Interview with Stacy-Deanne

Readers, are you ready for some heat and a lot of mystery? Well check out the interview I had with Stacy-Deanne as she talks about her new novel and life in general. Don’t forget to watch for the blurb that the author has left to tease our senses with.

 

Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to stop on by. Why don’t you start off by telling the readers a little about The Season of Sin?

 

 “The Season of Sin” is the second book in my romantic suspense series starring two Albany Detectives, Brianna “Bree” Morris and her partner and ex-lover Steven Kemp. The characters debuted in my ’08 release Melody. My last release “Giving up the Ghost” is the first book in the series.

 

The Season of Sin is a murder/mystery/romance. Is there any particular reason you picked this genre?

 

Mystery and suspense is my absolute favorite genre. I grew up watching old Hitchcock films and from there my interest in the genre grew. I’ve always loved a good mystery and I think with me being such a fan makes it natural for me to write. I also love mixing a little romance with danger.

 

When it comes to her job as a cop, Brianna is very confident. However, when it comes to a certain man, her life seems to continuously spin out of control. Did you expect her character to be this way?

 

I don’t plan out my characters’ personalities and behaviors before I start writing. I know that sounds weird but I honestly let the characters take me where they need to go. Once you get to know your characters well you know exactly how they will act in situations. Bree is like most women. She is a career woman who has that part of her life together but is clueless in love and relationships. She cares for Steve and probably is still in love with him but she is afraid. I believe deep down that Bree thinks Steve is the one and that level of commitment terrorizes her so she pushes him away. Whether they reunite romantically is still a mystery to me, but if it’s meant to be it’ll happen.  

 

Besides the murderous plot, another theme is child kidnapping. When you started writing this novel, did you plan on having this second subject in the book?

 

I didn’t come up with the kidnapping storyline until I was at the middle of the book. I just knew I wanted a super twist that would be different and that storyline just popped into my head. I wanted to throw the audience off as much as possible of course, and the kidnapping became a fascinating angle. And I think it will raise some eyebrows with how it fits into the entire book.

 

There were many different twists and turns throughout the story, which really led the reader away from the truth time after time. Did you bargain for all of the curves that were in the pages?

 

I kinda have a reputation for that. LOL! A lot of people tell me I have a talent for twists and turns. I guess that’s how my mind works. Yes I definitely set out to do as many twists as possible in my books because what’s the need for writing suspense or mystery without twists? My goal is to never be obvious and to shock and throw the reader off but to do it where it makes sense. I work hard to push myself to come up with angles that are unique.

 

Steven is another enigma in the story as he fluxuated between two women. Were you expecting such an explosive love triangle to come out of your writing?

 

This is another thing that sprung up on a whim. LOL! After writing the first scene with Zoe and Steven I picked up on the chemistry they had. It just jumped off the page and I wanted to explore it. I also felt the readers of the series would enjoy Steven having a little fun since he has a habit of sitting on the sidelines for Bree.

 

To say that Dylan has a volatile relationship with her family is an understatement. Did you base the friction of Dylan and her Aunt Jasmine on anyone you know?

 

Good heavens no! LOL! We don’t have that kind of bickering in my family, at least not including me. But I feel it fits a lot of people. I’ve known people with relationships like this with their mom, sister or aunt and so I found it realistic for Jasmine and Dylan. I didn’t want them to have some boring relationship. I wanted sparks. Every time they were in a scene you felt like you were about to watch a Maury Povich episode. LOL!  I mean they just couldn’t get along to save their lives. There was constant drama and fighting and that is how it is in a lot of families. Dylan loves her aunt but doesn’t necessarily like her. LOL!

 

I really like your biography that is posted on your website: http://www.stacy-deanne.net. You talk about when you started writing professionally, but can you remember the first time you thought “I am going to be a writer!”?

 

Most authors say it’s when they got their first contract for their first deal but for me it wasn’t until I held a copy of my first book for the first time. I mean I knew I’d been published but up until actually seeing my book and knowing it was gonna be available to the public, it hadn’t truly set in.

