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.
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Thanks so much to Krystal for having me today! I’m excited to chat with her readers about why I write suspense, and to tell you all about my debut novel, INTO THE DARK.
First off, suspense. Where do I start? I write suspense because there is nothing like the anticipation of waiting to see what will happen next. The build-up is like a rollercoaster, rising higher and higher. Your heart is pounding, you’re sweating, fists are clenched because you know that at any moment, the bottom is going to slam right out. That’s what I love to read, and that’s what I love to write.
If I can generate half the excitement in my readers that my favorite authors have created for me, I will consider myself a success. I want to put my readers on the edge of their seats, and I want them to empathize and walk in my character’s shoes. I hope I’ve accomplished that with INTO THE DARK.
In the novel, a two-hundred-mile labyrinth of dark storm drains serves as a refuge for the delusional stalker who will go to any lengths to possess fragile, emotionally isolated Emilie Davis. To survive, Emilie will have to confront the secrets of her past she has kept locked away from everyone, including herself.
So how did I come up with all that? Well, INTO THE DARK started out simply: I wanted to write a story about a sexy SWAT officer saving the damsel in distress. I set the story in Las Vegas because they have one of the best full-time SWAT teams in the country.
I love writing creepy bad guys, so I knew my stalker had to do something to stand out. That’s when I got the idea to have him attempt a grand kidnapping with an escape route that would shock readers. Since Vegas was founded by the mob, I Googled “Las Vegas tunnels” in the hopes of coming up with some legends about bootlegging routes.
Instead, I learned about the 200 miles of storm drains beneath the city. Dark, stinking, and terrifying, these drains are home to hundreds of the city’s homeless. I was shocked. And intrigued. I started researching, and INTO THE DARK began to take shape. Instead of a simple romance, it became a book about three people–Emilie, Nathan, and the stalker known as the Taker–and their struggles to escape the pasts that have shaped their lives.
So why read INTO THE DARK when there are tons of other great books? Here are 7 reasons why I think you’ll enjoy it.
1) Characters. Nathan, Emilie, and the Taker are three very different people on a collision course and driven by the pasts they’ve been suspended in.
Nathan is a cop who can do it all, and he’s torn between his attraction to Emilie and his loyalty to the job.
Emilie is independent but vulnerable, stuck in a loop she doesn’t even realize exists until she’s forced to fight for her life.
2) Mystery. Into The Dark is different from traditional mysteries because the reader knows from the outset who the bad guy is and knows his identity long before Emilie or Nathan. But the mystery of what happened to him and his end game twists along until the final act.
3) Setting. Las Vegas like you’ve never seen it. The juxtaposition of the glitz, glamour and excess above ground against the dark, filthy, and poverty below ground.
4) The Taker. Although he’s certainly a bad guy, the Taker is also a gentleman whose personal heartache has driven him past the edge.
5) Suspense. The constant fear of the Taker reaching out and snatching Emilie burns throughout the entire book, and he does everything he can to keep her and readers guessing when he’ll make his final move.
6) Romance. The love story between Nathan and Emilie is a slow burn, complicated by his job and her fears. It develops organically, and that’s something I’m proud of.
7) Theme. INTO THE DARK is all about letting go of your past and not allowing it to ruin your present. That’s something we can all relate to, no matter what stage of life we’re in.
Thank you so much to Krystal for having me. I’m excited to offer a digital copy of INTO THE DARK to one lucky reader, and please enter my charity raffle for the homeless. The donation’s on me!
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.
BIO
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.
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.
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Website: www.stacygreen.net
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