Can you tell us a little bit about your book? When did it come out? Where can we get it?
Calculated is the first book in a
series of three. It’s a psychological thriller that follows journalist Ana
Meyers after she receives a tip from a mysterious informant who quickly turns
up dead. As she follows the story, twist after twist leads her to believe that
a prominent religious leader and a governor are conspirators behind one of the
largest murder cover-ups the city has ever witnessed. But by the end, she’s
left to wonder if any of it was true, or if she had merely been used as a pawn
in an even greater scheme. It’s currently available on Amazon as an ebook. Is there anything that prompted your latest book ? Something that inspired you?
I worked as a freelance journalist for about five years, and it was a wonderful experience. However, I did discover how some publications (not all) took my stories and completely edited them, censoring quotes and data to reflect a different version of the truth. That’s when I learned how easy it was to manipulate the media, and it kind of sparked the core idea for the story. The rest of the plot and subplots sort of evolved organically from other life events.
When did you know you wanted to write? Or has it always been a pastime of yours?
It’s been something I’ve done for as long as I can remember. I started writing down stories into little notebooks when I was nine years old and just haven’t stopped!
Wow! Me too! I got started at a young age as well.
Do you have any favorite authors?
I have a ton of favorite authors! But I think I’m more loyal to a type of story than a particular author. I like someone who writes a mixed genre story with unique twists and endings you don’t see coming. Something that makes me think, makes me use my imagination, and makes me see the world differently. Even if only for a moment.
Do you write in a specific place? Time of day?
I have an office that I generally write in because it’s so quiet, but I’ve found myself writing in all sorts of strange places. Especially if I get a great idea for a scene or parts of a dialog, I’ll write them down on a napkin or while standing in line at the grocery store if I have to. Anything so I don’t lose it.
I’m not a very good nighttime writer, but I’ll write any chance I get pretty much.
Are there any words you'd like to impart to fellow writers? Any advice?
If writing is your passion, and it’s your dream to get published, then don’t EVER give that up! Keep improving your style, polishing your story and making connections. Eventually the persistence will pay off and all that time and energy that you put into it is so worth the wait.
Here is the blurb for Calculated.
An investigative
journalist gets an unlikely tip from a mysterious informant. Dismissing it as
impossible, she disregards the information and drops the story. Until the
informant turns up dead, as predicted.
Plunged into the
murky waters of a seedy underground prostitution ring, this psychological
thriller provides twist upon dark twist in a story that would ultimately pin
the church and several government officials in the largest murder cover-up the
city has ever witnessed.
But is it true, or has
the journalist merely been used as a pawn in a greater scheme? And how many
people is she willing to sacrifice trying to figure it out?
Here is an excerpt from Calculated.
Impatience took over and Ana
couldn’t resist any longer. She turned her head to glance at the alarm clock. 5:03a.m. Exactly three minutes after the
last time she’d checked. Pressing her fingers against her eyes, she released a
long, loud sigh.
At that point, it had been
over an hour that she’d been lying there, tossing around in her thoughts,
urging her body to slip back into sleep. She’d tried to read a book, but hadn’t
been able to focus enough to stay in the pages. Watching television hadn’t
proven any better of a deterrent either. All that was left was to lay there in
her silence – thinking, wondering, planning...willing her eyes to just get
even a little bit sleepy again. But she had no such luck.
It frustrated her to the
core that Mara and her insinuation of a good story had affected her like that.
It’d been years since she’d become so intrigued she’d actually lost sleep over
it. Never mind the threat of reassignment looming in the background as well.
Fuck it, Ana thought as she whipped off the sheets from her silk
clad body. Might as well make use of the
morning. Landing her feet on the floor, she made quick time of pulling her
long hair into a braid and splashing some water on her face. Next she pulled on
her sweatpants, then headed to the gym to work out her inner thoughts.
When she arrived at the
little facility her building provided, a quick look around confirmed she was
the only one there. Just as she’d hoped, and exactly how she liked it to be.
Smiling in satisfaction, she flipped on the television that was perched on the
wall, and turned up the music on her iPod as loud as she could handle it. The
multiple distractions would help her get through the extra mile she was
planning to conquer. With chilled water bottle in place, she cranked up the
treadmill to a nice brisk pace.
