A Mental Health Therapist Who Writes Dark Romantic Suspense... Say What?

Hello Everyone!

I’m new here. So I’m going to use this post to introduce myself.

I’m Abbie Roads. <waving>

By day…

I’m a mental health therapist, known for my blunt, honest style of therapy and my shoes—I love a great pair of heels. I've been seeing clients for sixteen years now and have read so many books—in the name of knowing which ones to recommend to each client—that I can spout off inspirational phrases from them on command. I do love a good inspirational quote. I often make my clients pick a few of these phrases to serve as temporary life mottos to keep them on the right track. 

But at night…

I write dark dark dark romantic suspense. My debut novel RACE THE DARKNESS is available for pre-order now.

How does an inspirational-quote-loving therapist end up writing dark romantic suspense?

Well… In a way it makes perfect sense. I meet people at the worst moments of their lives. Think of a human tragedy. Go on… Yes. I’ve had clients in my office with that very issue. How does the therapist not become traumatized or turn negative when she hears all this bad stuff day in and day out? 

Some therapists garden, some paint, some throw themselves into charity work. I write. I write human tragedies, but ALWAYS give my characters a happy ending. The same happy ending I wish for all my clients. 

Writing is how I  process the negativity. I’m not putting down the details of what's said in my office. It’s more like the information goes into my brain and gets filtered and distilled down into something dark and creepy. It's actually kind of weird--I start to get twitchy and bit b*tchy if I don't write. Writing dark is my best coping mechanism!

Want a little taste of some of my dark writing? Check out this excerpt from RACE THE DARKNESS:

Death twined around Isleen Walker’s body, whispering over her naked flesh, coiling around her heart and lungs, hugging the last sparks of life from her. Twenty-five years of being alive distilled down to a wish. A wish that death would hurry up and grant her its promised relief.

“I’m dying,” she tried to warn Gran, but the words came out quieter than a breath. Her gaze roamed the room, their prison for the past eight years. It was just big enough to contain her and Gran and an overflowing waste bucket, but now it felt too small, too fragile to contain Isleen. Soon she would transcend this space, and no matter what Queen did, she wouldn’t be able to tether Isleen here.

Gran slept, face tucked into the corner. Safety was an illusion—beating after beating had proven that fact—but still, they always gravitated to the corners. Gran’s once-supple flesh sagged from her bones. Her spine protruded sharply in a pathetic row of spikes.

“…tobesaved. Not die.…protectordiedtoo?” Gran spoke in a smear of barely distinguishable words. She’d been a sleep-talker for as long as Isleen could remember—even before they’d been abducted.

She used to wake Gran from her dreams, but had long since decided it was a mercy to let her stay inside them for as long as they hosted her. Maybe in her dreams, Gran still possessed her wits and all her faculties, and lived somewhere beautiful where nothing bad ever happened.

Footsteps pounded down the hall and stopped outside the door. The sound of the key in the lock scraped across Isleen’s heart. Was today going to be a feeding day, a beating day, or a bleeding day? It didn’t really matter. It was too late for food; a beating would finish her off; and she had no more blood to give. But there was Gran—

You can purchase RACE THE DARKNESS here:

AMAZON

iBOOKS 

GOOGLE

BAM

And one more quote before I go! I can't resist! There's just so many to love!

Do you love inspirational quotes as much as I do? What's your favorite?

Tell me--Do you read dark romance? What's one of your favorite dark romance novels?

About Abbie Roads:

Abbie Roads loves Snicker Parfaits—gotta start with what’s most important, right? By day she’s a mental health counselor known for her blunt, honest style of therapy. By night she writes dark emotional novels, always giving her characters the happy ending she wishes for all her clients.

You can find Abbie here:

WEBSITE

FACEBOOK

TWITTER