Susan Mac Nicol Talks With Us About Love and Punishment

We asked Susan Mac Nicol a few questions about her new book Love and Punishment and wanted to share her answers with you guys.

1. How did you research the law enforcement aspects for the book?

For Love and Punishment, I was fortunate to have an ex work colleague who is also an ex

policeman and gave me some pointers. I don’t delve much into the inner workings of the

London Police force; I used the basics of police rank, the camaraderie which exists between

people who work together to fight crime, and some tit bits of information such as the medal

awarded to policeman who go above and beyond the call of duty. The forensic side of things

was touched upon, and of course I watch CSI Here in the UK we call the people working

on crime scenes ‘Scene of Crime Officers’ or SOCO’s.

Here’s a link in case you’re interested.

Here in the UK of course our police force do not carry guns as a rule, and only a select few

are able to have Tasers. They carry batons, or if you like, ‘truncheons’ in the old vernacular,

like the one you see Judy hitting Punch with at a seaside funfair. However the times they are

a-changing as this article shows.

 

2. What was your research on serial killers and making a believable villain that isn’t over the top or too

dark yet creates a compelling “evil bad guy” for the good guys to catch?

Blair Malcolme is a psychopath, pure and simple. He feels the world owes him, he thinks he

is beyond the law and he doesn’t feel any emotion for any of the people he murders. He is

charming, manipulative and projects that outward sense of simply being a normal human

being. Underneath he is anything but. I have always loved researching the psychology of

people, with specific interest in abnormal psychology. So for me, this was a real fun part

of the job, creating a man who we hopefully love to hate. I’ve always been fascinated with

what makes people like him tick, and posed a question in another blog post ‘Are we born

evil or are we made that way through circumstances?’ It’s an interesting debate.

I hope Blair comes across as believable, even though he is undoubtedly cruel, sadistic and

a narcissist. But he’s no match for the redoubtable Anthony Parglietto, when it comes to

Anthony protecting the man he loves.

 

3. What drew you to write a crime drama book?

Again, I wanted to write something outside my norm and give myself a challenge. I also

wanted to write about the subject of retributivism, or believing that the punishment should

fit the crime. It’s fascinating and controversial subject. In order to do that effectively, I had

to place a man in a situation where he was given a choice. His social norm beliefs or those

ones that reside deeper inside him. Anthony was created in the guise of a ‘lawman’ to

make this choice even a little more difficult and challenging. Hence the need for a crime, a

criminal and a means of justice.

You can read a little more about retributive justice here :

 

4. Do you want to share some of your inspiration photos for your cops?

Well, to be honest there’s really only one cop in this book that I focused on, and that’s

Anthony. Raoul Bova was the inspiration for him. There is Anthony’s boss, Detective Chief

Inspector Fred Winslow who is built like a gorilla, short and stocky and of course, Rupert,

Anthony’s partner who’s a snazzy dresser but a bit of a turncoat. I don’t have pictures of

these two unfortunately.

I NEED TO INCLUDE THESE

 

 

 

 

5. Do you have a crime victim support charity that you would like to recommend for

readers of the story?

What a wonderful thought to include this in this blog post. Yes, I do have a favourite charity.

It’s an organisation dedicated to helping victims of crime, witness of crimes, young and

old, and helping them feel safe again. It helps children of sexual abuse, appears in court

to support and guide victims and does a sterling job of helping people get their lives back

together. Take a look and you’ll see what I mean.

https://www.victimsupport.org.uk/

 

Title:  Love and Punishment

Author:  Susan Mac Nicol

Publisher:  Boroughs Publishing Group

Length: 245 pages

Cover Artist:  Boroughs Publishing Group

Blurb:  On the search for a serial killer, Detective Anthony Parglietto and Flynn Parker learn that every man must

make a choice: to kill, to live, to love.

FROM DARKNESS AND LIGHT

Someone is leaving a trail of bodies throughout London, and Detective Anthony Parglietto is determined to end the

violence. Then he’ll return to the man he loves.

