Breathe…In…Out…In Athena Daniels-Style

Romantic suspense/romantic thriller author Athena Daniels is my special guest this month. She lives on Perth’s northern beaches. Athena loves writing, reading and chocolate, in any order. The adrenaline fires with just this excerpt snippet from her debut novel Desperate. “Breathe. In … out … in … out.”

Sandi: Tell us about your first published book.

Athena: Desperate was my debut novel.

It’s a Contemporary Romantic Suspense about a woman whose only chance at survival is to escape to the other side of the world to hide from her violent, private investigator ex-husband.

It is there in Perth, Australia that Ivy discovers love, the way it’s supposed to be. But just when she finally dares to believe she’s free, she faces losing everything she loves when her ex-husband is released from jail. Now, it’s only a matter of time before he will return to serve the full force of his deadly vengeance.  

When love becomes a deadly obsession.

How far would you go to escape your violent past?

When the other side of the world is not far enough.

Sandi: How many books and years ago was that?

Athena: Desperate was my debut novel and was released in January 2015.

Sandi: Was it the first novel you’d written?

Athena: No. My first novel was a romantic suspense set in the 1800’s because I was going through a “historical” reading phase at the time. A life-long prolific reader, I wrote my first novel more to see whether I actually could.

Half-way through writing my first novel, Ivy’s story from Desperate began forming in my mind. I’ve always been passionate about domestic violence and the reasons why strong women stay in abusive relationships for as long as they do, so the moment I finished the draft of my historical, I began working on Desperate.

Since then I’ve completed the first novel of a brand new romantic thriller with a paranormal twist, Beyond the Grave which is scheduled for release in October this year.

I have promised myself however, that one day (one brave day) I will dig out and dust off my historical. But not until I am ready to immerse myself back into that era to perfect the language and setting. (And prepared to cringe/laugh/cry at my first attempt!) If nothing else, it will serve as a reminder at how much I’ve developed as a writer since then.

Sandi: What book are you currently reading?

Athena: This is the question I’m often asked but dread the most. I read one or two books a week. I used to read a lot more, but writing and connecting with readers takes a large chunk of time these days. I have so many favourite books and authors and swap genres at whim. At the moment, I’ve just started reading a fantastic crime novel, Tell Me Why. I’m not sure who it’s by…? Just kidding!

Oh, thank you for reading Tell Me Why, Athena. I hope you enjoy it! 🙂

Sandi: Do you write in the same genre as your first book today? And what is your latest project?

Athena: I write romantic suspense/thrillers but my latest series is a romantic thriller with a paranormal twist.

Here’s a teaser for Beyond the Grave, Darkness Descending Book 1

To save her, he must let go of everything he ever believed in.

Following the ritualistic murder of her grandmother, Sage Matthews returns to her home town of Cryton, South Australia, seeking answers. A strange darkness has descended over the town, and most especially Sage’s childhood home, where mysterious things begin to happen. At first, Sage dismisses each eerie occurrence as a by-product of her overwrought emotional state, until it becomes chillingly clear that something not of this world is desperate to get a message—or is it a warning?—through to her.

With a serial killer on the loose, Detective Sergeant Ethan Blade can’t deny that something dark and sinister is in Cryton, but it damn sure isn’t ghosts or demons. As the killer claims a fourth victim, Ethan’s ability to do his job is compromised by his overwhelming attraction to Sage. She distracts him horribly, just when he needs to be at his sharpest. When Sage’s life is threatened, can Ethan let go of everything he believes in to save Sage from an evil he cannot even conceive of?

Sandi: How long did it take from when you began writing your first manuscript to the book launch?

Athena: In the beginning, I struggled to find the quality, uninterrupted time I required for me to be able to write creatively. But where there is a passion, there is a way. Desperate was written during the hours of 4am and 6am and took about nine months to write. The hour or two before sunrise are “me time”. My special time to be alone with my thoughts and imagination before the demands of two young boys and work responsibilities take over. I do not set an alarm. I don’t need to. Passion (and strong coffee) are louder than any alarm could ever be!

I was really lucky with getting Desperate published. I began submitting in the first week of October 2014 and within a few weeks had two firm offers for contract. I signed the contract with Evernight Publishing on the 30th October, 2014 and it was released in January, 2015. After the long period of calm that is the writing process, the whole publishing experience was a whirlwind.

Thank you so much for having me on your blog today, I’ve had so much fun! I’m now going to pour myself a wine, kick back and read more of that great crime novel I’ve just started.

Oh, it was my pleasure to host you, Athena. All the best for Desperate and your new series.

Cheers,
Sandi

To connect with Athena Daniels, or for more information on her book, please visit her website or hook up on Facebook or Twitter.