1. Okay, Nicole, first question we have to ask:
What possessed you to say, “You know what this marriage needs? A supervised affair”? 😂

I mean, rightfully so that this is your first question. I will say the entire novel was built on the idea of: what if a husband cheated but offered his wife the opportunity to level the playing field by also having an affair? I remember standing in my kitchen one day and I had that thought. To be honest, I never really anticipated I’d write romance, but shew, this plot swept me off my feet (pun surely intended).

I knew that Richard, being the power hungry white man that he is, he would need to have some skin in the game. I also really tried to make things as believable as possible. By having a high stakes career where he’s well-known, secrecy is of the utmost importance. The only way you can guarantee secrecy is if you’re controlling the narrative (or so he believes…)

2. Beneath Your Lies sounds like a thriller, a love story, and a therapy session all rolled into one.
What’s your favorite kind of chaos to write, the emotional kind or the “oh no there’s a body” kind?

I have been a horror fan for as long as I can remember. I’ll always enjoy a book or a movie with a high body count. But I’ve learned that I’m more drawn to books because of the emotional stakes they can bring to a reader. You can really build on that tension. There is something about reading: “his eyes darkened as his gaze drank her in” vs. the simple act of an actor looking at another actor. You really get to delve deep into the characters and I think that’s what makes books so special. 

3. Ronan the hitman… we need to talk.
Was he always meant to be the love interest, or did he just stroll in mid-draft and say, “Yeah, I live here now”?

We were always going to have a morally gray anti-hero as the love interest. I will say that Ronan definitely helped write himself. His back story was hard for me to write, as a mother to a young son. I wanted to give him some life outside of just being ‘the bad guy’. If readers are truly going to love a character, you have to give them soul. He’s a person who was dealt a bad hand in life. He’s a victim of his circumstances, something I think a lot of us can relate to. 

4. Veronica has secrets, Ronan has secrets, and the husband has… supervision issues.
If you had to give each of them a tagline, what would it be? (Bonus points if it sounds like a bad reality show.)

Veronica: Polished on the outside, burning on the inside. Her rage is quiet, until it’s not.

Bonus: *in a sing songy voice* “Anything you can do, I can do better. I can do anything better than youuuuuuuu.”

Ronan: Haunted by his own past, but drawn to the fire. A hitman with a heart buried beneath scars. 

Richard: He thinks his power is his weapon. But in reality, it’ll be his downfall. 

Sylvie: The hacker with loyalty sharper than any blade. 

Lauren: The best friend who sees more than she says. 

5. Every dark romance author has that moment when they write something and think: “Oh no, my mom might read this.” 😬
Did that moment happen for you?

Oh, every single day. Not only my mom but my mother-in-law, as well. I begged and pleaded with my father-in-law to never read it, I just hope he sticks to his word. He offered to proofread it for me before release, and I politely told him he’d likely die of a heart attack if he read it. There was this intense wave of anxiety right before the book officially released where I thought: “holy crap, people are about to read a bunch of sex scenes I wrote.” 

Luckily for me, one of my book clubs said they were surprised, but also not that surprised. I’m a very sex positive person and I’m open and honest–perhaps, a little too honest at times. I don’t mind divulging in dirty details and I think that paid off in writing some spicy scenes. But I will say that one of my editors told me to dial back a few scenes… 

**6. What’s your “I cannot write without this” item; coffee, playlists, candlelight, chaos?

I truly believe that 45% of the credit for this book being published is owed to the playlist I made of songs that reminded me of the book. I listened to it so much that now I cannot even bear to look at it. I am also a bath girlie. You can catch me doing a lot of my reading and writing in a bubble bath with the candles lit. 

7. Let’s talk about soundtracks.
If Beneath Your Lies had a theme song, what would be playing over the trailer? 🎶

Shew, good question. Because I do not think I can just pick one, I will share the playlist that helped make Beneath Your Lies come to life. 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/553rlh9gvD4TFrUjcGeBbW?si=32d1e04af8b047a5 

8. Writers often say their characters talk to them.
Be honest, did Ronan ever start bossing you around on the page?

Ronan mostly obeyed the process, it was the ladies of this book who started bossing me around. And rightfully so, a book centered around female rage? I’m here for it. Tell me what to do, I’m all ears. 

**9. What’s one line or scene in Beneath Your Lies that you secretly love and hope readers gasp at?

I see a lot of reviewers saying that the twist with Taylor was predictable, which I expected it to be. I feel like the best twists are the ones you’re not even looking for. You’re distracted by the one that was in front of your eyes the whole time that you weren’t thinking about what else might be lurking behind the corner… 

I also know that the very last chapter has thrown some people through a tizzy. Now that people are becoming more aware of what a huge horror fan I am, it should make sense why I can’t do a super glossed up happily ever after. You just read 400 pages of straight anxiety-ridden tension, c’mon. 

10. You blend danger and desire like a pro.
What’s harder: writing the suspense or keeping the romance sizzling without setting your keyboard on fire? 🔥

I always thought I’d be a suspense author. If you told me five years ago that my debut novel would be romance, I would’ve laughed at you and called you delusional. I believe the explosion of dark romance in the industry has made such a difference. It feels less Disney princess and more like real life. 

11. You’re a debut author,  congrats! 🥳
What’s one “no one tells you this” moment you’ve had on your publishing journey so far?

Thank you so much! One thing that has continued to surprise me is how busy I am after publishing the book. Trust me, I’m not complaining and I hope to only get busier, but your girl is booked and busy. I have an almost 3-year old, a full-time job, and I’m currently completing my 200-hour yoga teacher training. Now I’ve got readers saying they devoured the book that took me two years to produce in less than 24 hours and are anxiously awaiting more from me, and I’m like: ‘oh crap, I need to start writing.’

12. And for fun,  pick your fighter:

• Enemies to lovers or forbidden love?

Forbidden love, I’m a sucker for yearning and the “we shouldn’t be doing this” *continues doing it anyways*. 

• Dark hero or morally gray queen?

Whose to say the morally gray queen can’t be the dark hero? 

• “Plot twist!” or “slow burn with pain”?

Plot twist x 1,000. My love language is books that have me staring at a wall after I finish them. 

• Late-night writing or early-morning inspiration?

I am an early bird through & through. I’m a gym girlie in the morning because I cannot trust myself to go at night. My best mornings start with the gym and then a productive writing session. With that, I know I’m going to have a good day. 

13. Finally, when readers close Beneath Your Lies, what’s the one word you want echoing in their minds?

I know it’s not one word, but ‘female rage’. It’s a little bit hidden before you read it, but I really hope that female rage and the power that women possess is seeping off the pages long after the reader closes the book. I always think that women could and should be angrier. They’re methodical. I love a good female revenge story, there will never be enough.