Please give a warm welcome to Stacy Green! Today she’s here talking about her upcoming release–INTO THE DARK–and how YOU can help the homeless living in the storm drains of Las Vegas.
What is your book about?
INTO THE DARK is about a woman who must stop running from her past and face her issues head on in order to defeat the stalker determined to take her life.
What inspired you to write this particular story?
Lots of things! My inspiration started off rather shallow: I wanted to write about a hot SWAT officer. I chose Las Vegas as a setting because they have one of the few full-time SWAT teams in the country. I knew I wanted a hostage crisis to take place in a bank, but it wasn’t until I Googled “Las Vegas tunnels” that I truly realized where I wanted to take the book. Learning about the homeless living in the storm drains beneath the city not only gave me an escape route for my bad guy, but the stark contrast of life beneath and above the city gives the book real depth.
Describe your writing in three words.
Suspenseful. Fast-paced. Engaging. And FYI, I hate talking about myself like that, lol.
Do you have specific techniques you use to develop the plot and stay on track?
With this book, I really didn’t. I started writing it almost three years ago, and it was mostly created on the fly. Which meant a lot of revising as I learned about story structure and plot points. My next novel is due in March, and I spent much more time plotting it before I started writing. And the process has deepened with the book I’m working on now. For me, it’s been a learning process of figuring out how to make the rules gel with my own personal process.
Are your characters in the book based on anyone you know?
Bits and pieces of them. The stubbornness of Emilie, Nathan’s angst and intelligence–those are all traits from specific people, but the characters are truly their own personality.
Have you ever had difficulty “killing off” a character because she or he was so intriguing and full of possibility for you?
Not yet, but I’m anticipating that in the trilogy I’m working on.
If your book was made into a TV series or movie, which actors would you choose to play your main characters?
Ha! Loaded question. Nathan is black-haired and blue-eyed, so from a purely physical standpoint, Ian Somerholder pops into my head. Matt Bomer as well. As for Emilie, she’s a few years older, and her beauty is real but understated. I always picture Christina Hendricks when I think of her.
Who gets to read your drafts before they’re published?
My critique partner, Catie Rhodes (an amazing writer) and my close friend, Kristine. Both are honest and don’t sugarcoat, which is vital. The book–and my writing–won’t improve without constructive criticism.
What’s the weirdest thing you’ve Googled?
I have to pick one? With my genre, I’m always Googling strange stuff and thinking that an outsider would have me investigated if they saw my history, lol. Poisoning, how long a body will last in certain weather, and how to disappear are just a few.
What projects are you working on now?
I’m working with a developmental editor for my second book, Tin God, which is due out in March. I’ve got some extensive edits to finish, but I’m really excited about it. I’m also almost finished plotting the first book in a trilogy featuring a forensic psychologist, and I can’t wait to start writing.
Is there anything else you would like to say to your readers?
I hope you love the book! The characters are relatable, the story is fast-paced, and I’m really proud of it. It’s not typical romantic suspense, because the suspense plot comes first and drives the romance, but the love story is there.
Where can readers find you and your books online?
Pre-Order Into The Dark, and it will be available on all digital formats and in paperback via Amazon and Barnes and Noble on November 30th.
Available NOW:
Welcome To Las Vegas, a short story featuring the perils of the Las Vegas storm drains. Contains an exclusive excerpt from INTO THE DARK.
Enter the INTO THE DARK Charity Raffle!
The homeless living in the storm drains of Las Vegas played a vital part in INTO THE DARK, and I want to give back. From November 1st until February 28th, participants will have several options to enter the raffle, including donating to HELP of Southern Nevada. The grand prize will be a $100 donation from me in the winner’s name to the homeless shelter of their choice.
And there’s more! To celebrate the release of INTO THE DARK, I’m giving you TWO ways to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card! Both options will get your name into the drawing, which runs from November 5th until the end of my blog tour on January 30th.
Entry Option 1: Earns FIVE entries in the contest. Email Stacy your receipt of purchase (simply copy and paste proof of the order into the email, excluding personal information) of INTO THE DARK or the answer to this question: in what state was the Taker born and raised?
Entry Option 2: Earns TWO entries in the Contest. Donate to HELP of Southern Nevada and help the homeless. Readers can go to HELP of Southern Nevada, the organization that aids the homeless featured in INTO THE DARK, and donate. Email Stacy the receipt (personal information excluded). No donation is too small!
Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy INTO THE DARK!
IT’S THE MOMENTS FROM OUR PAST THAT BIND US.
