Psychthrillers always give me the chills. Aleatha, please tell
us about CONSEQUENCES.
CONSEQUENCES is the story of Claire Nichols and Anthony
Rawlings. Claire, an out of work
meteorologist working as a bartender in Atlanta, is kidnapped by Anthony
Rawlings. He is a wealthy - mega wealthy
- businessman who appears to the world as perfect in every way. He is charismatic, philanthropic, handsome,
and charming. Claire learns immediately that
as a captor he is none of the above. He
is domineering, demanding and controlling.
As a prisoner in Anthony’s secluded mansion, with no means
of escape, Claire faces the realization she must submit in order to
survive. Like Elizabeth Smart and Jessie
Dugard, Claire understands she must pacify her captor to see another day.
Anthony provides Claire with the best of everything:
surroundings, clothes, food, and servants.
What he doesn’t provide is freedom.
Claire learns every aspect of her life is dependent upon this man. In time this overpowering domination
transforms her into someone she never wanted to be and never expected to be...
can she survive? And most importantly,
why is she undergoing the
CONSEQUENCES?
This “thriller” is a puzzle. Claire’s abduction is not a
random act. Can you put the pieces
together before all is revealed?
A mystery in addition to a chilling story. Is this novel for
every reader?
I don’t believe so.
Honestly, I recommend it for adults.
There are many adult and sexual references to Anthony’s demands. In time, Claire not only submits but relishes
any connection to anyone, even Tony. Stockholm
Syndrome? Some of their encounters are quite steamy! (I do however like to leave some things to
the imagination)
And while I have received some 5 star ratings from men, I
believe CONSEQUENCES is primarily a female read.
I noticed men are more lenient in rating my steamy Biblical romance, Michal's Window, so be glad for those gentlemen who give 5 stars. Do you intend for
Claire Nichols to come across as a submissive?
No! Not at all.
Claire Nichols is a strong woman who has the wisdom to “play” her
captor. I am confident her fate would
have been much worse had she not submitted.
That being said, I try to convey her ongoing strength in the face of his
control. Sometimes she is only able to
show this through her “fiery eyes or intense glare” but the fight is present
even though the lips submit.
Anthony uses many tried and true psychological ploys to
“train” Claire: isolation, domination, seclusion, to name a few. He is a master at this craft.
Is Tony’s later
profession of love a lie?
I don’t want to give too much away. But, I will say Claire displays more strength
and energy than Tony has ever encountered.
He doesn’t want to be, but he is mesmerized by her. I recommend readers continue reading into
TRUTH to learn more!
TRUTH, is the sequel
to CONSEQUENCES, correct?
Yes, it is! TRUTH is
scheduled to be released in November of 2012.
The exact date is not set. I am
VERY excited! It has been read by a
limited number of people and met with great reviews! So many of the things you deduce in
CONSEQUENCES... are truly revealed in TRUTH.
With the puzzle analogy, Consequences has many pieces... in TRUTH it
comes together and the game changes... in CONVICTED it is turned upside down!
Sounds like an exciting trilogy. You told me Consequences has 170,000 words. What a coincidence because Michal's Window has 172,500 words. What made you decide
to write a 170,000 word novel? Do you
have any writing experience?
Well, the second question first. I have written in charts, dental hygiene
articles, and Facebook posts... but writing as an author, no. That being said, I didn’t wake up one morning
and decide to write a novel. I am a dental hygienist and have been for over
twenty five years. I am also a wife,
twenty six years, and a mother of three; so needless to say my plate if full. However, in 2008 my husband found himself
underemployed. He was forced to work 3rd
shift and choose to go back to college.
One year later, I went from a wife and mother with a husband and three
children home, to a wife and mother with a husband gone most of the time and
two children gone to college. Please don’t misconstrue that as complaining. Honestly, I am VERY proud of my family. My husband deserves SO much credit! He has worked 3rd shift and gone
to school full time. His dream is to be
a teacher. I couldn’t be happier for
him. Our oldest two children are both
off at college and doing well! Again,
I’m a proud Momma! Our youngest is in
high school. In a nut shell I was lonely
and bored.
