Thriller Archives - Tena Stetler

Apr 14th Domin8 by Author Stephen B. King an Interview

Give a warm welcome to Stephen B. King, author of Domin8. Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about Stephen and his Domin8.

Thank you Tena, for hosting me and letting me talk about Domin8. D8 is a thriller/police procedural/whodunnit, but, it is so much more too (my editor and narrator tells me). It asks some philosophical questions such as: If a man (or woman)has been married a long time, adores their partner and still desires them sexually but that desire isn’t reciprocated, does that give tacit approval for him/her to look outside the marriage for sex?

Here in Australia, I was staggered to read that the biggest statistical group for people seeking divorce was women in their 50’s. Why? It seems like you hear all the time about mature aged men (and women) having affairs with younger partners once the children have left home. Now I’m sure there are a multitude of reasons, but every man my age I know complains that their wives don’t want to make love anymore. So, when it all ends in tears, how come we always blame the man? Then, when I read a few years ago that the website Ashley Maddison, which is a dating site specializing in married people having affairs, got hacked and details of the users were leaked, the idea for this book grew. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not on a soapbox, and the purpose of Domin8 is to entertain – and I defy you to pick who the murderer is. But if I ask a couple of questions along the way and ask the reader to consider them, well; I think they are questions well asked.

Speed Round (one word only answer): Yep, I know torture for a writer!<evil laugh>

Leather or lace? Lace

Black or red? Black

Satin sheets or smooth cotton? Cotton

Ocean or mountains? Ocean

City life or country life? Hmmmm

Party life or evening at home? Home

Dogs or cats? Dogs

What’s under your bed? Drawers full of…..

Camping or hotel? Hotel

Road trip or staying at home? Both

Shopping or not? Not

Picnic or restaurant? Restaurant

Bath or shower, alone or with someone? Hehehehe – Always better with someone else

Bicycle or walk? Walk

Watch a movie in theater or home TV Home (with wine)

Swimming pool or lake? Pool

Dance or not? Dance

Sing or not? Always

Tell us a little about Domin8

Fifty-year-old Dave loves his wife, but she doesn’t want sex anymore and he has drifted into an online life of NSA liaisons with submissive women. When one of his lovers is murdered, he is the prime suspect. Then there is a second death and when he isn’t arrested, his wife is murdered while he is in the shower. He is arrested for three murders.

Dave has attracted a psychopathic, stalking killer intent on framing him for murders and Dave must fight for his freedom and discover who has targeted him. He must also find forgiveness from his children, and redemption for his life choices which caused so much chaos.

But the murders and mayhem continue until he must be willing to sacrifice his life and face the killer to save someone he loves.

Buy Links for Domin8:

Bookbub: http://bit.ly/38NApSu

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2xCrMNC

Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/2Qe0vaI

Apple: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781509230761

A sneak peek between the pages of Domin8

“Hi guys. Come in,” I said cheerfully as I led them into my office and closed the door after them. “Have a seat, how can I help, would you like a coffee?”

“Not right now thanks Mr. Barndon. Do you recognize this?” Detective Collins said, without any acknowledgement of my happy greeting. He took out a plastic evidence bag from inside the folder he always carried and held up what looked very much like my brushed gold pen.

“Well, from here it looks like my missing Mont Blanc. Does it say Happy 25^thAnniversary, Dave on it?” I said, still with no idea the sky was about to fall in.

“Yes, it does, Mister Barndon. It also has your fingerprints on it. Well, it has the same partial prints on it we recovered from the motel room. We haven’t taken your prints yet officially, although, we didn’t really need to as you left us a nice set yesterday on the glass of water you had at the station.”

I nodded, intrigued, and wondered where in the hell they had gotten my pen, as it wasn’t left at the motel. But then, I must have for them to have it; there was no other explanation I could see. “Well, I suppose that shows what a useless criminal I would make doesn’t it?” I grinned, but only got a stone-cold stare in return.

“Do you know Melanie Brewster?” Milanski asked, as the earth opened and swallowed me whole. Suddenly I just knew she had been killed too. The blood in my veins turned ice cold and I sat up straight in my chair.

