#74 Artemis Crow
I am Leslie Bird Nuccio and I write an Urban Fantasy with romance series called the Zodiac Assassins under the pen name Artemis Crow.
I live in Salem, New Hampshire, USA with my beloved and supportive husband, Michael Nuccio, two Dobermans, Cody and Roo (one a senior diabetic, the other a biped with no front legs), and a Frisbee-obsessed German Shepherd named Ryder.
When I first heard of Writers On The Moon, I was ecstatic. As humans, we have been given a gift in our home we call Earth. Life has burgeoned here, and though we have only discovered a percentage of what there is to know about this blue ball, I, like so many, have turned our eyes away from our home. Our curiosity about other planets and stars and moons is only matched by our questions: is there life out there? Or are we alone in the vastness of the universe? So to have an opportunity to be part of a group of writers who will have their words immortalized by going to the moon was too great to pass up.
I, for one, don’t believe we are alone, but who knows what forms life has taken in environments so different from ours. That is a question that won’t be answered in my lifetime. But I can create worlds here on Earth that are based on different mythologies and my own imagination. And that is what I have done with my books. A reimagining of the world if the gods and goddesses of old were real, if Hades and Hell were real places, and species called paranorms lived in a subterranean world to escape persecution from humans.
As for why I decided to write this series, I have always been drawn to stories about what sacrifices people have had to make or have chosen to make to change their lives. The struggles, the breakthroughs, they are the stories of strength and humanity that can be found and tell us who we can be. So the story question for each of my books is: What would you sacrifice…? That combined with the zodiac signs and the plotting technique known as the Hero’s Journey have been my tools when crafting each story. And, though the main plots of the stories are about a mission, the romance subplot is critical for the Zodiac’s growth.
I had not written stories until recently; in the past my stories were formed in my head and that’s where they lived. It was only later that I decided to try putting a story to paper. And, wow, writing is hard. So the fact that I have books out and many more planned, is a dream I didn’t know I had until I took a chance. Now I can’t ever see myself stopping writing until I am no longer able.
My characters are living huge lives, as many fictional characters do. Me personally, not so much. I am not famous, or infamous. I live what many would consider to be a small life. But even a small life can create ripples that go far. For me, the ripples have been Doberman rescue, both the real work of fostering and transporting and holding a dog in my arms when they can’t be saved so that they aren’t alone when they take their last breath, and currently, running a charity that gives grants to Doberman rescues to help them pay for expensive medical and surgical care for their foster dogs. Rescue is about giving love and time and patience to a broken dog so that they can grow confident and healthy again then go on to find their forever home. It’s a circle of love that I’ve been proud to be part of.
One day, I hope my books will also cause their own kind of ripples: the pleasure a reader gets from being transported to another world to fight great battles on the field, or in the heart.
It all started with the title, “The Zodiac Assassins”.
While studying writing craft, I struggled with what I wanted to say and the genre in which to frame it. Most of my childhood was spent moving from one military base to another with friends coming and going out of my life so I turned to books like the “Wizard of Oz” series for entertainment. Getting lost in each new world fed my wild imagination. That paired with my adult philosophy that “Anything is possible”, primed me to be drawn to the worlds of fantasy and the paranormal.
I wrote the initial draft of Lyon’s Roar, the first book in the series, with the Zodiacs as vampires. I wrote The End, sat back and thought, “Why do I want to write about vampires when there are already so many great vampire stories out there?”
So I started over. Creating the InBetween and the many creatures needed to inhabit it was great fun, but I asked myself, what could I do with it? How could I make these unique creatures interesting and relevant to the human experience?
I’ve always been fascinated by the stars, the universe. The notion of infinity and infinite possibility appeal to my soul. But here on earth, humans are also a source of fascination. Who are we? Why do we do what we do? Then, the Hubble telescope started sending us images of astounding beauty that fired up my imagination. At the same time, I was reading books about astrology and the enneagram personality system. BAM! I had my males and a way to make them speak to all of us.
So I reworked the entire world, the back story, everything until I arrived where I am today. That took four years, but I’m glad I took the time to make those changes because the world is uniquely mine. Lyon’s Roar came out in August of 2015 and to date, the first six books are out with many more coming before the core series is done. And I have many ideas for spin-offs. So much writing to do.
Cover art by DAZED Designs.
About the Assassins
Twelve Zodiac Assassins: Forged in the Dark of the InBetween, Ruled by the Shadow Side of their Stars, The Only Hope for the Light of Humanity
Whew, these twelve males have a hard road to travel with the weight and the fate of the world squarely on their shoulders! And what about this “shadow side of their stars” bit, you ask? Well, take yourself on your worst day…and make that you every day. Ack!
Let me give you an example:
Poor prideful Lyon, the Leo Zodiac Assassin. Whenever he loses control of his temper, his four canines drop, his fingernails become long leonine claws and his eyes glow gold. That, combined with his massive frame, makes for a male you would not want to meet in a dark alley. But find him in your bed? Ooh, la la! Most definitely!
Or, take the dark male Scorpio. Hard, angry, with skin covered in large black scorpion tattoos that come to life, this male makes the women run away screaming. But there is one woman he would protect to the ends of the worlds, and if any other man should try to take her from him? Not a pretty ending for that guy.
Me? I am a Leo. My worst trait is impatience. Get it done, now, now, now. Doesn’t make for polite conversation (though I can be quite the chatty catty) because I just want to get to the point. Why talk about the weather when I need this question answered? See what I mean?
So here are twelve paranormal males ruled by the shadow side of their zodiac signs who need to overcome the needs, beliefs and fears that have formed who they are, to become, maybe not whole men, but at least less damaged. Fear of emotional attachment, fear of losing control, needing independence are just of a few of the issues that will be explored along with the themes of free will versus fate, good versus evil, and my favorite for this series, the brilliant quote from the television series Leverage, “Sometimes the bad guys are the only good guys you get.”
The Zodiac Assassins and the creatures of the InBetween will face a battle within and without against human, paranormal, and supernatural adversaries. I hope that at least one of the journeys the males must make will resonate with readers.
In addition to the Zodiacs and some paranormal species that are found in many books and comics and movies, I have created over 21 species of my own inspired by imagery found on Pinterest and DeviantArt. This has allowed me to put my own stamp on the stories. After reading the first book, my mother told me that my imagination scared her. Not in the literal sense, just that she couldn’t imagine where these ideas came from. Believe me I took that as a great compliment!
I am blessed to have a supportive partner in my husband, Mike. He has always believed I could do anything I put my mind to, and he celebrates each book release with me. He is my brilliant Ph.D. scientist who works in Cambridge, Massachusetts at a company called Inari Agriculture, Inc. He is my rock, the balm to my soul, the life partner I despaired of ever finding, but did. Belief in yourself is powerful; belief from the one you love the most makes it that much more powerful.
Thank you, Mike, for your love, and for always believing in me.
Thank you to my in-laws, Tony and Susan Nuccio, for raising such a wonderful man.
Thank you to my parents, Daniel and Karen Bird, for encouraging and supporting my love of reading.
Thank you to Susan Kaye Quinn and Noelle Gaussens for giving me the opportunity to have some of my books, and the story behind them, travel to the moon. It is another dream I never knew I had…
Find Artemis Crow’s stories here.