Into the Dark by Stacy Green

Stacy Green Guest Post

I’m really excited to visit Donna’s blog today and meet all of her readers. Many of you may not know me, so let me tell you a little bit about myself.

My husband and I have been married for thirteen years, and our little family consists of the two of us, our amazing first grader, and our three obnoxious dogs. You can imagine who comes first and last in the pecking order around here.

We live in Marion, Iowa, which is basically across the road from Cedar Rapids. No, we’re not surrounded by corn. Well, not entirely. It’s a few miles outside of town. We’re your typical Midwestern big-small town: about 100,000 people, four movie theaters, two shopping malls, decent amount of restaurants, some entertainment but not enough variety. It’s a safe place to live. But nothing too exciting happens.

Which is why I love to travel in my writing. I chose Las Vegas for the setting for INTO THE DARK I knew I was writing about a SWAT officer, and Las Vegas has one of the few full-time teams in the country. But I’ve also never been there, which meant I had a steep learning curve.

While I wasn’t able to jump on a plane and fly to Sin City, I did bury myself in research. Because INTO THE DARK isn’t about the normal glitz and glamour we associate with Vegas, I really had to dig in. My opening scenes take place in a bank, and the bad guys need an escape route. Searching for mob tunnels in Las Vegas led me to the discovery of the maze of storm drains stretching beneath the city. The system protects the city from flash flood, but it also serves as shelter for Las Vegas’s large homeless population.

At any given time, it’s estimated at least 200 people are living in the drains. Known as the Las Vegas tunnels, the drains are pitch black and stink of stagnant water, trash, and human waste. Its inhabitants are resourceful, creating their living areas in the higher area of the drains and often propping their belongings on crates, cinder blocks, and wood pallets. Some simply have a bed and a blanket, while others have created mini-apartments with makeshift showers, kitchenettes, and toilets. Most living below battle some sort of addiction, and many work the casino junket, trolling the slots for leftover credits. The most populated area is believed to be beneath the heart of the Strip.

Suddenly Las Vegas didn’t seem like such an amazing place to me. Homelessness is a real problem in this country, and it’s heartbreaking. But the idea of living in the storm drains, in constant danger of flash floods and criminal activity, struck a chord.

The Las Vegas tunnels were a perfect escape route for my book and added another layer to the story. Now, INTO THE DARK wasn’t just another mystery–it was a book with a message and social reminder. No matter how calm and serene our little corner of the world may be, there are always others in need.

Because of the inspiration from the storm drains and their inhabitants, the Charity Blog Tour for Into The Dark is about giving back. Readers can enter my Rafflecopter Contest for the chance to win the grand prize: a $100 donation from me to the homeless charity of their choice. The contest also allows participants to donate to HELP of Southern Nevada, the organization that assists those living in the drains and others in need in Las Vegas.

Enter the INTO THE DARK Charity Raffle!

A Gift From Stacy

To celebrate the release of INTO THE DARK, Stacy is giving you TWO ways to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card! Both options will get your name into the drawing, which runs from November 5^th until the end of my blog tour on January 30^th.

Entry Option 1: Earns FIVE entries in the contest. Email Stacy your receipt of purchase (simply copy and paste proof of the order into the email, excluding personal information) of INTO THE DARK or the answer to this question: in what state was the Taker born and raised?

Entry Option 2: Earns TWO entries in the Contest. Donate to HELP of Southern Nevada and help the homeless. Readers can go to HELP of Southern Nevada, the organization that aids the homeless featured in INTO THE DARK, and donate. Email Stacy the receipt (personal information excluded). No donation is too small!

Pre-Order Into The Dark.

INTO THE DARK (digital and print November 30^th)

IT’S THE MOMENTS FROM OUR PAST THAT BIND US.

Branch Manager Emilie Davis is having a day like any other–until two masked men storm into WestOne Bank demanding cash.  Her hopes of a quick end to her terror are dashed when she realizes one of the men has no interest in the bank’s money. Emilie is his prize, and he’s come to claim her.

When hostage negotiator Nathan Madigan and Las Vegas SWAT enter the bank on a rescue mission, Emilie’s captor makes a shocking escape into the abyss that lies beneath the city: the Las Vegas storm drains, a refuge for the downtrodden and the desperate.

HOW WILL IT END?

Who is the man the media has dubbed the “Taker?” Why is he after Emilie, and what is the connection he’s convinced they share?

Emilie can’t run from the Taker, and she can’t escape her own past. As her life closes in on her, she has nowhere to turn but to Nathan. The lines of professionalism blur as Nathan becomes determined to save Emilie. Together they venture into the depths beneath Las Vegas and discover a shocking piece of the puzzle.

But the Taker remains one step ahead. Desperate for the threat to emerge from the shadows, Emilie makes a bold move to reclaim her life, and it may cost her everything.

  

Available NOW:
Welcome To Las Vegas, a short story featuring the perils of the Las Vegas storm drains. Contains an exclusive excerpt from INTO THE DARK.
Amazon

Barnes and Noble
iTunes
Smashwords

Stacy Green is fascinated by the workings of the criminal mind and explores true crime on her popular Thriller Thursday posts at her blog, Turning the Page. 
After earning her degree in journalism, Stacy worked in advertising before becoming a stay-at-home mom to her miracle child. She rediscovered her love of writing and wrote several articles for Women’s Edition Magazine of Cedar Rapids, profiling local businesses, before penning her first novel. Her debut novel, INTO THE DARK, is set in Las Vegas and features a heroine on the edge of disaster, a tormented villain, and the city’s infamous storm drains that house hundreds of homeless. INTO THE DARK is available on all digital formats and paperback November 30^th.

www.stacygreen.net
Amazon Author Page
Twitter @StacyGreen26
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/StacyGreenAuthor

Into The Dark can be purchased on Amazon by clicking on the icon below.

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