The lovely and talented Yvonne Nicolas invited me to participate in this blog hop. I’ve never done one before and I think it’s hella cool. She asked me to answer a few questions about my current work-in-progress.
What is the working title of your book? Until last week the title was Pussycat Death Squad: Goddess of Milan. Now it’s Pussycat Death Squad: The Lion in Russia
Where did the idea come from for the book? I’ve always been fascinated by Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, who seems to pretty much do as he likes, up to, and including murder (allegedly). A while back I read a story about the murder of an Ukranian dissident who everyone knows was killed at the behest of Putin (allegedly) and the germ of the story was formed. Later, I read an article in Vanity Fair about the way Putin is imprisoning the oligarchs, the Russian billionaires and confiscating their wealth, and the story grew from there. The 90s were a very exciting time in Russia in a way that reminds me of the Robber Barons of American history. The way the oligarchs took control of much of the wealth of the country is very familiar to a history geek like myself.
What genre does your book fall under? Multicultural Romantic Suspense, though really that should be Action Adventure, but I don’t think that’s a sub-genre under romance.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie? Viggo Mortensen would be perfect for Leo. For Vries I think it would be Taraji P. Henson.
What is a one sentence synopsis of your book? Vries must protect the man she loves from political assassination, even though she runs a risk greater than bullets; losing his love.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency/publisher? Self-published
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? Four months
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? There are a lot of books with Russian heroes about these days, but theirs are about the Russian mafia. My book is about the oligarchs and is more of a political drama, but obviously there are some similarities. Certainly it can be difficult to tell the criminals from the politicians in this story, especially as it pertains to the level of violence. But with the female assassin, and bodyguard I can’t think of anyone who has written anything like it. It’s very James Bond/Nikita.
Who or What inspired you to write this book? Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Khordokovsky and Alexander Litvinenko all inspired Leo. Vries is a bit La Femme Nikita meets Naomi Campbell meets Pam Grier. She’s a supermodel assassin with a big fro, wearing a designer maxi dress who in the opening scene kills a man by poisoning him with a syringe hidden in her platinum Black Power afro pick!
What else about your book might interest the reader? This book is a sequel. The first story, Pussycat Death Squad came out in 2009. The Pussycat Death Squad concept was inspired by the late Libyan leader Muammar Quadaffi’s all-female Amazon Guard. This series will continue next year with Pussycat Death Squad: Diamonds on the River.
Be sure to visit these authors on the blog hop:
the one who writes 
I love the idea of a blog hop and I am looking forward to reading your book. Congratulations!
Awesome answers! I really enjoyed reading your blog. Please let me know when this book becomes available.
Oh snap, a hot assassin with an afro? That is dope! I just added that to my read list. I’m already a fan of your work. Rock Star was one of my first IR reads. I read it twice and loved it both times. You are one of the authors who inspired me to give writing a try. However, I’m sure you didn’t know you were inspiring me. 😉 Thank you for doing the hop with me. I enjoyed your post. Hugs!