“Don’t tell me; please don’t tell me she is dead?”

He nodded, while watching me. I collapsed back into my chair, shocked and stunned into silence. I was being judged, not that I cared right then, and the look on their faces told me harshly.

“Yes, I know Melanie. I saw her last night, and we had sex. I was online with her when you visited me at home the night before. I caught up with her on my way home from work last night because our, shall we say, session had been cut short with your arrival. I was visiting her to tell her I ceased that lifestyle and would not be seeing her ever again.”

Sam broke in incredulously, “Dave, just how many women are you seeing? Seriously, how do you do it?”

I ignored the question, and instead asked my own, “Please don’t tell me she has been murdered, too.”

Milanski just nodded before continuing. “That’s where we found your pen. Right by her body, careless that. What time did you leave this particular victim?”

It took a long time to answer. My head spun and for the second time in their company I felt as if I could vomit. Why is someone killing women I’m seeing, and how the hell did my pen get there? It made no sense at all. They were both women who had so much to live for and neither would hurt a fly.

“I was home by 9:45 or so. I left her place between 9:20 and 9:30, and before you ask, she was breathing when I left. How was she killed?”

“Was your wife home when you arrived?” He asked ignoring my question completely.

It dawned on me suddenly, like another lightning bolt out of a stormy sky; they still believed either Dianne or I was the killer. “Yes, she was sitting on the couch, upset because a patient of hers had died that day, Alec Johnson, from cancer. He had no family, so Dianne spent a lot of time with him because she couldn’t bear the thought of someone dying alone. She is so not a murderer. I wish you knew her; you wouldn’t have to ask.” I was exasperated with the direction things were taking.

“Look here, Dave. Stop getting angry with us and think about things from our side. Two women you’ve screwed are both dead, murdered, within minutes of you leaving them, yet supposedly you have an amazing woman at home who wouldn’t hurt a fly. The time of death in both cases means you most definitely could have done it. True, it appears unlikely, but if it’s not you who else would have a motive? So far as we can see you are the only link between these women. So, by proxy, so does your wife. We could also draw the conclusion that as your pen was left at the scene, if you didn’t do it, it must be someone who knows you, and who wants to make it look like you’re a murderer. Now call us dumb policemen, by all means, but your wife would have the means and the motive if she knew of the plethora of women you seem to be screwing.”

He stared at me, and the silence continued while my brain raced at a hundred miles an hour. Why, and who would do this? Something he said was wrong though, wasn’t it? After Dark of course; I met them both through that website.

About the Author, plus a juicy secret!

When I was 15 I hitchhiked from Portsmouth to London leaving Friday night and returning on the Sunday(about 80 miles). This was to see a Pink Floyd concert with three other boys who were also mad for rock music. When I watch the movie Stand by Me (or read the book by another, more famous, Stephen King) I’m reminded of that weekend adventure. It was my first experience of sex, drugs and rock and roll. My parents passed away a few years ago, still not knowing about that weekend.

Stephen can be found at:

Facebook, Twitter, and his Website

Ah… so that’s why you can now tell the secret! LOL

As always it was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Domin8!

Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Domin8, Police Procedural, Stephen B. King, Thriller, Whodunnit by Tena Stetler with 23 comments.

Feb 28th Stephen B. King Author of Glimpse, the Beautiful Deaths

Give a warm welcome to Stephen B. King who is giving us a first look at his up coming release Glimpse, the Beautiful Deaths. Release date April 10, 2019!

Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about Steve and his Beautiful Deaths!

What defines you as an author? As a person? Are they one in the same?

I’d like to think that what defines me as an author is firstly an inborn need to tell stories, and secondly to bring characters to life. The thing I enjoy most is creating people and getting the reader to invest in them. If I can hook the reader to like them, then I can take my perfectly ordinary people, and put them into extraordinary situations. Then I hold the reader by the hand, and take them on a roller coaster. The biggest compliments I’ve received on my writing are by readers liking and feeling sorry for not just the victims, but the murderer I’ve brought to life. I think we all have flaws, and as an author, I love describing normal, flawed people, in an entertaining way.

