My debut novel, Mermaid of Venice, is about a very rich, very glamorous mermaid who murders men all over Europe. The book is the first in a series of six about the mysterious Gia Acquaviva.

Everyone wants to know… why did I write a story about a female serial killer?

I have always found it very interesting that some serial killers can carry on a perfectly normal life. Often the people closest to them have no idea about the darkness they harbor or the horrors they bring about. I was eager to explore what that might look like for a woman who kills men.

Gia is a mogul with a large empire of clubs and casinos all over the world. She operates in the shadows and leads a very private life, despite courting (and murdering) some very high-profile men. She’s fascinating. What developed as I wrote her was her inner struggle between wanting freedom and craving intimacy. I think that’s actually very relatable. At one point in the book, Gia thinks that what she most enjoys in life is circling the net and never getting caught. Her charm and sex appeal are what lures the men in. A vital part of her strategy that the outside world never become aware of all the terrible plans she’s making in her evil little brain.

I also wanted Gia to be nuanced. As a feminist, I do really hate the “strong female character” trope and equally detest the good girl/bad girl binary thing. There are so many male anti-heroes. It’s only in recent years that we’ve seen a rise in the female anti-hero. No shock that many of those stories came from female writers. In the past, there were lots of film noir femme fatales, but these women were always seen from the male’s perspective, aloof and out of reach. Often, the motivations of these mysterious women were unclear or even flimsy. I wanted to dive deeply into Gia’s psychological profile. How does she see the world? How does she trap her prey? What excites her, turns her on. I developed all of this, as well as a very exciting, fast-paced plot that happens in gorgeous locations. I’ve gotten lots of reviews from people saying they just could not put the book down once they finished. That was my evil plan all along––keeping you turning the pages as the suspense builds!

Another big question I’m always asked by people curious about the book is, “Why does she kill?” No spoilers, folks. You’ll have to read the book to find out!

Quick reminder: it’s your last chance to enter the Goodreads Giveaway. The giveaway ends at the stroke of midnight on March 24th! I’m so pleased that more than 2,100 people have already entered for a chance to win a free ebook copy of Mermaid of Venice! I will be doing more giveaways, so stay tuned!

If you’re already convinced and want to read the book, you can purchase it on Amazon. It’s available in print and ebook. An audiobook version will be coming this summer. I’m also looking into translating Mermaid of Venice into Spanish, Portuguese and possibly Chinese.