Author Spotlight: Nicolina Martin

Nicolina is a medical professional, a mother, a cat lover, and a movie fan. She’s also one of the rising stars of dark romance (even if she refers to herself as more of a light gray kind of author). Nicolina might be new but she sure makes her debut with a bang. Her first novel Break My Chains with the publishing company Blushing Books came out just yesterday. She also has a darkly delicious self-published novella named This Is Not Love and huge plans for 2019. Read her interview to learn more about Break My Chains, the Russo saga, and their creator.

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Lilah: Hello Nicolina, thank you for taking some time to pass by my blog and answer a few questions. Congratulations on the release of your new book, Break my chains. Tell us a bit more about who you are.

Nicolina: Hi! Thank you for having me! I’m a Swedish born author of contemporary dark romance/suspense. I’m a mom to three teenage girls and three cats. I’m a doctor. I’m single and looking for that one hot guy who is like the ones in my books… I’m setting my own standard hiiiigh…. Haha.

Lilah: What inspired you to start writing? Why did you choose dark romance as your field?

thisisnotloveNicolina: I actually started writing fanfiction a long time ago, and did that for a few years, got a little following in my fandom and lots of great input and encouragement. Then I took a break and weren’t able to get back into writing until a year ago when inspiration suddenly struck me again. Since then I’ve written every day, and finished several books that will see the light of day in 2019.

Dark romance, and especially my favorite enemies to lovers, came naturally. I’ve always written very angsty, emotional, and in your face. The movie I wrote for the most is filled with those elements, so I guess that’s how it came to be. It always attracted me, in literature, and movies.

Lilah: Tell us more about Break My Chains and all your ongoing projects?

breakmychainsNicolina: Break My Chains is a tale of two broken people who are forced to share the same shelter in a deadly snowstorm. Mia, who owns the house, and Martin, an escaped convict. There’s tension, through the roof, an unexpected plot twist that none of the readers so far were able to foresee, and a ton of steam.

Then there are the Russos! I am working on this massive project with a series of standalones, all centered around a mafia family, the Russo clan. Lots of hotness, alpha men, explicit violence and sex, a TON of enemies to lovers… Three books are set for release during spring and early summer, Heat, Ruin, and Trapped. Three more will very likely see the shelves during the latter part of 2019, and I have plots for many more. It’s awesome, and soooo much fun.

Lilah: What’s your favorite and least favorite part of writing?

Nicolina: My favorite part is that I get to live for months in the best movie ever made, live it, breathe it, be in it. The worst part is the constant worry that I’ll one day run out of words, and my aching back…

Lilah: Do you have a favorite character of your fictional creations? A favorite scene you’ve written?

Nicolina: Oh dear yes. My story Ruin, which will be released on May 2. My heroine witnesses a murder and gets stuck in an elevator with the murderer who has to rethink his plan. After lots of fighting and resistance, things begin to change. And their interaction is not of this world! They took over and created a whole new universe. Writing that one was incredible and I’m DYING to show it to my readers.

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Lilah: Are your characters based on real people or are they entirely fictional?

Nicolina: They are entirely fictional. I’ve begun finding images, often actors, who I imagine playing the parts of the characters, for inspiration, but my characters are in no way built out of those people.

Lilah: What’s the greatest challenge about writing in a language different than your native language?

Nicolina: None really. I can’t even write in Swedish. I’ve tried. It looked like I had direct translated it from English. I think in English when I think about plot and anything regarding my writing. And for vocabulary, mine is good, and then there are thesauruses online.

Lilah: Favorite and one-click authors?

Nicolina: Renee Rose is a HUGE favorite. Zoe Blake. Meghan March. Addison Cain. Golden Angel. Sparrow Beckett. And many more.

Lilah: Do you have any rituals while writing… or editing *evil laugh track*?

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Nicolina: I’ve learned that I write the best in the morning, so I get up earlier just to write. It’s the only thing that pulls me out of bed. Even on days off. Music, I can listen to rather loud music. Unless I wake up the house.

Lilah: You’re both traditionally and self-published. What are the pros and cons and what would you choose in the future?

Nicolina: Pro self pub is obviously that you get the whole 70% of the sale to yourself after Amazon have taken their 30%. With a publisher you have to split that and make a lot less. If you itch to do your own covers and have that creative process in your hand, then self pub is definitely better as well. Me, I freeze up thinking about covers, so that’s not as important to me as it probably is to some. The publisher edit, so I don’t have to sit with that. I get access to their marketing platforms. For me, as an author just starting out, I think the help of a dedicated publisher will aid me in finding an audience. A few books in, I can see myself going back to indie, tbh, but I’ll see how it feels then. It’s nice to have a team with you on the book. Writing can be a lonely business.

Lilah: Favorite spicy scene you’ve written?

Nicolina: Possibly the airplane sex in Heat (to be released March 29…) Short, steamy, naughty, and so forbidden.

Lilah: Thank you for your time, I hope you’ll have a fabulous release. Before you go, is there something people would be surprised to learn about you?

Nicolina: That I sing in a church choir? 😛 It’s true. I do. Thank you, Lilah!!!

Break My Chains is LIVE and available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.

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Martin Garrett has sworn to die rather than go back to prison. He’ll stop at nothing to reach freedom, but even he can’t win over the forces of nature. When he gets caught in a violent snowstorm, he has no choice but to seek shelter. He can’t know that the young woman opening the door will change his life forever.

Fleeing her troubled past in Arizona, leaving her loved ones behind, Mia Cassidy has found solace in an isolated cabin in the deep woods of Colorado. She’s hesitant to let the tall, hulking, and oddly attractive stranger into her home, but the storm is lethal. She has no way of knowing this chance encounter will rip her from her cocoon and make her question everything she thought she knew.

Trapped together, their unexpected meeting soon turns into a battle of wills and a fight against the irresistible pull between them. When the fragile trust they’ve built is betrayed, everything comes crashing down. Mia must unravel the secrets and find the truth before it’s too late to save either of them.

Publisher’s Note: This steamy contemporary love story is not your typical wine and chocolates romance. It has a dark edge but if you’re up for the ride there is a guaranteed HEA. It contains elements of mystery, suspense, action, adventure, danger, betrayal, and power exchange.

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Follow Nicolina Martin

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/nicolina.martin.923

Twitter – https://twitter.com/NicolinaMartin

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/author.nicolinamartin/

Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/authornicolinamartin/

Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Nicolina-Martin/e/B07GSG5MFF

Nicolina’s Facebook Author Page – https://www.facebook.com/authornicolinamartin

Join her fan group on Facebook (Martin’s Misfits) – https://www.facebook.com/groups/martinsmisfits/

Website – https://www.nicolinamartin.com/

Subscribe to her newsletter – https://www.nicolinamartin.com/newsletter.html

 

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