As a person, I think there is something of me in everyone I create. My heroes and heroines are likable, though normal, and there is a piece of me in each of them (I hope).

What inspired this particular story? What makes you laugh out loud?

Glimpse, The Beautiful Deaths, book 2 of the trilogy, will be released on April 10^th, and the inspiration came from a woman who once said to me (though I now wish I’d never met her) “Here’s an idea you can use: when is a serial killer, not a serial killer?”

I must admit I hate riddles and couldn’t get what she meant, and she explained it was when someone doesn’t actually kill his victims, but his actions cause them to die. This sparked a lengthy discussion, and out of it, came Gordon, a man so hopelessly addicted to beauty he will abduct young women to capture the essence of them in oil. But once drugged and kidnapped, they cease to be the one thing he took them for in the first place – beautiful.

Why should we read this book/series and what sets you apart from the rest and makes your book/series unique?

It’s funny, but I was trying to think of a book, or series that I know of that is anything like The Three Deadly Glimpses Trilogy, to aid in picking search words, and I failed. By that definition, I think it is unique. In terms of the trilogy, I wanted to explore the relationship between two married people who must work together during three separate murder investigations, and they are instantly attracted to each other. Rick is a Detective Sargent and Pat is a criminal psychologist, brought in to provide a profile of a serial killer. Across the three books they fight the urge they both feel, yet their desire grows to the point both marriages are affected, even though they have not done anything but flirt. The attraction for both is deeper than a desire to have sex, they are drawn to each other yet they fight it to protect their crumbling existing relationships. Yes, it’s a love story, a long one – combined the three books total 300,000 words, and that gave me the time to really get inside their psyches to try to describe how they feel about not only each other, but their marriages. In my life, I’ve always got on better with women, than men, and I love being with, working with, or friendly with a women who I find desirable, even though I am married. No, I wouldn’t want to be unfaithful, for good reason – I adore my wife, but I love to feel that I could, if that makes sense. It was that wanting, and should I shouldn’t I feeling I wanted to explore in story form.

Each book is a thriller, a stand-alone story police procedural hunt to track down three entirely different, very troubled human beings who choose to kill people. Glimpse, Memoir of a Serial Killer, is a man whose life has been so bad, he has become a narcissistic sociopath who wants to be famous as the ‘best’ serial killer in Australian History. The killer in book 2, Glimpse, The Beautiful Deaths is something else entirely. His life since childhood has been so ugly, first through his mother, then his overbearing wife, that he becomes addicted to beauty. His quest to find perfection causes six young girls to lose their lives. Book 3, the finale of the series, Glimpse, The Tender Killer features a man who develops situational schizophrenia through unbearable guilt. He hears and sees an imaginary man, named Jolly, who quotes verses from the bible and urges him to kill nine times to find salvation and avenge the death of his sister. But is Jolly imaginary, or is he real? To make things worse for Rick and Pat, their marriages are in tatters, and PPP, the serial killer from book 1 has escaped, and is out for revenge.

Who is your favorite character of all of the books you’ve written and Why?

Patricia Holmes, in this series is the star of the show. It is her insightfulness, and hers alone, that helps uncover who the killers are, and helps understand why they do what they do. She is smart, beautiful, self-assured, wealthy (unlike Rick) and working in an era (between the years 200 and 2003) when firstly women in the police force were snubbed, and criminal psychologists laughed at. Pat overcomes all the prejudice and wins the respect of a very testosterone heavy bunch of jaded detectives. She is a wonderful character to write about, and though this was only ever going to be a trilogy, I adore her so much, she may be back in the future.

Do you find it easier to write from a male or female point of view? Why?