 

You also talk about how villains are your favorite characters and what parts of their personalities you like best in your stories. Did this have any influence on how you wrote your “good characters” to have the flaws they have in this story?

 

No how I feel about villains doesn’t influence the flaws of the good characters. The flaws are there because they should be. That’s what makes the good characters realistic. We all have flaws and I feel no one is all good and all bad. The biggest mistake some authors make is that their characters aren’t three dimensional and this is what makes it hard to connect to characters. Good people do bad things and bad people do good things. Even a serial killer can have a heart of gold or fall in love. A good person can lie and cheat or make the wrong decisions. If you fail to show different sides of a character no matter if they are good or bad, you fail your story because the audience most likely will feel detached. Personally I don’t wanna read about characters that are so predictable that you know their every move. People are full of surprises so characters should be too.

 

Earlier we talked about the genre of The Season of Sin. Any genre you have not written but you would like to try? Any genre you would never want to even attempt?

 

I would love to write a historical romance but something about writing historical romances intimidates me. I guess it’s all the research it takes due to the time periods, wardrobes, society, etc. But I never run from a challenge and I might write a historical romance one day. I guess one genre I could never write in would be Young Adult. It doesn’t interest me at all.

 

Do you have any works in progress right now?

 

Yes. I am working on more books in the Bree and Steven series and I am very excited. I love these characters and I will continue to write for them as long as my muse allows.

 

I know you answer the question, “What is something that readers would be surprised to know about you?” on your biography page. I would like to extend this question by asking, can you tell the readers something quirky or zany about yourself? Maybe something no one else knows.

 

Wow okay I will unleash my secret. LOL! I talk to myself and I sometimes pretend I am the people on television. LOL! Like when I am watching a movie or show, I sometimes will act like I’m the female character. I’ve been doing that since a kid. Guess I never grew out of it.

 

You state that Norman Bates is your favorite villain. If you could ask him just one question, what would it be and why?

 

“Would you have stopped killing if you hadn’t gotten caught?”  I’d ask this because Norman was such a complicated character that it was hard to know his motives. Was he simply crazy? Was he doing these things because of how his mother treated him? Did he really want to get caught? I always got the feeling he was crying out through acts of violence and maybe if he had someone to show him true love or if he’d gotten help before things escalated, he might not have resorted to murder. I don’t believe he was a psychopath just because he was evil. It was so much more under the surface of Norman. That’s why the character is so fascinating.

When writing the thriller moments in your novel, do you use any type of stimuli? For example, scary music, a specific time of day, etc.

 

No I don’t have any rituals like music or anything. I prefer to type with the television on my favorite channel, ID Discovery. LOL! I’m addicted to that channel.

 

I look forward to hearing back from you. Thanks again for your time.

 

Thanks for having me!

 

Well readers? What did you think? Are you ready to get your mind caught in the maze of twists and turns that Stacy-Deanne sets up? Check out the blurb she has included.

Detective Brianna “Bree” Morris and her partner and ex-lover Steven Kemp are back. This time they are thrown head first into a gruesome homicide that brings forth as many secrets as it does clues.

 

Brianna’s psychiatrist, Dr. Nadia Hollister is stabbed to death in her upstairs bathroom. Brianna, who is at Nadia’s while the murder happens, is the only witness. Unfortunately she was knocked unconscious by the killer and only has the memory of the killer’s scent to go on.

 

Brianna and Steven sign on to help Homicide Detective Jayce Matthews solve the case. With Nadia’s journals as her guide, Bree learns that Nadia was keeping a devastating secret that has something to do with her adopted daughter. The renowned doctor was not whom she seemed to be and her secret may not have only got her killed but could ruin the foundation of her entire family.

 

The police hunt for suspects but Nadia’s secret could wreck the lives of many, all who have motive to kill her.

 

The deeper Brianna and Steven dig into Nadia’s past; the more they question whether Nadia was the true victim after all.

 

Until next time my faithful followers, drink lots of decadent coffee and reads tons of delicious books!