Authorpreneur Dashboard – Darcia Helle
Eli's Coming
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Eli's dark legacy holds murder as his rite of passage. They say his ability is a gift. He calls it a curse. A life of violence and heartache leaves him with nothing left to fight for. Or so he thinks. Amanda steals his heart, but love makes him vulnerable. He must give her up or accept who he is and fight. Will he risk stepping into the darkness that could consume him?
Book Bubbles from Eli's Coming
Eli and Drake
Eli was raised by a psychopathic serial killer with superhuman abilities. Eli has abilities of his own, but fought them most of his life due to fear of turning out like his father. In this scene, Eli is remembering his last meeting with his father, when circumstances forced him into action and everything changed.
Eli and Luc
All is not as we see it to be. Eli belongs to a secret group of people with special abilities. His ability makes him the most dangerous - and the most envied man in certain circles. He's been running from that heritage, trying to live a "normal" life. But he's about to learn that you can't hide from who you are.
Eli and Amanda
Eli has secrets about his life, about himself, that he cannot share. He's managed so far by keeping everyone at a safe distance. But then he meets Amanda, and everything changes. He's suddenly giving away bits of himself. Despite his best effort, he's falling in love. And being in love makes Eli the most dangerous man in the world.
Eli's Coming Intro
I wrote this short intro on its own, long before Eli's story was even conceived, then stuffed it away in a drawer. When I started writing the book, I was pleasantly surprised, and a little shocked, to find how perfectly it fit.
Killing Instinct: A Michael Sykora Novel
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Sandman built his dubious reputation by turning the dreams and nightmares of others into harsh reality. Now he’s pursuing his own twisted dream; the beautiful Maria Milan. But she doesn’t want to become a player in Sandman’s sordid fantasy. Michael Sykora is a hit man who kills for justice. Sean Riley is a hit man born to kill. Together, they’re out to take down Sandman and his organization. Whether mercy is given depends on who catches him first. * This is book #3 in the series, but can be read as a stand-alone. *
Book Bubbles from Killing Instinct: A Michael Sykora Novel
Psychopathic Minds
Every thriller needs a really creepy bad guy, right? One reason I love writing suspense is because I am fascinated by dark minds. And this guy's mind is incredibly dark. We won't talk about the fact that he is wholly a product of my imagination, or what that means about the state of my own mental health.
Michael and Sean
Michael and Sean are the kind of bad guys I'd want as friends if I ever needed help. Michael is tamer, has more boundaries. Sean, on the other hand, will do whatever it takes. They balance each other well. It's weird to say I enjoy writing from a killer's perspective, especially since I'm a full-fledged peacenik. But these characters have gotten under my skin, become a part of me. They're bad guys, sure, but they're also compassionate, funny, and loyal to a fault. So, yes, I love writing from their perspectives. Plus, fictionally killing people is really good stress relief.
Meet Sean Riley
I love Sean. I know I shouldn't, but he's the kind of guy I'd want on my side if I was in trouble. He's Michael Sykora's partner, hired killers who exclusively kill really bad people. But this time it's personal. Sean is protecting someone he cares about, and Sean doesn't care about too many people. When one of those people is threatened, the world better stay out of his way.
Killing Instinct
Sean Riley is a hired killer. A sociopath, albeit a likable one. He was meant to have a small part in No Justice, the first book in the Michael Sykora Series. But Sean's character intrigued me, and his popularity with readers surprised me. In this third book, he takes a starring role. Sean is quick, efficient, and does not get emotionally involved in his work. At least that was how he'd always been. Then he met Maria, and everything changed. Now he's on a mission to protect the woman he'd been paid to kill. Sean is nothing if not ruthless in protecting the people he cares about. Yet, he still manages to maintain a sense of humor.
Secrets
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
SURVIVAL Samantha’s monsters aren't under the bed; they’re the people she calls Mom and Dad. ESCAPE She makes it out alive, her sanity barely intact. LIES She creates a new past that fools everyone, including herself. HOPE A life filled with love and security teeters on its base of lies. SECRETS When it all comes crumbling down, will Samantha make it out alive?
Book Bubbles from Secrets
Samantha and Jeff
Samantha has been keeping secrets her entire life. This scene is when the cracks in her faҫade break open and she's forced to tell Jeff the truth of who she is.