This is a great, and fun question. One of the reasons my wife and I get along so well is I say there is quite a bit of bloke in her (she’s always been a bit of a tomboy) and she says there is a strong feminine side to me. For example, she loves my taste in clothes for her and we shop together. I once wrote a story totally from a female POV, and my editor said she had never read anything quite like it and that it was the best example of a man describing how a woman thinks and feels she had ever experienced. I thought that high praise indeed. It’s not for me to say what I do best – I’m an author and I write about people. I hope I get most of it right, and I hope I entertain. I love writing about love, both from a male and female perspective, but the reader is the final arbiter.

My goodness you are a multi-faceted individual indeed! Now the SPEED ROUND FOR A LITTLE ADDED FUN:

Speed Round (one word only answer): Yep, I know torture for a writer!<evil laugh>

Favorite movie: INCEPTION
Favorite book: THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
Last book read: FACELESS KILLERS (WALLANDER SERIES)
Favorite color: YELLOW
Stilettos or flipflops: I CAN’T WALK ON STLETOES – Too bad I’d pay to see that. LOL
Coffee or tea: COFFEE – BLACK
Ebook or audiobook or paperback: AUDIO THESE DAYS
Pencil or pen: PEN

Favorite song: ROUNDABOUT – YES

Streak or not: NOT ANYMORE, BUT IN MY YOUNGER DAYS YOU BET

Favorite dessert: VANILA BEAN ICE CREAM

Favorite junk food: KFC

Favorite thing to do to relax: WRITE

Champagne or gin: G&T – WITH BOMBAY SAPHIRE AND FRESH LIME JUICE

Paranormal or Historical: HISTORICAL

Wonder Woman or Top Model: CURVES – WOMAN HAVE THEM IN ALL THE RIGHT PLACES

Favorite TV show: WALLANDER

Hot or cold: COLD

POV: SLIGHTLY LEFT OF RIGHT

I’d die if I don’t have: MY LAPTOP

Review or Not: ALWAYS

A little about Glimpse, the Beautiful Deaths:

Rick McCoy of the Major Crime Squad is trying to repair his marriage when he is sent to the South of Western Australia. A young girl’s body has been found in a cave, with flowers on her chest. A search finds five more bodies.

Beautiful criminal psychologist, Patricia Holmes, has recovered from her stab wounds inflicted by the serial killer PPP, and is brought in. Pat believes they are hunting a man who is addicted to beauty. When another school girl goes missing, they have only days before she too will die.

As their desire for each other grows and the pressure on their marriages increase, they close in on the man responsible for the beautiful deaths. Meanwhile, in the high-security wing of the mental health hospital, PPP plans his revenge on Rick.

Buy Link: AMAZON

About the Author:

I left Perth, Australia many years ago to go East and find fame and fortune in the music business as a long-haired rock guitarist. I wrote poems and music in my wild days. I gave it all up for love and got married (as you do when the right one comes along). Then, real life took over, children came along and I threatened to write a book for so many years my long-suffering wife eventually pushed me into it by buying me a laptop and said: “No more excuses, do it.” And so, began this amazing journey. Glimpse, Memoir of a Serial Killer is number seven, with books 2 and 3 of the trilogy also contracted, so I think, now and again, she regrets buying that laptop.

Stephen B King
Australian Author
www.stephen-b-king.com
email: stephenk8@me.com
Twitter: @StephenBKing1
Facebook: @stephenbkingauthor

It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Glimpse, the Beautiful Deaths!

Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Glimpse, Serial Killer, Stephen B. King, the Beautiful Deaths, Thriller by Tena Stetler with 17 comments.

Oct 18th Glimpse, Memoir of a Serial Killer by Stephen B. King an Interview

Give a Spooktacular welcome to Stephen B. King author of Glimpse, Memoir of a Serial Killer. Yeah, that’s pretty scary in my book. Perfect for Halloween.

Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cauldron. Take your choice of a Bat Wing Chocolate Chip or Pumpkin, or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about Stephen and his obsession with Glimpse, Memoir of a Serial Killer. I have to admit after close to twenty years as a paralegal for a criminal law firm, I’d never wanted a Glimpse into what made a serial killer tick. But I digress.

Let’s start with what makes you angry Stephen.

