By Leslie Lindsay
Do you want to read a book and say, “I NEVER SAW *THAT* COMING?” Read this.
Chevy Stevens’ 2010 breakout bestseller, STILL MISSING, was at the forefront of the trend of psychological thrillers featuring women protagonists, along with Gillian Flynn’s GONE GIRL. Don’t worry, this one isn’t another ‘Girl’ title, but it does feature a strong female protagonist in psychological peril; the best kind, in my opinion.
Stevens’ 6th thriller, NEVER LET YOU GO (which releases March 14, 2017 from St. Martin’s Press), is an addictive psychological suspense that will have you on the edge of your seat, questioning the ‘good guys,’ the sick, twisted ones, and then you’ll *still* be surprised.
Lindsey Nash is finally, finally rebuilding her life after a physically and emotionally abusive alcoholic husband is locked away. He’s out now, having served his sentence. But…strange, destructive things start happening, all of which point right back to the ex-husband. Stevens does a fine job of braiding past with present to give us an accurate–and chilling–look at the life Lindsey and her husband (Andrew) led before. We also get the POV of their (now almost-18 year old) daughter, Sophie.
HARLAN COBEN: “Will grip you from page one.”
In NEVER LET YOU GO, Stevens explores the many different forms abuse may take, from alcoholism to psychological/emotional abuse, as well as physical. Spine-tingling scenes fill every page; this tale is highly addictive and quite possibly Stevens’ most astute study in human behavior yet.
Please join me in welcoming Chevy Stevens to the blog couch.
Leslie Lindsay: Chevy! It’s a pleasure to have you. Thank you so much for popping over. I read NEVER LET YOU GO in record speed. Mind you, I was busy preparing for the holidays, running after a young dog, and entertaining two school-aged kiddos and their bevy of friends. Yet, I still completed the book in two days. If it drew me in that quickly, I have to ask, what was propelling you to write it? Did the writing come through in the same frenzy as my reading did?
Chevy Stevens: I wish it had come through in a frenzy of writing because that would imply speed, but this book took almost two years to finish. I had originally started with a different book—title, plot, characters, everything–and after nine months, my editor and I realized it wasn’t working. We discussed a few ways to possibly fix it, but the overall premise wasn’t 
holding up and I wasn’t connecting with the storyline or the characters. It was the first time I tried to use multiple perspectives with a third person narrative, and it wasn’t for me. I knew in my gut that I had to move on and abandon that book, though it was a hard blow. Needless to say, after that I was concerned with getting the next premise right. The idea of a woman, fleeing an abusive ex-husband in the middle of the night with her young daughter, spoke to me. How did she escape? Would she ever be safe again? I felt it was a story I could tell honestly, from the daughter and the mother’s perspective. I also wanted to show that there is not one “fits-all” profile for an abusive person. Control can manifest in many ways.
L.L.: So many things that go into fiction are stripped from our ‘real life.’ I understand your father struggled with substance abuse and depression. How did that experience color the character of Andrew Nash?
Chevy Stevens: My father committed suicide when I was twenty-two. Andrew Nash was not based on him and Lindsey and Sophie’s story is not my personal family experience, but the feelings, emotions, and many of the other issues are very similar. While writing this story, I was able to explore some of the unresolved issues I had with my father, through Sophie, and some of the imagined conversations I might have had with him if he had lived. It also became a way for me to understand and empathize more with what my mother must have gone through and the challenges she faced.
L.L.: I’d like to talk about structure for a bit. You do a fabulous job of weaving a seamless narrative between past and present. Personally, I love this technique. We get a really good glimpse into the life of Lindsey and Andrew *before* everything went down. Was this conscious on your part, or did it sort of evolve organically?
Chevy Stevens: I knew that I wanted to show their life “before” so that we understood how Lindsey first fell in love with Andrew, what changed during their marriage, and then how dangerous Andrew was once he was released from prison, but it took me a long time to get those sections right. It was difficult to transition so many years of marriage into snapshot glimpses, to show the evolution of abuse over years and how it changed Lindsey into a mother desperate to protect her daughter. Each chapter had to be unique, riveting, and set the tone for the next chapter in present day.
L.L.: Do you have any writing routines or rituals? How does the life of a typical book work for you, from conception to completion?
Chevy Stevens: I wish there was a typical book! Each time around I think I’m going to make
the writing process easier, but I have yet to find the magic answer. Normally I come up with a premise that interests me, then my editor and I have a few brainstorming sessions, and I try to come up with an outline. Then, it changes, over and over again. Every book has taken me a different length of time to finish. STILL MISSING and NEVER LET YOU GO have been the longest.
My day to day routine has changed with my daughter. When she was a baby, I could work at home, then I moved out to our travel trailer to write. Then she started to sneak out of the house to find me. This last year I have been writing at a coffee shop so I can focus. It’s better if write first thing in the morning, which is when I am most creative, so I try to get out of the house early.
L.L.: Can I ask what you’re working on next?
Chevy Stevens: My current project has been undergoing a few changes and is still in the early stages so I don’t feel confident enough yet to share much about it. I will say that it is set in Seattle, which is an exciting change for me! The research has been great fun.
L.L.: What’s obsessing you these days? What has your attention? It doesn’t have to be literary.
Chevy Stevens: Well, anyone who knows me knows that I’m obsessed with travel. I spend a ridiculous amount of time researching various destinations and hotels and endlessly scrolling 
through rentals on VRBO. My husband and I were just on vacation in Los Cabos, trying to soak up some vitamin D, and I was still on my phone Googling other resorts and comparing options.
L.L.: Is there anything I should have asked, but may have forgotten?
Chevy Stevens: I can share a few random “Chevy Facts.” I love earplugs. I wear them when I’m writing at home and often forget they are still in and walk around with everything muffled. My two furry writing companions are Ziggy and Oona, who have beds under my desk. My daughter also likes to hang out in my office, but she’s usually watching my iPad or building Legos. I’m a morning person, grumpy at night. I don’t watch much TV these days, but I tend to watch light shows, nothing too dark or intense. People think I read a lot of crime or thrillers and I actually love memoirs. I’m shameless when it comes to celebrity memoirs. Love them all. One day I hope to write my own memoir. 
L.L.: Chevy, it was such an honor. Thank you!
Chevy Stevens: Thank you for all your great questions!
To connect with Chevy via social media, to learn more, or to purchase NEVER LET YOU GO, please see:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: CHEVY STEVENS grew up on a ranch on Vancouver Island and still calls the island home. For most of her adult life she worked in sales, first as a rep for a giftware company and then as a Realtor. While holding an open house one afternoon, she had a terrifying idea that became the inspiration for Still Missing. Chevy eventually sold her house and left real estate so she could finish the book. Still Missing went on to become a New York Times bestseller and win the International Thriller Writers Award for Best First Novel. Chevy’s books have been optioned for movies and are published in more than thirty countries.
Chevy enjoys writing thrillers that allow her to blend her interest in family dynamics with her love of the west coast lifestyle. When she’s not working on her next book, she’s camping and canoeing with her husband and daughter in the local mountains.
You can connect with me, Leslie Lindsay via these social media links. I’d love to see you around!
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[Cover and author image courtesy of St. Martin’s Press. Image of morning person from; Los Cabos image from. Slide show of C. Stevens’ books retrieved from her website, all retrieved 1.26.17]
Leslie A. Lindsay| Writer & Creative 