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Remaining True to Oneself
Carnage in D Minor follows an RN from her days as a piano prodigy to a military veteran with PTSD, who goes on a quest to discover a new, and ethically questionable, treatment for mental illness. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The story came to me during a time when my brother, an Army war veteran, was dealing with severe depression—intensified by chronic pain from an injury he received in Iraq. His struggle inspired me to write about determination and perseverance in the face of soul-crushing obstacles. The frustration he experienced attempting to get anyone to listen to him about his chronic health issues—the direct result of his service to this country—was excruciating to listen to. The time it took for him to ultimately get treatment was a burning thread for me. During the long waits between phone calls, referrals, and appointments, he resorted to self-medicating with alcohol and prescription drugs. I was worried that he would become a forgotten statistic. But he persevered, and I’m beyond happy he’s still with us today. After a successful surgery, his pain is manageable, and he has quit drinking. Fun fact: his wife is also a career Army veteran. They are both huge inspirations to me.
Leeza’s story is one that readers can relate to or find pieces of themselves in, making it easier to connect to her character and become invested in her story. Were you able to achieve everything you wanted with Leeza’s character in the novel?
Yes. Carnage in D minor is an adaptation of a screenplay. In the original screenplay, the protagonist was a white male. As a writer, I had an urge to change that character to a Black female for the book because, over the years, I have had so many friends from underrepresented minority cultures, genders, sexual orientations, etc. I jumped in with both feet and wrote her character without holding back. I wanted her successes to rise to the level of a superhero. Judging by many of the reviews I’ve read, I think I came quite close.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The core themes I explored were the absolute refusal to give in or give up, and remaining true to oneself even when others have given up on you. Self-doubt is a major roadblock for so many.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
The Last Lily of Savannah – a novel. Late Summer, 2026. The story delves into a successful New York businesswoman’s seemingly perfect life. But beneath the carefully cultivated facade, she is tortured by the fact that she was adopted, and that the truth surrounding her biological family’s past has been hidden from her all her life. This story explores the primal need for adopted individuals to understand their origins. Unfortunately for our protagonist, sometimes it’s best to let sleeping dogs lie.
Incidentally, I am also writing a screenplay for a production company in L.A. It is a horror flick set in a war zone. Fingers crossed—it may be in a theater near you soon.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Amazon
Leeza followed in her mother’s footsteps as a nurse, relying on Army ROTC for her education. During her early career as an RN and a commissioned officer, she endured a deployment in a war zone that left her with severe PTSD and a battle with addiction.
Twenty years later, Leeza is a married mother of two and a successful neurosurgical nurse practitioner. She is also a passionate activist. Driven by her own mental challenges and a deep desire to help others, she embarks on a desperate, ethically questionable quest to discover a revolutionary treatment for mental illness. Her goal: “mental conflict remission” and a global shift to destigmatize mental illness.
Though the journey is fraught with danger and illegality, Leeza’s passion and strength ultimately carry her though, culminating in a powerful story of global triumph.
Carnage in D minor
Carnage in D Minor follows Leeza Allen’s rise from a prodigious Southern piano talent to a battle-hardened military veteran who is struggling to hold herself together while trauma keeps dragging her back into the dark. The novel blends psychological suspense with a deeply personal story about survival, family, fear, and the brutal tug of the past. From childhood recitals in Beaufort to the nightmares she carries home from deployment, the book moves between tenderness and terror with an intensity that caught me off guard. The story paints a heroine who is gifted and broken and stubbornly alive. It builds a world where beauty and violence keep brushing up against each other in quiet but devastating ways.
I found myself pulled in by the voice of the book. The writing swings sharply between raw emotion and calm precision. I liked that. It made me feel as if I was inside Leeza’s head even when I wanted to reach out and steady her. The scenes around her childhood are vibrant and warm. Then the tone shifts when the story lands in adulthood where PTSD, addiction, and grief turn everything jagged. That contrast shook me a little, and honestly, that is what made the book memorable. The author seems to understand trauma from the inside out. The panic attacks. The sudden triggers. The numbing habits that pretend to help but only make the ground softer under your feet. Those moments felt painfully real. The writing has a rhythm that matches Leeza’s state of mind. Sometimes measured. Sometimes chaotic. Sometimes barely holding onto structure at all. I felt myself riding those waves with her.
I also found myself reacting strongly to the ideas the book brings up about responsibility and the human mind. The novel keeps circling back to the question of why people break the way they do. It shows trauma not just as an event but as a rewiring of a person’s internal world. I appreciated that the story never treats addiction or homelessness or depression as simple problems with simple solutions. There is frustration in Leeza’s voice. Anger too. And a fierce compassion that pushes her to believe she can fix the unfixable even while her own life is slipping through her fingers. At times, her determination feels reckless. At other times, it feels heroic. I found myself rooting for her even when she made choices that scared me.
The novel is gripping and emotional and often uncomfortable in ways that feel purposeful. I would recommend Carnage in D Minor to readers who enjoy psychological fiction that digs into trauma without sugarcoating it. It is also a strong pick for anyone drawn to stories about gifted women trying to rebuild themselves after the world has already taken too much. If you want a book that feels honest and relatable and a little bruising in all the right ways, this one is worth your time.
Pages: 265 | ASIN : B0G1CN78FG
LITERARY TITAN 