Refusal to Bow Down
Cicatrice: New Eyes and Brave follows a woman with a mysterious past who is on the run from a vindictive and sadistic arms dealer set on revenge. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The inspiration for the story came from a mysterious character I discovered on television; a secondary character whose enigmatic past was never fully explored nor explained. Strong, sassy, independent, and distant, but with the potential for great loyalty to those she deemed worthy. I was intrigued, and I found myself imagining a past for her. Why is this woman so afraid of connection? What drives her apart from those who would love her? She’s clearly been hurt so badly. How? Why? I knew what she needed to heal, even if she didn’t. And I knew it would take someone very special to heal her.
Mel is a woman with strength and a strong dedication to Jamie. What do you think makes her a valuable and worthy heroine?
For me, what makes Mel worthy as a heroine, is that although she has suffered immensely, and although it has made her not only incredibly fearful of human connection but also far less trusting, she never loses her empathy. She has been terribly hurt – both physically and emotionally – but she has no desire to hurt others because of it. What makes her valuable is her willingness to act, her inability of inaction in the face of injustice, and her refusal to bow down to the unscrupulous wielding of power.
How did you balance the action scenes with the story elements and still keep a fast pace in the story?
It’s important to the narrative, and to the understanding of Mel’s character, that even when there is no immediate danger, Mel is still terribly conflicted. Everything in the story pertains to these inner and outer conflicts and hopefully gives it the sense of urgency that typifies (and plagues) Mel’s existence.
What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?
I’m currently working on a novella, which I hope to publish along with an anthology of short stories, pencilled for a mid-2024 release.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website | Amazon
Jamie Stevens and Mel Lal were best friends at Melbourne’s Parkville University. More than that, they were family. But in October of 2008, something changed. Mel became anxious, secretive and distant. And then Jamie’s life was turned upside down when Mel disappeared.
Five years later, Mel resurfaces. She’s been subjected to a nightmare that Jamie could not imagine, and Mel’s only wish upon stumbling into Jamie again, is to protect the gentle writer from the hell that is Mel’s existence: a relentless pursuit by a vindictive and sadistic arms dealer, hell bent on holding Mel accountable for a debt she can never repay.
Mel’s feelings for Jamie have not faded with time, but Mel cannot reveal the truth of them. To do so would put a target on the woman’s back. The chance reunion, however, sets in motion a series of events that spiral out of Mel’s control, and it seems that after five years of running, the nightmare is only just beginning. If Mel can’t stop Amir Hashim, all of her sacrifice to keep Jamie from a vicious, twisted madman… will have been for naught.
Trigger warnings: Graphic violence, sexual assault, profanity.
Posted on January 7, 2024, in Interviews and tagged action, author, book, book recommendations, book review, book reviews, book shelf, bookblogger, books, books to read, Cicatrice: New Eyes and Brave, ebook, fiction, goodreads, indie author, Jo Boyle, kindle, kobo, literature, nook, novel, psychological fiction, Psychological Thrillers, read, reader, reading, story, thriller, writer, writing. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.
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