1. Where did the idea for Catalyst come from?
While I have admittedly never READ a mafia romance, I am obsessed with the history and lore behind several of the world’s successful crime organizations. Chicago alone has a long history with the mafia but all over the world different variations of organized crime have, while somewhat controversial, still been a vital part of society. They are always protrayed as a villian, a heartless and honorless beast that must be fed…but I never saw them that way. I always thought for these families to exist and maintain power as long as they have, they MUST have had their internal codes of honor, trust, and sense of community that knit everyone together, and so I decided to write that.
Additionally, what mafia romances I have watched on the silver screen seem to stick to the same three motifs: Either the female MC was kidnapped, or she witnessed something she wasn’t supposed to, or she was forced into an arranged marriage.
I wanted to do something different, so I had my story originate from the unintentional collision of two worlds: Jaxon’s world of the underground, and Natalie’s of what we view as “normal society.”
2. Did you know it would be part of a series when you started writing it?
Yes! I have plans for 16 books in this series!
3. Which character really propelled the narrative for you?
Jaxon. He is flawed but protective, dangerous but compassionate. I love Natalie, but she’s more who I aspire to be, less of who I identify with now. Haha!
4. What draws you to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s writing?
The complexity and his drive to make his readers think-while still delivering a satisfying yet surprising ending!
5. Have you formulated your narratives as homage to his style?
Absolutely. I agree with him that great and relatable stories are often pulled from human experience. As he once said:
“Life is infinitely stranger than anything the mind of man could invent.”
6. Where do you typically write?
While I love my office at home, the world is my office and I am constantly writing all day long on my phone. I have thumb muscles of steel!
7. Are you a member of a writing group?
Not officially, but I do have a little community of writers that have come together as fans of “Heart of the Inferno” and we have created a Discord. They are the most incredible ladies, who support and inspire me DAILY.
8. What do you enjoy most about writing?
It is truly relaxing for me. It allows me to be creative without the messiness and chaos that typical creative processes take, something my type-A personality appreciates.
9. Where can readers find you and your books?
Amazon and Kindle
10. Do you have more writing projects in the works?
Oh yes! Book three, the conclusion of THIS part of the story with Jaxon and Natalie, drops at the end of May 2022. However, as I mentioned there are 13 more books planned, featuring side characters in HOTI as the main characters (and don’t worry, Jaxon and Natalie will continue as side characters too!)
Big plans indeed!
Nicole’s debut novel, Catalyst, is the first incendiary installment of the Heart of the Inferno Series, which follows the story of a dangerous mafia don and the girl who became his only exception
Catalyst (Heart of the Inferno) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B092C8TMWR/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_8S8EC1WGPSRDF5CRXQS0
Ignite: Heart of the Inferno https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09DFK5TLW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_T32C3P8QAFZASPA8P6DM
Bio
Nicole is an author, copywriter, wife and super proud dog mom to three rambunctious rescue dogs. And is also an old school romantic, with a proclivity for a little mischief, and an obsession with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. With a background in marketing, and Human Resources, she has often found that the human element is by far the most colorful, complex and most interesting in the world. As a child, Nicole devoured every book she could get my hands on, and spent her free time writing fictional short-stories to share with her friends, probably the reason she decided to write (and publish) her first book series: Heart of the Inferno. It’s an action-romance about a dangerous mafia lord named Jaxon Pace, and Natalie Tyler, the girl who became his only exception.
Mandy Eve-Barnett's Blog for Readers & Writers 