A dominatrix is murdered; her body displayed in a show of dominance. An actress is found dead beneath the Hollywood sign. There’s a murderer roaming the streets of Los Angeles and he’s having far too much fun to stop.
Stephanie Carovella is a woman of fire and ice. She left her career, her friends and her home town of LA but she couldn’t outrun the demons of her past. When she is lured back by the death of her best friend she enters a world where no one’s safe.
Can Stephanie find her friend’s killer or will she discover that she has nowhere to run?
See Below for an excerpt of Nowhere to Run
The Guest Post
I always find it interesting to read how authors fell into writing. For some, they had time off after they lost their job, had a baby – or had an experience in their life, in which they suddenly had time to write and they had a story to tell.
For others – like myself, it wasn’t a case of falling into writing, it was more one of I was born to be a writer. For as long as I can remember, I have loved writing. I wrote my first novel when I was 15. It’s tucked in a drawer somewhere, and it will stay there. I wrote my second at 26. I’m planning on reviving that and turning it into a kickass story.
I’ve always written. It’s something I’m extremely passionate about. For me, I have to sit down and write something every day simply because this is how I express myself – from the way I feel about people, and places to things that have happened in my life – I write it all down. I totally suck at speaking about my own emotions, but I can nail them on paper. Go figure.
When I started writing Nowhere to Run, it consumed me completely. I was extremely passionate about everything – from the research to my ideas and where I wanted to go with the novel. It took up a lot of my thoughts – and now that it’s finished, it still does. These feelings spilled onto paper. I made my main character, Stephanie Carovella, a very fiery, passionate person who is headstrong, reckless and sometimes seems a little selfish. The reality is, when she does something it’s for a reason. She’s determined to seek justice for her best friend, who was murdered, and equally determined to protect everyone else in her life.
Nowhere to Run also has a lot tumultuous relationships. All the characters are fiery and there are several romances happening between the pages. These romances will heat up in the second novel in the Stephanie Carovella series, Nowhere to Hide. You will see Stephanie Carovella torn between two men – one who loves her passionately and would do anything for her and another, who she fights against loving because he reminds her of the man she lost.
I started writing Nowhere to Hide, as soon as I finished writing Nowhere to Run. I simply had to. One of the aspects of being a writer (or at least in my case) is that once you get an idea in your head, it will eat at you and continue to do so until you write it down. This happened with Nowhere to Hide. I started thinking about it, even before I’d finished Nowhere to Run. I knew as soon as the idea popped into my head, it had to be book two of the Stephanie Carovella series.
So far, I’ve actually got about 15 books for this series planned. They’re all ideas that came to me as I was writing Nowhere to Run. Some, I may discard and some I may mix up a little. Book two, I want to release by August 2013, and book three by December 2013.
A lot of non-writer people tell me this is not possible, but when you really want something, you can make it happen. It’s all about passion. You need passion to stay focused on your writing. You need it to stay dedicated and to have the determination to make these goals a reality.
I have that passion. I don’t write because I want to make millions. Of course, I want to make money from my books. Every author does, but what I am really passionate about is sharing my story with people. Introducing people to these amazing heroes and heroines – all who would do anything and everything to protect the people they love. I want to draw people into my world.
I want people to feel the same passion about my characters as I do. I want them to love my stories and feel inclined to read more.
The reality with writing is this, if you don’t feel passionately about your work then neither will your readers. If you’re not enthusiastic about what you write, then it will seep through and your writing will end up lifeless.
As a writer, you live, breathe and eat your work. You have no choice in the matter, simply because once you get started, it’s almost impossible to stop until you’re completely finished.
As a writer passion is everything. Without it, we wouldn’t be the authors we are. Nor would the books be as good.
Passion rules us.
But you know what? I’m okay with that.