Branch Manager Emilie Davis is having a day like any other–until two masked men storm into WestOne Bank demanding cash. Her hopes of a quick end to her terror are dashed when she realizes one of the men has no interest in the bank’s money. Emilie is his prize, and he’s come to claim her.
When hostage negotiator Nathan Madigan and Las Vegas SWAT enter the bank on a rescue mission, Emilie’s captor makes a shocking escape into the abyss that lies beneath the city: the Las Vegas storm drains, a refuge for the downtrodden and the desperate.
HOW WILL IT END?
Who is the man the media has dubbed the “Taker?” Why is he after Emilie, and what is the connection he’s convinced they share?
Emilie can’t run from the Taker, and she can’t escape her own past. As her life closes in on her, she has nowhere to turn but to Nathan. The lines of professionalism blur as Nathan becomes determined to save Emilie. Together they venture into the depths beneath Las Vegas and discover a shocking piece of the puzzle.
But the Taker remains one step ahead. Desperate for the threat to emerge from the shadows, Emilie makes a bold move to reclaim her life, and it may cost her everything.
Pain shot through her temple. Suddenly Emilie was back in the bank lobby, trying in vain to ignore Taker’s odd stream of dialogue:
“The past has always fascinated me.” His face hovered over her left shoulder. “When I was a small child, I spent hours exploring the countryside. History was everywhere: the aged buildings, abandoned houses, the people’s stories. I wanted to learn everything I could. Understanding the past is the only way to accept who we are as individuals and as a culture. So many lessons from our ancestors can be applied to our own lives, and in some cases, the road ahead has already been paved. We just have to find it. Do you understand, Miss Emilie?”
Her knees ached as she fell to the hardwood floor.
He moved in front of her as he spoke, each slow breath magnified by the filter of the black facemask. “The past is an important part of life, isn’t it? Our past can affect us forever. A split- second decision can change everything.”
She stared into his dark eyes. Framed with thick, black lashes and a smattering of fine wrinkles, they were too beautiful to belong to someone like him. “You know what I mean, don’t you, Miss Emilie? Isn’t there a single moment from your past that defines you?”
A hand rubbed her back. “Emilie, are you okay? It’s me, Sarah.”
Emilie summoned her strength and rolled over. She forced herself to open her eyes. Color flooded her vision. Jeremy’s wife knelt over her, put together as always, in a red sundress. Her thick, honey-blond hair flowed around her shoulders like a halo.
“He’s been here,” Emilie said. “The Taker, he left this for me.” She thrust the clipping at her friend. “He’s been here.”
Stacy Green is fascinated by the workings of the criminal mind and explores true crime on her popular Thriller Thursday posts at her blog, Turning the Page.
After earning her degree in journalism, Stacy worked in advertising before becoming a stay-at-home mom to her miracle child. She rediscovered her love of writing and wrote several articles for Women’s Edition Magazine of Cedar Rapids, profiling local businesses, before penning her first novel. Her debut novel, INTO THE DARK, is set in Las Vegas and features a heroine on the edge of disaster, a tormented villain, and the city’s infamous storm drains that house hundreds of homeless. INTO THE DARK is available on all digital formats and paperback November 30th.
www.stacygreen.net
Amazon Author Page
Twitter @StacyGreen26
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A big thank you to Stacy! It’s been a pleasure. 🙂
Award-Winning Author Kim Cresswell 
Pingback: Answering The Tough Questions… | Stacy Green – Turning The Page
Nice interview, I enjoyed it. I wish you much success in your writing. I’m sure your efforts on behalf of the homeless will be appreciated.
Stan
Hi Kim! Thanks so much for all your work on Into The Dark and for having me today.
Stan, thanks so much. Glad you enjoyed the interview:)
Stacy, you are very welcome! I wish you great success with INTO THE DARK. 🙂
A very cool setting, indeed.
Stacy, you grabbed me from line one. I can’t wait to read Into the Dark.
I love the idea of the suspense being the main story and romance secondary. I enjoy reading both genres and mixing them up makes the book even more appealing. Loved your upbeat interview. The Vegas storm tunnels–news to me. Exciting. Best wishes on your new release and kudos for your efforts in helping the homeless.
Stacy, good luck with Into the Dark and Tin God and your new series! Lots of great stuff going on for you over the next year.
Thanks, everyone! Yes, Vegas is a very interesting setting to write about and the research was an eye opener. J.Q., I’m glad to hear you say that – all my books are driven more by the suspense than the romance. Thanks so much, Donna, Malanouette and Roxy!
Great interview, Stacy!
I know Into the Dark is going to be a hit!