Jagged Edges of Evil
Every suspense novel needs conflict and someone to hate. But bad guys (and girls) are rarely completely evil. There are all sorts of gray shades between the black and white. For me, a bad guy needs those shades. Make no mistake, Jon's not a likable guy. But my hope is that readers will see how he got to where he is. Rarely does evil come pre-packaged at infancy. Circumstances, experience, and family help shape us into the people we become. Jon is broken, and his sharp edges cut deeply.
Meet Samantha
I wrote the first draft of this novel back in 1991. At the time, repressed memories were big in the news. Daycare workers were being arrested as masses of children suddenly "remembered" abuse. Adult women were suddenly accusing family members of raping them, a result of counselors pushing women to "remember" childhood trauma. This resonated with me personally, because I have no memories prior to about age 7. I wondered if it was possible to totally repress traumatic memories. To become someone else. Samantha popped into my head and led me down that path. We traveled to unexpected, dark places. Once finished, the manuscript sat in my drawer for well over a decade. When I pulled it out and dusted it off, I was surprised at how recent research into secrets and trauma resonated with this story. Updating, with all the technological changes, would have required me to change too much of the story, so it remains set in 1991.
No Justice: A Michael Sykora Novel
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
For Michael Sykora, killing started as blind rage. Then it became something he's good at. To most of those who know him, Michael is a software designer, a smart but average guy with a workaholic nature. To a chosen few, Michael is a part-time hit man whose specialty is eliminating hard-core criminals. Michael has managed to keep his two personas separate. Until now. When Nicki, a close friend, gets into trouble, Michael steps in to help. Having lost his fiance to a brutal crime, Michael will do whatever necessary to keep from losing another woman in his life.
Book Bubbles from No Justice: A Michael Sykora Novel
Confrontation
In this snippet, Michael confronts one of the men that has been after Nicki. He now knows that the situation is far more complicated than he'd first suspected. He's trying to work through it with as little bloodshed as possible. But sometimes the other side isn't willing to play nice.
Michael and Nicki
Even with a bad guy, there's always a woman, isn't there? One that tempts, one that makes the bad guy ache. In Michael's case, that woman is Nicki. But she is no damsel in distress. She's sexy, edgy, and a bit of a bad girl. She needs Michael's help and, despite his best efforts at keeping his distance, he can never refuse her anything.
Meet Michael Sykora
The inspiration for Michael Sykora's character and this series came about during a conversation with my husband. We were discussing our justice system and the many ways victims are further victimized during legal proceedings. That led to further talk about the failings of our legal system. Somewhere along the way, Michael's character popped into my head. A man who worked outside the legal system in order to bring justice to victims and their families. Then came what I thought would be my biggest challenge: creating a likable killer. Turns out, that wasn't much of a challenge at all. Michael created himself, revealed himself to me, and I happily followed along.
The Cutting Edge
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
My name is Skye Summers. I’m a hairstylist and I can’t stop fantasizing about killing my clients. Not all of them, of course. I only want to kill the ones who irritate me, which, if I’m being honest, is most of them. My occasional fantasies have turned into chronic daydreams. They’re bloody and vivid, like watching a slice-and-dice movie on IMAX. I also want to kill my husband’s ex-girlfriend. She’s not a client but she tops my list. Eighteen years ago, she gave birth to his daughter and she has tormented him ever since. I should be troubled by this growing desire to use my surgically sharpened shears for more than a haircut. Instead, I wonder how I can get away with it.
Book Bubbles from The Cutting Edge
Meet Skye
I was a hairstylist for 15 years, in a small town salon much like the one in which Skye works. My coworkers and I often joked that our salon would make a fantastic sitcom and/or novel. That thought brewed in the back of my mind for years, until one day Skye popped into my head, fully formed, and ready to tell her story.
Enemies and Playmates
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Lauren Covington's family maintains a grand facade that belies the life they live behind closed doors. Alex Covington, Lauren's father, keeps a tight rein on his family through dominance, abuse, and obsessive control. Consequently, Lauren doesn't believe she could ever trust a man, much less fall in love with one. When Lauren meets Jesse Ryder, her carefully constructed protective wall shatters. She falls hopelessly and completely in love. It's only fitting that Jesse is a private detective who had once worked for her father, had defied him, and was now the subject of Alex Covington's wrath. Amidst devastating loss, betrayal, and her father's destructive pursuit of Jesse, Lauren finds the trust and love she had always longed for.
Book Bubbles from Enemies and Playmates
Lauren and Jesse Meet
This scene came to me before I knew the characters or their story. I saw them there in that nightclub, felt their presence, and had no choice but to write their story.
