Interview: Annie Nicholas

NRR: Can you share with us when you got started into writing?

I started writing in the summer of 2008. The summer of many surgeries as my husband calls it. LOL I was ill for six months and I stayed home a lot during that time, not by choice. Writing was my escape. Connie Bence from Bait, my angel, who swept me away when I needed to be away from reality. After that, I was hooked. Even as healthy active mom now, I still make time for writing.

NRR: What authors/books helped inspire your career?

Laurell K. Hamilton and Jim Butcher inspired me. I loved being in their characters' heads and the action packed stories they told.  As I started to write, I decided to go online and find a critique group. I struck gold. I met aspiring authors Rebecca Royce and J. Hali Steele. Together the three of us critiqued our little hearts out, learned the craft, and became published together. We still remain close.

NRR: How were you inspired to write the Vanguards series?

On a very long drive to Canada to visit my family, my mind wandered to the days when I was a...well nerd, geek, and outcast in high school. Those thoughts traveled to my new passion of creating stories and cross bred with my shifter pack I'd been developing. Voila. Pansies of the paranormal, my omega werewolf pack was born. Each novella tackles one of the pack's members struggles of trying to adapt from being a geek and living up to the alpha image everyone has of shifters.

NRR: What is your guilty pleasure?

I love taking long, super hot baths, and read. I should have been born a fish. Or a mermaid.

NRR: The Beta is your latest release, tell us about it.

It's the third installment of The Vanguards series and Robert, the second in command of the pack, is left in charge. He's the quiet, reserved member of the pack. The one who stands in the back of the room listening to what everyone has to say before adding his two cents. When their alpha, his best friend, made him the beta of the pack, everyone was concerned if he could do the job, including Robert. 

A slayer called Esther has come to town and she wants Daedalus, the pack's vampire trainer, dead. While tracking him down, she meets Robert and falls for him. She doesn't know about Robert's close friendship to the vampire and he doesn't know her profession.

This book is about three days of hell, of Robert being in charge, and running out of antacids. 

I LOVE torturing my characters. LOL

NRR: What is in your to be read pile?

I was about to start the Dark Hunter series. Someone recommended the Demonica series and I have Poisoned Kiss waiting on my Nook.

NRR: What can fans expect to see from you next?

This summer I explore the life of a siren, Marie, band from the ocean. She feeds off sex like vampires feed off blood. Tired of getting hunted for the bodies she's left behind, she's learned to eat without killing. Her only safe source of food, a strip club, has burnt down though and she crashes a shifter party looking for a snack.  Max, a wolf shifter, throws a singles party every summer. He knows less and less of his guests each year since all his friends have found their soul mates. He's not interested getting shackled so when Marie shows up at  his party and his instincts cry mate, he wants to run in the other direction. His beast won't let him escape and Marie doesn't even recognize him as a mate. Werewolves believe in soulmates, sirens eat theirs.

I'm also working on book four of The Vanguards series and started on another paranormal series based in a new world. That's all the hints I'm willing to give. 

Thanks for having me!

Annie Nicholas