Von Schlange thought she’d escaped her past. Now Black Nova owns
her—an elite, off-the-books task force where obedience is survival and
failure means death. As their newest assassin, she’s unleashed on
targets tied to Jaxon Ryker, a drug lord buried deep in the Alaskan wilds.
Her partner, Xander Holt, a former Navy SEAL with ice in his veins, lives by
the same brutal code: no attachments, no lines crossed. But as missions turn
bloody, the fragile boundary between partner and lover begins to
blur—and desire becomes its own kind of danger.
Across the country, Detective Anaya Nazario faces a nightmare of her own. A
synthetic “zombie drug,” deadlier than fentanyl and immune to
Narcan, is ripping through Los Angeles. Her investigation exposes a network of
dirty cops shielding Ryker’s empire—and puts a target squarely on
her back.
Two women on opposite fronts. One war against corruption and cartel power. And
a single truth—every betrayal leaves a body behind.
What is the hardest part of writing
your books?
People always ask
what the hardest part of writing a book is. For me, it’s not the writing—it’s
the research and everything that comes after.
I write crime
thrillers, so the research can be slow and technical, especially compared to
genres that follow a more familiar template. But even that isn’t the hardest
part.
The hardest part
is the marketing. Getting reviews. Finding ARC readers. Promoting the book
after you’ve already poured everything into writing it. That part takes more
time, more effort, and more emotional energy than people realize.
Writing
the book feels like the beginning. The real work starts after.
What are your most played songs?
My most-played
songs are all over the place. I have an Amazon playlist full of indie
artists—melodic, emo style, emotional, a little moody. Very “write the feelings
out” energy.
But when I’m deep
in action scenes, I swing hard in the other direction. Louder. Faster. Heavier.
Metallica is
forever in my rotation.
Music
sets the tone for everything I write.
Music sets the tone for everything I write.
I gravitate toward melodic indie and emo for emotional scenes, and heavier rock
when I’m writing action. Metallica is always in the mix.
Do you have critique partners or beta
readers?
I don’t really
have a traditional critique partner or beta reader anymore. When I was writing
standalone novels, I relied on them more. With a series, I know these
characters so well now that I’ve grown out of needing that kind of outside
input at the early stages.
That said, I do have a fellow author and
editor I trust who has edited my books before. We do author swaps—he reads my
work, and I read his—and that’s always incredibly helpful. Having someone who
understands both craft and the reality of publishing makes a big difference.
What book are you reading now?
Lately, I’ve been
reading outside my usual comfort zone. I used to read almost exclusively
thrillers—probably because I write crime thrillers—but recently I’ve been
branching out. I just finished a sci-fi novel, then a fantasy book, and now I’m
reading a romance.
I’m a big believer in reading widely.
Exploring other genres helps me understand pacing, structure, and character
development in different ways, and it makes me a better writer overall. As a
reader, it also reminds me why I love storytelling in all its forms.
How did you start your writing career?
I’ve been writing
for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I carried a pen and paper everywhere.
In second or third grade, I had a writing teacher who helped me strengthen my
reading skills and regularly assigned us stories. After one exercise, she read my
short story aloud and told me, “You’re going to be a writer someday.”
At the time, I
didn’t believe her—I actually thought it was an insult. When you’re that young,
you imagine becoming a doctor or a lawyer, not a writer. But she saw something
in me before I could see it myself, and she was right. I never stopped writing.
As I got older, I
focused on developing my craft. I worked with literary agents, attended writing
workshops, volunteered as an editor, and eventually signed with an agent. I was
represented for five years and went on submission with four manuscripts. Two of
those books were considered “dead on submission.”
After parting
ways with my agent, those same manuscripts were picked up by a small
press—because an editor believed in the stories. One of those books went on to
hit #1 on Amazon in three categories. That experience taught me something
important: publishing is subjective, and even when you do everything “right,”
rejection doesn’t mean you were wrong.
I’m published
with a small press, and I’m proud of that. One of my books reached over 24,000
downloads, and my first year sales have been solid. The journey hasn’t been
easy, but it’s been honest. I’ve learned that having an agent doesn’t guarantee
a deal, that submission can take years, and that belief—in yourself and from
the right publisher—matters more than prestige.
Traditional publishing is often treated as
the gold standard, but the reality is that most books—even traditionally
published ones—sell modestly. What keeps me grounded is focusing on the craft,
not the numbers, and remembering why I started writing in the first place: to
tell stories and share them with other people.
Tell us about your next release.
The Serpent’s
Order is Book Four in the Serpent series, and it’s the most ambitious novel
I’ve written so far. The story centers on a deadly synthetic drug—tranq dope,
often referred to as a “zombie drug.” While inspired by a real substance on the
streets, this version is far deadlier, engineered by trained chemists working
for a criminal operation. The result is a wave of fatal overdoses across Los
Angeles.
Detective Anaya
Nazario, now working homicide, is pulled into the case as California laws
classify certain overdose deaths as homicides. Running parallel to her
investigation is Von Schlange’s story. Once a vigilante serial killer, Von has
been forcibly recruited by Black Nova, a covert black-ops task force operating
beyond traditional agencies. Instead of prison, she’s trapped in another kind
of confinement—serving as an assassin for the state.
Set between Los Angeles and Alaska, the
novel blends crime, espionage, and moral ambiguity. It’s fast-paced,
high-concept, and layered, with a romance B-story beneath the action. I believe
it’s one of my strongest books to date—and my editor agrees.
As a BIPOC thriller author, she previously parted amicably with her
agent and, three months later, secured an eight-book deal with Oliver-Heber
Books—now boasting 24,000 downloads in its first year and a BookRaid
bestseller ranking in the thriller category. The Serpent Woman (Book 2)
reached #1 on Amazon and topped all three of its categories. Her background
spans literary agencies and TV studios, where she contributed to greenlit
screenplays that became Lifetime movies. She holds a Master’s in
Television, Radio, and Film, has taught author branding workshops (L.A.
Writer’s Conference, North Texas RWA), and maintains a 100K+ social
media following.
Posts
