Hold Her Down is the story of Elizabeth. She is the typical working mother: tired, worn-down by life and having difficulty standing up to the pressures put upon her by her husband, mother and the clique-y members of the PTA. She has lost herself and is frankly depressed. After a life-altering weekend, she pulls herself together and attempts to save her marriage. But just as she’s on the right track, a scandalous book hits town and everyone starts wondering if Elizabeth is the star of the book.

What genre is your book?
Women’s fiction.

It will primarily appeal to women, especially those who have had children, but men may find the struggles that the other half go through interesting as well.

We find that a little surprising. From the title, and especially from the cover, we were expecting a different genre.
Despite the cover image and the title, it is not BDSM/erotica. The cover and title completely make sense after you’ve read the book. You just need to take a leap of faith.

We’re down with that.
We want to know more about Elizabeth.
Elizabeth is no longer the person she used to be. She’s weak and depressed and lets everyone steamroller her. In giving to her family, she has totally given away all of her dreams and desires. While the title of the book evokes that of a bondage-type book, Elizabeth has to explore the life bonds that are holding her down.

Sometimes, there is much more of me in Elizabeth than I would like to admit. There may be some conversations in the book that are not exactly fiction. Working, raising kids, keeping house and making a marriage work don’t leave a lot of time for personal fulfillment. However, writing has helped me not become like Elizabeth as I am working on something for me.

Tell us more about your life.
I am a pediatric physical therapist. I live in Upstate New York (yes, there is more to the state than just the city) with my two darling and energetic kids, my ever-patient husband and two very annoying cats. I write when I should be cleaning my house, so please don’t drop by unannounced.

Aww, don’t be like that.
This isn’t your first novel, is it?

My first novel is Good Intentions.

My third novel, Incommunicado, will be out (hopefully) in September 2014. It is complete and I’m starting the editing/revising process now.

Do you have a website where we can keep up with your work?
I have a blog, Biel Blather.

Are you on social media?
@KRBiel
https://www.facebook.com/kathrynrbiel

How easily do new storylines come to you? If we give you four random words – Man, Woman, Mexico, Future – can you give us a brief storyline?
Haha–this is easy, because I had an idea for a story a while back. I’m going to pilfer from that one.

Great. We can’t wait. Proceed.
A woman is found dead on a Reservation in New Mexico. This is not a new thing. The area is littered with bodies. Immigrants escaping their lives of poverty and crime in Mexico, looking for a better future. But when he looks closer, he realizes that she was not your typical Mexican illegal immigrant, and she did not die from exposure and exhaustion–she was murdered.