I’ve got a wonderful new author to introduce to you today. Sue Coletta is here to share her debut release, MARRED, a psychological thriller now available through pre-order. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this suspenseful tale and it’s has me on the edge of my seat as I frantically swipe Kindle pages to see what happens next. As I type this post, I’m roughly 65% through the book, and the stakes are at fever pitch for the characters.

Hey, just check out this cover. As someone who has been reading thrillers, mysteries and suspense for years, I was immediately hooked. If I saw this in a bookstore, I’d snatch it off the shelf before someone else got their paws on it. In fact, Sue initially sent me a small jpg image of her cover and I said “Huh-uh. I want a BIG one to eat up lots of real estate.” That’s how much I love this cover:

As this is Sue’s first guest appearance on my blog, I had to hit her up with a few questions. Like . . .

What attracts you most to your chosen genre?

Sue: I get to kill people for a living and get away with it. What’s not to love?

Nothing like hammering out your aggression on a character, LOL. And I bet your Google searches would leave an interesting trail. Okay, tell us about MARRED.

Sue:  A psychological thriller, Marred, is set for release 11/11/15. Until then it’s on sale for only .99 cents! I’m absolutely thrilled to share this story with the world. It was a long road, but I’ve finally made my dream a reality. Here’s the blurb:

When a serial killer breaks into the home of bestselling author, Sage Quintano, she barely escapes with her life. Her husband, Niko, a homicide detective, insists they move to rural New Hampshire, where he accepts a position as Grafton County Sheriff. Sage buries secrets from that night—secrets she swears to take to her deathbed.

Three years of anguish and painful memories pass, and a grisly murder case lands on Niko’s desk. A strange caller begins tormenting Sage—she can’t outrun the past.

When Sage’s twin sister suddenly goes missing, Sage searches Niko’s case files and discovers similarities to the Boston killer. A sadistic psychopath is preying on innocent women, marring their bodies in unspeakable ways. And now, he has her sister.

Cryptic clues. Hidden messages. Is the killer hinting at his identity? Or is he trying to lure Sage into a deadly trap to end his reign of terror with a matching set of corpses?

Goosebumps! Not only from the sinister moodiness of that blurb, but I’m super excited for you! And, of course, I’ve already ordered my copy of MARRED from Amazon. I’m curious about the title. I think one word titles, especially in the thriller genre, are highly memorable. How did you choose yours?

Sue: Marred has a double meaning, really. The serial killer “marred” his victims and Sage, the central main character, was “marred” emotionally by a brutal assault, three years earlier.

Which character did you enjoy writing the most and why?

For the record, I love all my characters. But the most fun to write was Deputy Frankie Campanelli. We’re a lot alike, only I keep snarky comments to myself and she…well, doesn’t.

I love Frankie! She definitely isn’t shy about speaking her mind. Tell me about the research you did for this novel. The crime scene investigation detail is fantastic. What was the most interesting item you discovered while doing research for the book?

Sue: That’s easy. There’s a chapter in Marred where Sheriff Niko Quintano, Sage’s husband, teaches his deputy about blood splatter analysis. Forensics fascinates me.

It shows in your writing. You really nailed it in such a way to make it understandable and riveting for your reader. Really fantastic job, Sue. And now changing things up a bit, I’ve got to ask about pets. I couldn’t help falling in love with Sage and Niko’s dogs in the book. You made them into characters with personalities. I know from your blog you’ve got a… *ahem* pet of your own. Can you tell us about him?

Sue: How much time do we have? I have a nine year old Rottweiler named Cascius aka Cashy Bear aka Squishy Panties <- his baby name that stuck. Cashy Bear is massive. He’s got to weigh a good buck fifty, if not sixty. Anyway, he gets jealous when I work. His solution? Roll his ball across my keyboard, bounce it off my arm, down my leg. And when that doesn’t work, he throws it at my face. That’s my boy!

LOL! I love when he shows up in one of the posts on your blog. It’s always highly entertaining. 

Okay, now for a few quick questions. Favorite TV show?
Hannibal. Love the murder scenes!

Why does that not surprise me? 🙂 Favorite season?
Autumn. I live in New England. It’s so beautiful when the leaves change color.

I’m a summer gal, but I do love October in the fall, and New England is positively breathtaking (though I’ve never made it as far north New Hampshire). What is your favorite social media platform?
Hmm…I’d have to say FB. Some of the pics people post are absolutely hilarious.

Facebook and I are mostly frenemies, LOL. Are you a night owl or morning lark?
Morning. I start very early, between 4-5 a.m., so by nightfall I’m exhausted.

Yikes! And I can barely crawl out of bed at 6AM! How about casual or dressy?
Casual all the way.

Mountains or beach?
Mountains.

Okay, so I’m a beach girl but I do love the beauty of the mountains and spent several (much younger) summers hiking with my husband through the woods. And nothing works as nicely as casual at the beach. Hmm… suddenly, I’m craving crab-claws and white wine at a bayside pub!

Sue, it was great having you here today. And I’m happy to share links where readers can connect with you:

Website and Blog
Twitter @SueColetta1
Facebook
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page
Tirgearr Publishing

Sue also has two spectacular newsletters, one for writers and one for readers. Use the links below to sign up with your preference, or do like I did, and sign up for both!

Newsletter Sign-up and receive FREE 60 Ways to Murder Your Fictional Characters http://eepurl.com/bAwxK9

Crime Lover’s Lounge for Readers: http://eepurl.com/bABKN5

About the author:
Member of MWA and Sisters in Crime, Sue Coletta is the author of Marred and Wings of Mayhem, her next release, as well as three other titles. She’ll be in Murder, USA, an anthology, where a 4K-word excerpt of Marred scored the first placement. When she’s not reading or writing, she hangs out with furry four-legged pals, her husband, or her two beautiful granddaughters, not necessarily in that order. If you see her out and about, be sure to say hello. Just don’t ever call her Grandma.

And now that you know Sue and have read about her spectacular debut release, don’t forget to pre-order MARRED while it’s on sale for just $.99. You can pre-order from these retailers:

Amazon US
Amazon UK
Smashwords

As more links become available they’ll be listed on Sue’s website and on her author page at Tirgearr Publishing.

You can also read a suspenseful excerpt from MARRED here.