Date Published: 02-10-2026
Publisher: Oliver-Heber
Her partner, Xander Holt, a former Navy SEAL with ice in his veins, lives by the same brutal code: no attachments, no lines crossed. But as missions turn bloody, the fragile boundary between partner and lover begins to blur—and desire becomes its own kind of danger.
Across the country, Detective Anaya Nazario faces a nightmare of her own. A synthetic “zombie drug,” deadlier than fentanyl and immune to Narcan, is ripping through Los Angeles. Her investigation exposes a network of dirty cops shielding Ryker’s empire—and puts a target squarely on her back.
Two women on opposite fronts. One war against corruption and cartel power. And a single truth—every betrayal leaves a body behind.
SZE: I’ve been writing since I was about seven or eight years old. I carried a pen and paper everywhere and filled notebooks with stories and poetry. Writing has always been part of who I am.
I didn’t get published until I was 48. While many writers publish much younger, I consider myself a late bloomer—and I’m okay with that. What matters most is that I never gave up on my writing or my goal of being published.
I was once agented and had literary representation for about five years. During that time, I was on submission with four manuscripts over roughly four years. None of them were picked up, and two of those books were considered “dead on submission.”
Those same two books were originally written as a duology, and after I parted ways with my agent, a small press saw potential in them. What began as a duology became a three-book contract. When those books were published and performed well, the contract was extended to an eight-book deal, and I’m hopeful it may continue to grow.
The journey hasn’t been fast or easy, but it’s been built on persistence—and believing in the work even when the industry said no.
What is your writing process like? Are you more of a plotter or a pantser?
SZE: I’m a hybrid between a plotter and a pantser. Because I write a series, I have to plot things out to maintain consistency, but I still leave room for discovery while drafting. When you’re working across multiple books, it’s not just the main characters you have to track—it’s supporting characters, minor characters, and antagonists, too.
I keep detailed character lists for each book and save them, because many of those characters carry over into future installments. Consistency and cohesion across the entire series world are critical, and that requires planning.
My actual writing schedule is very sprint-based. I’m a mother and I work a day job as a social media marketing specialist and content strategist with over ten years of experience. I don’t have eight to ten uninterrupted hours to write, so I work in pockets of time. Some days it’s 300 words here and 300 words there. Other days it might be 250 words, and occasionally it’s 1,000. As long as the book keeps moving forward, I’m satisfied.
Once a draft is complete, I revise extensively. I upload the manuscript to Kindle and listen to it using Speechify Pro while following along with the text. Hearing the book aloud helps me catch errors in pacing, dialogue, and flow that I might miss on the page. I revise the manuscript multiple times before sending it to my editor at the publishing house, where we go through another round of edits together.
The revision process doesn’t stop there. I’m also actively involved in the audiobook production, working closely with the narrator on voice, pacing, and delivery. At every stage—drafting, revising, editing, and audio—there’s always refinement happening. Writing the book is only one part of the process; shaping it into its final form takes time and care.
How did you come up with the ideas for your series?
SZE: The idea for the Serpent series began with The Serpent’s Bridge, which I started writing in 2019. I was deeply affected by stories about undocumented immigrants being targeted, and I wanted to explore those issues through a crime-thriller lens. The book includes an ICE agent and an immigration rally in Los Angeles.
Interestingly, I almost cut the rally entirely. At the time, I worried it felt unnecessary or unrealistic—like something that wouldn’t actually happen. But years later, immigration protests and anti-ICE rallies became far more visible across the country. What felt questionable in 2019 became strikingly relevant later on.
It’s important to note that I didn’t write this book in response to recent events. The story was written years earlier, well before the current wave of protests. I wrote it in 2019, but it wasn’t published until 2024, which gave it an unexpected timeliness I couldn’t have predicted.
As the series continued, the focus shifted. Book Two moved away from immigration as the central theme and leaned more into trauma, vigilantism, and moral ambiguity. That’s where the character of Von Schlange truly emerged and began to shape the direction of the series.
Detective Anaya Nazario’s storyline is also deeply personal. Her father was murdered and was the highest-ranking Puerto Rican officer in LAPD history—an element inspired by my own family background. My uncle was the highest-ranking Puerto Rican officer to reach three-star status in New York, a decorated veteran and FBI Academy graduate, and my father worked in border patrol and customs.
My family history, my experience as the child of an immigrant, and my perspective as a BIPOC author all influence the series. At its core, the Serpent series grew from personal history, social realities, and a desire to explore justice, trauma, and power through crime fiction.
How do you celebrate finishing a book?
SZE: Finishing a book is a little surreal for me, because I’m almost always juggling multiple stages at once. While one book is launching, I’m usually already writing the next. For example, as The Serpent’s Order releases, I’m actively promoting it—running ads, organizing book tours, working with my publisher on things like Goodreads giveaways—while also writing the next book in the series.