About Nina D’Angelo:
Nina D’Angelo is a freelance writer and photographer. After graduating from Deakin University in 2005, with a Bachelors Degree in Journalism and Public Relations, Nina briefly worked in P.R. Not satisfied with her profession, she returned to freelance writing. Since graduation from University, she has written her own TV series, produced a music show for three seasons, worked for several music magazines and her photography was published in Aqua Pulse.
In 2012, she decided to take the plunge into the fiction world and started writing her debut novel, Nowhere to Run. Nowhere to Run is the first novel in the Stephanie Carovella series. Its release date is February 14th 2013.
Nina has already started working on her second novel – and the second in the Stephanie Carovella series. Nowhere to Hide is slated for an August release. Nina also plans on releasing her third novel in December 2013, which will be part of the Live and Let Die series.
Prologue Except from Nowhere to Run
Angeline closed her eyes, her breathing shaky. With tears sliding down her cheeks, she slowly counted to ten. She clutched the kitchen knife in her hands, the handle slippery with her own blood.
This time he’d kill her. Of this, she didn’t doubt, but she also knew she wasn’t going to go down without a fight. She’d fight him to the very end.
She swallowed convulsively. How could he have found her? After all this time, how could he have possibly known where she was? She’d been so careful in covering her tracks – in erasing any trace of her past.
Her eyes flew open, hearing his heavy footsteps. Slow and steady, they moved along the polished, wooden floorboards. She crouched further down in her wardrobe, a silent prayer tumbling from her lips. She prayed for all her past sins, praying for anything to get her out of this nightmare.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she shakily wiped away the tears wetting her cheeks. Never again would she see her friends. Never again would she hold them close and let them know how much they meant to her. How much she loved them. They were the closest she had to a real family, but now she would never get the chance to say her goodbyes.
She gasped, panic rippling through her. Stuffing a fist into her mouth, she bit down hard, a sob escaping from her. Stephanie! She had to warn Stephanie. She had to warn her to stay away; to stay where she was safe. If he had found her then it would only be a matter of time before he found Stephanie too.
Hearing his footsteps moving towards her, she froze, her heart pounding rapidly. She could almost taste her own fear. This was the end for her. She was going to die. She knew she wasn’t going to be able to fight him off. He was strong – so much stronger than her.
Straightening her back, she took a deep breath. No more was she going to let fear rule her. Even while there was a part of her terrified of dying, another part of her was completely at peace with it.
Once it was done, he wouldn’t be able to scare her anymore. No more would she put up with the terror of never knowing when he would strike. He wouldn’t be able to hurt her anymore. She knew this. She’d finally be free; free from the hell he’d put her through. And, the truth was, she was tired. She was so tired of looking over her shoulder all the time.
She exhaled, hearing his footsteps stop. They started again, as he entered her bedroom. She watched him from the cracks of her bedroom closet, holding her breath in, fearing he could hear every sound she made – fearing he could hear every breath she took.
“Sweet Angeline, you’re being very naughty. Come out wherever you are. You can’t hide from me forever, my darling Angel,” he sang, spinning around the room. Her grip on the knife tightened. She waited, her heart racing, watching the closet door handle slowly turn. As soon as the door opened she pounced, a raw scream ripping from deep within her throat. Adrenaline surged through her as she tackled him to the ground.
She clawed at him, fury driving her. She raised the knife above her head, bringing it down in a vicious thrust. He parried the thrust, catching her arm before she could make contact with his body. His other hand shaped into a fist, slamming into her jaw. He smiled coldly, watching her slump unconscious to the ground.
“I’m sorry my sweet Angeline. I didn’t really want to do that, but you left me with no choice.” he whispered, tenderly stroking her blonde hair.
“You wondered why I wanted you, my Angel. You’ve got spirit. You’re a fighter. I like that in my woman.”
He lovingly ran his hands over her body. “You’re the key. You’re what will bring her back to me. It’s why I chose you,” he whispered, gently caressing his lips against her cheek.
Straightening up, his expression turned cold. He slid the knife blade across her cheek, drawing blood.
He spoke to the silent room. “Now, it’s time to get this party started.”
