Author Interview with Kristi Loucks

I’m happy to host Kristi Loucks on my blog today. Kristi is the author of suspense novels “Rose Red Reaper” and “The Blue Line Bone Collector”. She’s currently touring “Rose Red Reaper”.

Author Interview

1)  When did you know you wanted to be an author?

I actually never thought much about it, writing had become sort of a habit I developed over the years.  I never really planned out stories, but just went with an idea. Eventually, I had been working on one story for quite a while and shared it with a friend.  She in turn shared it with a friend of hers who worked in publishing and it kind of took off from there.  So now, I have two careers that I love.  One as a pastry chef and one as an author, which is a rather strange combination but both feed my need to be creative so it works.

2)  Where did you get the inspiration from for Rose Red Reaper?

The story evolved around a scene that was inspired from a dream.  It was the scene of the first crime scene the team walks into within the book.  Specifically the imagery that eventually ended up on the cover which was the rose floating on a pool of blood.  Of course, most people would call that a nightmare, but since it turned into an inspiration for something I love…I choose to call it a dream.

3)  How long did it take you to write Rose Red Reaper from start to finish?

I started the Reaper in August of 2012 and completed it around Christmas.  Once my mind locks onto an idea, I have a tendency to be consumed by it until I finish.

4)  How does your editing process work?

I typically work with an editor or several editors.  I find it nearly impossible to edit my own work for several reasons.  For starters, I think it is difficult to see flaws in something you’ve worked so hard on.  I also think that reading a manuscript over and over which most authors tend to do throughout the writing and editing process tends to blur the imperfections.  Or, sometimes you start to nit pick and see flaws in everything.  So, I generally will send the finished manuscript to the editor and together we will go through spelling issues, grammar nightmares, plot holes, and any number of things that might pop up.  I work with Beth Lynne of BZ Hercules editing and consulting services and she offers a triangulation service where a group of editors will go through looking for various issues.  I think more than one set of eyes is helpful in the process.

5)  What are your writing goals for 2013?

My goal is to get at least two more of the four books in the Chicago Serial Crimes Series out in 2013.

6)  Which character did you enjoy to write about the most?

I enjoyed writing Dakota Shelton the most.  Of course, she was also the hardest character for me to write because she is blind.  She was difficult because you have to understand what kind of obstacles she faces that someone who is sighted may not have.  I spent several days trying to adapt to a world without my sight in order to “see” the world as she would see it.  For me it was really important that she not come off as a victim of the world she lives in.  I saw her as someone who was very confident and capable.

7) Are you working on something right now? Can you tell us more about it?

I am currently working on The Blue Line Bone Collector.  It is the second book in the Chicago Serial Crimes Series.  This book will focus on the same core group of characters, but will focus more on Mason’s brother Devon Cole.  The team will face a new adversary who is using the El line (Chicago’s Elevated Train) to stalk his victims and has a penchant for trophies…a bone taken from each victim.  I am shooting for an early summer 2013 release date.

The Rose Red Reaper

Title: The Rose Red Reaper

Author: Kristi Loucks

Genre: Romantic Suspense / Thriller

Lt. Commander Mason Cole never intended to follow his brother into law enforcement, but the murder of a loved one gave him the motivation needed to take a position as the head of Chicago’s Serial Crimes Unit. Along with his brother, Detective Devon Cole, former FBI Profiler and Technical Analyst Melinda Kade and Detective Piper Torello, Mason is tasked with finding some of the cities most prolific serial killers.

As a former Navy SEAL, Mason has seen some of the worst the world has to offer, but nothing could have prepared him for his initiation into the world of a serial killer.

Their first case came with a gruesome introduction from a man who has given himself his own press ready moniker. Known for his macabre signature and the white rose he leaves at the scene with a calling card signed in blood,

THE ROSE RED REAPER

Mason and his team will pursue the killer through the vast streets of Chicago, across the affluent suburbs of the North Shore following cryptic clues left at each crime scene and pointing them to a web of violence dating back to The Reaper’s own childhood.

Complications begin to arise when The Reaper makes a connection to the woman that Mason loves. Dakota Rose Shelton. The stunning, raven-haired beauty that has carefully salvaged Mason’s broken heart may also be the key to ending The Reaper’s bloody reign. Left blind by a childhood illness, she must help them to assemble the pieces of the Reaper’s past with no visual memories to aid her.

Can Dakota help the team put the pieces together before The Reaper targets one of there own? And will she be able to fight off a killer that she cannot see?

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Author Bio

Kristi Loucks is a Pastry Chef and Cake Designer with a degree from Le Cordon Bleu Chicago. Her writing and storytelling has always been a way to manage the day to day stresses of working in the world of restaurants and food service. Kristi started writing in High School and has continued to share her work with friends over the years.

While she never planned to pursue writing as a profession, but a supportive friend armed with a copy of her debut novel, A Life Interrupted happened to share it with the right person who urged Ms. Loucks to consider publishing her work.

On March 4, 2013, Kristi released the first book in her new Chicago Serial Crimes Series, The Rose Red Reaper. It’s follow up, The Blue Line Bone Collector is expected to arrive this summer. Currently, she is planning for a four book series.

Kristi splits her time between two creative worlds these days. Working at her Suburban Bakery during the day and writing at night, or on her somewhat infrequent days off.