Author of the Week: Nichole Severn

Welcome back to Buy a Book, Tell a Friend!

This week Nichole Severn visits the blog. I met Nichole in Las Vegas at the Las Vegas Romance Writers. She and I were the youngest members at the meeting and we started talking writing, family, and movies. We became friends over the years we attended the monthly meetings and now she's one of my best critique partners. Today I asked her one question about her choice of heroes in her tales.

BBTF: You often write unusual heroes and heroines, even serial killers and demons. What truly brings them to life in your imagination and makes them loveable for you?

Nichole: I have a soft spot for bad guys. Always have, even as a child watching Disney movies. Maybe it's because I feel bad for them and want to understand what they're going through to make them hate the world so much. I'm always trying to imagine what brought my serial killer or demon to that point in their life, what heartbreaking choices they had to make. Sometimes it's psychological trauma like in Let Me Out, or a choice to give up their future for the greater good to end up as a demon like in my current work in progress. Either way, their stories are often untold and I'm trying to change that.

Janet Reid from Fineprint Literary Management said it best, "Your antagonist has to think he's the hero of the story or your story is boring." I take this to a new level by actually putting what other authors would consider antagonists as heroes in my stories. I realized a long time ago not everything in romance has to be a fairy tale. People have flaws. They make mistakes and sometimes, they even do it for the right reasons. That's what makes my characters loveable for me, the reasons behind their choices, and with that I believe I'm giving readers something new.

You can find out more about Nichole Severn's flawed and original characters on her website. Be sure to buy a book and tell a friend. Happy reading!

Siobhan