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36.000 Pages and classified intel from a very tired author

Hey friend,

I’m going to be honest with you because that’s the only kind of relationship worth having.

These past few months have felt like treading water in a pool that keeps getting deeper. Full-time job. Book marketing. Social media. Writing book two. The holidays are creeping closer with all their complicated weight. Some of you know I lost my mother, and December has this way of pressing on bruises I thought had faded, but they never do.

Meanwhile, The Code We Break just crossed 36,000 pages read on Kindle Unlimited. Last Friday was my highest single-day page-reads since launch, and we’re sitting in the top 100 Financial Thrillers on Amazon right now, rubbing shoulders with books from authors who have entire teams behind them. If you haven’t checked it out yet, this is what readers are saying.

Real people, choosing to spend their precious hours with Vivien and Maddox, humble me and keep me going.

The math doesn’t make sense, does it? Depleted and celebrated at the same time. Stuck and moving forward. The loneliest I’ve felt in months while connecting with readers who message me things like, “I understand Vivien’s trust issues.”

Writing is strange like that. You sit alone in a room, bleeding onto a page, hoping someone somewhere will recognize the shape of their own wounds. And then strangers become friends because your characters gave them permission to feel something they’d been holding at arm’s length.

I’ve had readers tell me they love that Vivien is complex and clever, that she’s decisive about love even when it’s terrifying. That Maddox shows his tender underbelly and isn’t ashamed to be vulnerable with the woman he loves. These messages land in my inbox as little life rafts on days when the water feels especially deep.

I have more to be grateful for, especially the author friends I’ve made along the way, who are real treasures. Still, even in a community, the actual work of writing is you and the screen and the characters who sometimes refuse to cooperate.

Nobody else can write your book for you. Nobody else can sit with the fear that maybe you’ve said everything you had to say with the first one.

I haven’t, for the record. Book two is coming.

Speaking of which.

I have something for you!! A first glimpse.

The Lies We Live releases February 9th, 2025, and you can pre-order the ebook right now. Click here to pre-order!

Here’s what you’re getting:

A billionaire who inherited blood money and is burning his father’s empire from the inside. Clean energy. Carbon capture. Everything the corrupt bastard hates. She doesn’t know he’s rich. He doesn’t know how to be loved by someone who wants nothing from him.

If you loved Vivien and Maddox, Kaiden and Emma are going to wreck you in entirely new ways.

These are some tropes you can expect:

Billionaire romance. Grumpy x sunshine. Secret identity. Morally grey MMC. He falls first. Touch her and die. Found family. Strong-willed FMC. Mental health rep.

Cover reveal coming soon. I can’t wait to show you.

Pre-orders genuinely help indie authors more than I can express. They signal to Amazon’s algorithm that a book matters, and they give me something tangible to hold onto on the days when the doubt gets loud. If you’re willing to click that button, you’re doing me a kindness I won’t forget. (And yes, I’m annoyed Amazon doesn’t let me do paperback pre-orders. I would if I could.)

Not caught up yet? The Code We Break is waiting for you. Meet Vivien and Maddox first. Trust me on this one.

If you’re navigating your own version of this, the juggling act, the grief that resurfaces, the quiet depletion that hides behind a functioning exterior, I see you. We’re spinning plates together, even when it doesn’t feel like it.

Sending you hugs and supportive thoughts, especially if this season is hard on you.

You’re not alone, and I hope my words offer you a tiny bit of company and relief.

Nicky

P.S. Want to support an indie author this season?

The simplest way costs nothing but a few seconds. Like my posts. Comment. Share. The algorithm gods are fickle and easily bribed by engagement.

Tell a friend who devours suspense romance and thrillers. Word of mouth is still the most powerful marketing on the planet, and I don’t have a publicist. I have you.

And if you’re looking for a gift for the reader in your life who wants morally grey book boyfriends and heroines who don’t need to change to be loved? The Code We Break makes a pretty good stocking stuffer. Just saying.

Thank you for being here. It matters more than you know.

N. xox