It can feel like a never-ending cycle. There’s always marketing to handle, ARC readers to coordinate, and the next deadline waiting.
That said, I do try to celebrate in simple, meaningful ways. I’m happily married and a mom to two kids—a ten-year-old daughter and a four-year-old son—and when we can, we go out together. Sushi is usually our go-to. We don’t celebrate every single book in a big way, but we make an effort to pause, be together, and acknowledge the moment before jumping back in.
What would you tell a writer who is just starting out? What program do you use for writing? What advice would you give to a writer working on their first book? What’s your writing software of choice?
SZE: In terms of tools, I keep it very straightforward. A lot of writers love Scrivener, but it’s never worked for me. I’ve experimented with plotting software in the past, but ultimately, I always come back to a good old-fashioned Word document. I use Word to write the manuscript, separate Word docs for character lists, and another for plot points. For me, writing software often complicates the process instead of helping it.
As for advice on writing your first book—don’t rush it. There’s a lot of pressure online to write fast or hit massive word counts in short periods of time. Speed can work for some writers, but fast doesn’t always mean good. I’ve known many writers who wrote extremely quickly only to realize later that most of the draft had to be discarded because of plot holes, character issues, or structural problems.
Writing isn’t a competition. It’s better to focus on quality than quantity, to let the story develop fully, and to give yourself the space to learn as you go. The goal isn’t to outwrite anyone else—it’s to write the best version of your book.
How do you organize everything and finding the time to sit down and write?
SZE: I keep my process very simple. I organize everything in Word documents—I don’t use specialized writing software to plot, write, or organize my books. For me, additional tools tend to complicate the process rather than streamline it.
Because I’m contracted to write a series, organization is especially important. I maintain detailed character lists in Word, tracking everyone from major characters to minor and morally gray ones, as well as antagonists. Many of these characters carry over from book to book, so I regularly reference character lists from previous installments to stay consistent across the series.
For plotting, I use a beat sheet. I have a film background, so this approach feels natural to me. My beat sheets are simple—focused on what needs to happen from chapter to chapter rather than a rigid, overly detailed outline. I’m a hybrid plotter-pantser, so I like having structure without locking myself into it completely.
As for finding the time to write, I work in realistic windows. I don’t wait for long, uninterrupted stretches that rarely exist. I write when I can, in focused bursts, and rely on my organization system to help me drop back into the story quickly. Consistency matters more than perfect conditions.
As an author, what would you choose as your spirit animal?
SZE: I’d definitely choose a dog as my spirit animal. I love all animals—I even have guinea pigs—but dogs have always felt like home to me.
I recently said goodbye to two senior dogs who were with me for a long time: Abraham, who lived to 17 and a half, and Abigail, who made it to 18. Losing them was incredibly hard. Now we’ve welcomed a new addition to the family—a seven-month-old silver Labrador named Chloe.
Chloe is smart, intuitive, deeply affectionate, and incredibly sensitive. She’s a true family dog, and that combination of loyalty, empathy, and resilience is exactly why I’d choose a dog as my spirit animal.
Who has been the biggest supporter of your writing?
SZE: My husband has been my biggest supporter, without question. He’s a short-form writer, journalist, editor, and the chief content officer at his company, so he understands both the creative and professional sides of writing.
He takes the kids when I need time to write, keeps them busy, and has even edited my books at times. More than anything, he’s my cheerleader—especially on the days when I feel discouraged or like I’m not doing enough as an author. He’s always reminding me of what I’ve accomplished and helping me keep perspective.
I honestly wouldn’t have been able to do this without his support, and I’m incredibly grateful for him.
How do you name your characters?
SZE: Naming characters is a mix of instinct and personal reference for me. I often draw from real life—sometimes starting with initials or the rhythm of a name I’ve encountered before, then reshaping it until it feels right for the character.
Because I write crime thrillers, names also have to fit the world of the story. I think about background, culture, geography, and tone. A name has to feel believable on the page and match who that character is—whether they’re a detective, a criminal, or someone morally gray.
I’ll often write scenes and dialogue using a name to see how it reads. If it sounds natural and fits the character’s voice, I know I’ve found the right one.
Can you describe a typical day in your writing life?
SZE: A typical writing day for me is built around real life. I’m balancing kids, a day job, and writing, so my schedule isn’t rigid. When my kids are in school, I try to fit in writing sprints whenever I can. I don’t have the luxury of sitting down for eight uninterrupted hours, so my writing happens in pockets—sometimes during the day, sometimes in the afternoon, and often at night.
When I add those sessions together, they usually lead to steady progress. Some days I write a thousand words or more. Other days it might only be a couple hundred—and that’s okay. What matters to me is staying connected to the story and not walking away from it. Consistency, not perfection, is what keeps the book moving forward.
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