The above scenario left me at home with our youngest. My love for him is unquestionable; however, he
is on the high end of the Autism spectrum... he went to bed early and was not
much of a conversationalist. I’ve always
wanted to write. One day I found myself
with the decision, write the story in my head...get lost in the characters...
or turn to less acceptable devises. I
took writing. It is and has been beyond
intoxicating!
I never intended to publish.
However, as my characters and plot grew, I couldn’t hold back my
excitement. Following through on the
encouragement of family and friends I pursued self-publishing.
I know how you feel. The story just flows out as you get into the heart of your character. It is indeed a healthy form of intoxication. Speaking of publishing, are you happy
you chose self-publishing?
Can I say yes and no?
I chose to publish through a small publisher in Indiana, Xlibris, a
subsidiary of Author’s Solutions. Recently
Author’s Solutions was purchased by Penguin Publishing. The experience for me has been educational.
Honestly, I would probably not be published or in the top 5,000 Kindle books
without Xlibris. That being said, I wish
I would not have been as naive as I was with them. Like I said, I have learned a lot!
Is TRUTH being
published through Xlibris?
No. Truth will be published
independently. And soon, so will Consequences.
I have already purchased new ISBN numbers and secured new cover
art. (Like I said, I’ve learned a lot in
the last year!) I am looking forward to being totally self-published. Currently I watch rankings for ideas of
sales. I can’t wait to get actual
information.
Is TRUTH the
conclusion of this story?
No, I have recently started to write CONVICTED, the final
installment in the continuing saga. I
anticipate CONVICTED to be released in late 2013 or early 2014.
Well, I look forward to all of it. Sounds very intriguing and if I can guess, I hope that meanie gets his just desserts. What has been your
biggest surprise about becoming an author?
I would say my biggest surprise is my ongoing relationship
with my characters. I realize that may
make me sound crazy. After all, these
are not real people. However, from the
time I began CONSEQUENCES until now, the release of TRUTH, has been over two
years. I have just started CONVICTED. Truthfully I spend more time with Claire
Nichols, Anthony Rawlings, and a host of new characters you will meet in TRUTH,
than I do real people. I KNOW them; my
family and friends know them. I will
miss them when CONVICTED is complete.
Oh, yes, I know exactly what you mean. Since I'm not writing a series, I had to divorce my characters after finishing one book and fall in love with the next set. It was indeed depressing and I fell into a blue funk missing Michal, David, and Ittai. But now that I released my second book, I'm in the same state of mind. It's hard to let go of people you know so well. Once CONVICTED is
complete, do you plan to continue writing?
Yes! I absolutely love it.
I never expected to feel as passionate about anything. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy my career in
dentistry. I work with great people and
have wonderful patients. I’ve been in
the same dental office for eighteen years and I wouldn’t trade that part of my
life for anything. However, writing is
different. Writing wakes me at three in
the morning with a story that won’t stay in my head... It infiltrates my thoughts during the day and
my dreams at night.
I wouldn’t be able to do this without the continued support
of my family and friends. To them I am
grateful. I am also amazed by my
readers. My first round of reviews was
from people I knew and people they knew.
Now I’m receiving emails and messages from people not only all over the
United States, but the world! A 5 Star
review from anyone is great. Yet, there
is something about clicking on the person and seeing that they live in the
United Kingdom, the Dominican Republic, or Slovenia that seems surreal! I know this wouldn’t be possible without the
wonders of electronic readers. I am
excited to be involved in publishing during this amazing time of growth and
change.
Totally agree! I'm surprised and pleased when people I never met tell me they loved my book. Well, thank you Aleatha for
your time, can you tell us again when we can expect TRUTH?
TRUTH, the ongoing saga of Claire Nichols and Anthony
Rawlings is scheduled to be released in November of 2012. And thank you Rachelle for giving me this
opportunity. Please stay tuned... I
promise if you enjoyed the CONSEQUENCES you will love the TRUTH!
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