. Each book taught me something new about myself as a writer, and the type of book I wanted to write.
The story of THE PREY itself? I’d read an article about a man who killed his family, and the comments from neighbors and colleagues shared a common theme: they didn’t see it coming. He was such a good father. He was such a good man. I wondered what would drive someone to kill their family, and if he really was such a good person or were there dark secrets the family hid from everyone on the outside?
I also had the idea of a crime fiction writer whose books end up as fodder for a killer.
I merged those two ideas together. What if a man killed his family? What if one of the children survived? What would have happened to her? If she had no other family, where would she go? What would she do when she grew up? That survivor became my heroine, Rowan Smith, raised by an FBI Agent who was part of the investigation into her father’s murderous spree. Rowan grew up to become an FBI Agent, but a case to close to home compelled her to resign, and she became a recluse, writing crime novels that end up being blueprints for murder.
What are your current projects?
I’m writing the third book in the Lucy Kincaid series, IF I SHOULD DIE, scheduled to be released this September. I’m also thinking ahead to future Lucy Kincaid books and doing some research. I plan to go to Quantico this Fall to research the Lucy book that takes place there. I’m very much looking forward to the trip!
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Making each book better than the last. I constantly try to become a better writer—both the writing itself as well as the storytelling. Sometimes, the pressure I put on myself makes it hard to keep moving forward because when I’m in the middle of writing a book, I never think that it’s as good as what I’ve written before.
And, as the mother of five kids between the ages of 6 and 17, sometimes it’s challenging to find extra writing time when they’re not in school, and juggle the business side of being an author.
Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
Tough question! I have many favorite authors in multiple genres, but if I had to pick one, it would be Stephen King. He writes with depth and clarity, so you can immerse yourself in the story and never feel lost. He’s a master of suspense and character. His characters are so real, I feel I know them. I particularly like his novellas and short stories, though THE STAND continued to be one of my all-time favorite books.
How did you come up with the title "Love Me to Death?"
The book was originally called NO WAY OUT, but that was nixed by my publisher. We started brainstorming and the title popped into my head. I sent it with a short list of other titles, and my editor picked it. We titled the second Lucy book, KISS ME, KILL ME from the same list. The two titles share a rhythm that work well together.
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
For LOVE ME TO DEATH, it was keeping Lucy Kincaid’s actions and reactions true to her character. She has a tragic past, which isn’t something to easily put aside, and I wanted her past to drive her, but not dominate her. I wanted her to be a survivor, not a victim. Also, because this story was more complex than many others I’ve written, I had a hard time keeping the separate, but connected, storylines straight in my head. Several times I’d stop writing and re-read what I had to make sure I had it all worked out in my head and it made sense on paper!
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Thank you! Without my readers, I wouldn’t still be writing. I hope you like Lucy Kincaid as much as I love writing about her.
Thank you so much Allison for taking the time to answer my questions! As mentioned above, be sure to check back tomorrow for my review of Allison's novel, Love Me To Death, and a GIVEAWAY! for a copy of her work!
And be sure to check out
Kiss Me, Kill Me, the second installment in the Lucy Kincaid series which comes out February 22nd!
Finally ***drumroll please*** I announced that February will play host to NIGHT HUNTRESS WEEK! I've finished up the deets on my end and might have some pretty awesome giveaways and a game up my sleeve! YAY! I'm just waiting to hear back from one more contact and we are good. to. go. I'm so excited!!