As her breathing picked up
speed and her muscles began to warm, Ana’s eye caught a red flash along the
bottom of the screen. Breaking News
filled the bar, and the too-chipper-for-their-own-good reporters were suddenly
getting serious. Since the volume was still muted, Ana couldn’t understand
exactly what was going on, only that they were showing the wide stretch of
river that ran along the outskirts of the city. She wiped the first beads of
sweat from her brow, and used the remote to turn the volume of the television
higher while simultaneously adjusting her music.
As the reporters spoke,
home-video footage of something floating in the water rolled before her eyes.
The camera zoomed in, the frame ever so shaky, and it became clearly apparent
that the “something” was a person - face down with long brown hair spread out
like a Catholic halo. It appeared another victim had been pulled out of the
water; the count was quickly tallying up. A young woman this time, and possibly
one who had gone missing the night before.
Ana’s pulse skipped a few
beats as they replayed the video over and over. There was something familiar
about the long, lean body. Slowing the treadmill to a stop, she ripped the ear
buds from her head to give the segment her entire attention.
...it appears at first glance that the victim suffered from a deep cut
to the throat, and received multiple stab wounds to the chest...
The beads of accumulated
sweat turned cold on Ana’s brow. She immediately reached for her phone and
dialed Kylie’s number.
“What the hell, Ana?” came
her friend’s groggy voice.
“Turn your TV on. Channel four.
Hurry.” Ana said, eyes transfixed to the screen in front of her. “Recognize
that face?”
...It’s thought the victim may be one of the young girls recently
reported missing. The screen flashed candids of three possible women. All
brunettes. All tall and thin. All roughly the same age. Among them was a photo
of Mara, just as Ana had expected there would be.
But the body was too bloated
and disfigured to be absolutely certain, and an autopsy would be needed.
... The body will be taken in for processing where officials hope to shed
more light on the case in the near future. In the mean time, they’re cautioning
residents to avoid....
“Did you see that?” Ana’s
voice escaped in more of a demand than a question. “Please tell me I’m seeing
things.”
“Oh my god...” Kylie
whispered into the receiver, confirming the dread that was building in Ana’s
stomach. “Do you really think it’s her?”
“I know for a fact it is.”
Ana declared, the pull in her gut getting stronger by the minute. “The autopsy
will confirm it.”
“So, what does this mean
exactly now?”
“That maybe I should have
been listening a little closer when I was talking to Mara.” She said with
regret as she swiped her forehead with the back of her hand. “And maybe I
should have asked more questions. There’s a story here, I’m sure of it now.”
“What are you going to do?”
Kylie’s voice was decidedly more alert now.
Ana shook her head. “I have
no idea.”
Though if she were to be
truthful with herself in that moment, she’d already made up her mind. Ana
flipped off the television, and left the little gym to get started.
Sounds interesting. Thank you for visiting us today, R.S. Novelle.
Author Bio
Renee' Novelle
is preceded by a long line of published family members, including Pulitzer
Prize nominated author and Poet Laureate of Kentucky Jesse Stuart.
As a child,
Novelle was already gaining recognition for several of her works, and in her
formative years, she continued this trend by earning local awards for her short
stories and poems.
Inspired to
cultivate her talent, Novelle pursued freelance journalism and has found
placement of 75 of her pieces in both online and print publications since 2008.
Additionally, she has written multiple screenplays, and contributed her savvy,
effective writing style to many non-profit and for profit organizations. She
launched several blogs over the years, which garnered international attention.
In 2013,
Novelle returned to her first love - fiction. Writing under the names Renee
Novelle and R.S. Novelle, she has a publication schedule that includes
psychological thrillers, suspense, paranormal fiction, contemporary women's
fiction, chick lit, and new adult.
Though she
received her Bachelor's of Science in Communication, Summa Cum Laude, she
considers herself a constant student of the written word. She's an avid reader,
an enthusiastic quote poster, and rarely takes "no" as a final
answer. She has an unhealthy obsession for theater, dance, music and art, and
strongly believes that wine is simultaneously the beginning of, and resolution
to, all of life's problems. She believes in following dreams, and that in the
end, you always end up where you are meant to be.
For more information,
to view pictures, read blog posts and see the upcoming release schedule, please
visit the website at www.RSNovelle.com
http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00EWLOKIG
https://www.twitter.com/rs_novelle
Books:
Thank you for having me!
ReplyDeleteWow! Your books sound great. Very nice to learn about you and your mystery novels, Renee. (Lovely pic, too.)
ReplyDelete