Tough, street-savvy, and used to dealing with lowlifes, Flynn Parker is the last person Anthony thinks he has to

protect. Then the Bow-Tie Killer strikes close to home and the world turns upside down. Right is wrong, black is

white, and a policeman might become a monster. But in the name of love, justice must be served. In the name of

love, pain can be endured. In the name of love, a man can taste the very essence that defines him.

 

Excerpt:

Anthony walked down the hall. He reached the bedroom and gently pushed the door open. He saw Flynn framed in the light of the lamp shining from the lounge. He lay, apparently asleep, on the leather and wood divan Anthony had brought over from Italy. Its dark burgundy colour contrasted with what Flynn wore, which was nothing but a black thong lying stark against his pale skin. The divan was under the window. The bed covers were rumpled, as if Flynn had been sleeping. His robe was draped across the foot of the bed. Anthony moved towards the gleaming body of his supine lover.

Flynn’s face was turned away towards the back of the sofa. His dark hair was tousled and his arms stretched above his head to the right. He wore a blindfold. Anthony felt a stir in his groin seeing those lean, hairy legs stretched out wantonly, inviting him to run his hands up and over his groin. Even appearing asleep, Flynn had the power to excite him, to make Anthony hard and ready. He stepped towards him, watching the rise and fall of Flynn’s chest with their already hardened nubs. Anthony wanted to run his tongue over that chest, with its smattering of fine hair, to take Flynn’s nipples in his mouth and suck them until Flynn groaned in pleasure. As he got closer in the dim light he saw the hands with their bonds of silk. Green bonds lay dark against Flynn’s wrists, fastened to the wooden struts of the upright chair arm. His hands were tight fists. Anthony chuckled softly, a noise that sounded loud in the stillness of the room.

“Been waiting long?’ he whispered as he took off his jacket. ‘I tried to get home as soon as I could.”

Anthony knew the bonds would be loose so Flynn could break free if needed but he also knew he wouldn’t.

It was the way the game was played.

 

 

Susan Mac Nicol was born in Leeds, Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom. At the age of eight, her family moved to Johannesburg, South Africa where she stayed for nearly thirty years before arriving back in the UK in December 2000. Currently, She lives in the rural village of Bocking, in Essex, with her family.

Sue is a PAN (Published Author’s Network) member of Romance Writers of America and a member of the Romantic Novelists Association in the UK. Also, she is a member of a rather unique writing group, called the Talliston Writer’s Circle, which in itself has a story all of its own to tell. She has written nine novels, two novellas and a screenplay since February 2012 and clearly believes in keeping herself busy. She has found herself wanting to stay in the sub-genre that is M/M Romance so more can definitely be expected.

Her plan is to keep writing as long as her muse sits upon her shoulder. Her dream is to make enough money to give up the day job and get that big old house in the English countryside overlooking a river, where she can write all day and continue to indulge her passion for telling stories.

Susan loves connecting with readers. You can find Susan all around the web at any of these places:

website  blog  facebook  twitter  pinterest  linkedin  tumblr

 

Tour Dates/Stops:

8/29: The Hat Party, It’s Raining Men

9/1: My Fiction Nook, Tara Lain

9/2: MM Good Book Reviews, EE Montgomery, Sarah Madison Fiction

9/3: Love Bytes, A_TiffyFit’s Reading Corner

9/4: Parker Williams, Amanda C. Stone

9/5: Full Moon Dreaming, Andrew Q. Gordon, Penny For My Thoughts

9/8: Hearts on Fire, Rainbow Gold Reviews

9/9: Jade Crystal, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves

9/10: Prism Book Alliance, Fallen Angel Reviews

9/11: Book Reviews and More by Kathy, Book Suburbia

9/12: Havan Fellows, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings

9/15: Decadent Delights, 3 Chicks After Dark

9/16: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Because Two Men Are Better Than One

9/17: Regular Guys, Hot Romance, Joyfully Jay

9/18: Louise Lyons, Foxylutely Book Reviews, Gaylist Book Reviews

9/19: Cate Ashwood, Iyana Jenna

9/22: The Novel Approach, Crystal’s Many Reviewers

9/23: Inked Rainbow Reads, Wake Up Your Wild Side

9/24: LeAnn’s Book Reviews, Emotion in Motion

9/25: The Blogger Girls, Velvet Panic

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