Negative people. Most of us authors have been criticized dreadfully by people who could never write a book, let alone get one published. It’s hard (though very enjoyable). I’m going through a very tough time now with a woman who has made the most spiteful, untrue accusations about one of my books, as yet unpublished, and at times I think about giving it all away. I am furious with her, but what can I do other than defend my reputation, hope she desists, and refuse to let her define who and what I am?

That’s all you can do. There will always be nay sayers, authors must have an unbelievably thick skin. You’re right it’s a tough industry. Glad you didn’t give up!

Now lets move on to what is your favorite Halloween experience of all time?

I saw Alice Cooper perform live one Halloween, which was spectacular. Being an ex guitarist myself I really loved his live show. Here in Australia, Halloween is not the big event that it is in the states; but fun none the less. I love watching a bunch of kids, parent(s) in tow, knocking of doors for treats (we Aussies never give tricks – well, rarely)

What would you do if a Vampire showed up at your door?

OK, here’s a little known fact (I read Bram Stoker): A vampire can’t cross the threshold of a home unless he or she has been invited. The problem is that they own hypnotic powers so will probably weasel an invite out of you. So one thing I wouldn’t do, was ask them in for a drink.

Who is your favorite character of all of the books you’ve written and Why?

Can I pick two? In Thirty-Three Days, Jenny, a lonely introverted woman who devoted her life to her students, gets a chance to go back in time and save the world, in doing so she finds love. She is the bravest person imaginable. In Glimpse, Memoir of a Serial Killer, Patricia Holmes is brought into the investigation in an era when psychologists were viewed by police as not welcome. She is a clever, insightful woman who through her and her alones actions saves lives and brings a maniacal murderer to justice. I guess this shows I have the utmost respect for strong willed women.

Where do your story ideas come from? If they come to you in the middle of the night, do you get up and write them all down?

Thirty-Three Days did come to me in the middle of the night, and I had to get up and write it down because it sent shivers up and down my spine. Glimpse was completely different. The spark of inspiration came when I was driving along and a random thought snuck into my head: I was five years old when I first saw someone bleed out. Now, I’ve never seen anyone bleed out at any age, and that isn’t even an expression I’d use myself. The killer, in one of his rantings in his diary, asks the question: who knows where random thoughts of inspiration comes from? I don’t, but that odd thought while I was driving was a seed, and it grew into a plant, then a tree. The line is the opening for the first of his ramblings as he writes his memoir, and charts his life to explain why, and how, he became a mass murderer.

SPEED ROUND FOR A LITTLE ADDED FUN:

Speed Round (one word only answer): Yep, I know torture for a writer!<evil laugh>

Favorite scary movie: The Exorcist
Favorite scary book: Pet Sematary by my namesake
Last scary book read: Duma Key (same author)
Favorite color: yellow
Stilettos or flipflops or boots: On my wife stilettoes, on me flip flops (I’m Australian)
Coffee or tea or flaming drink: Coffee, black
Ebook or audiobook or paperback: Nothing like the smell of a new book
Pencil or pen or quill with blood ink jar: The quill would be fun

Favorite scary song: Spiders and Snakes

Favorite costume: Hard to go past Dracula

Favorite dessert: Blood Orange Cheesecake

Favorite junk food: KFC (don’t tell my wife she wants me to lose weight)

Favorite thing to do to relax: Chase bats? Movies

Champagne or gin or magic potion: All alcohol can be magic

Paranormal or Historical: Paranormal

Wonder Woman or Top Model or Witch’s Ball: WW I’m a sucker for a good looking woman

Favorite scary TV show: X Files

Hot or cold: Hot

POV: The killers

I’d die if I don’t have: Time left

Review or Not: I do

Tell us a bit about Glimpse, Memoir of a Serial Killer.

In 1999 Australia, Sergeant Rick McCoy investigates the murder of a woman found packed inside a suitcase.
The Killer abducts another victim and threatens to dismember her slowly. His life is further complicated by a marriage in tatters. Frustrated at every turn, he is paired with glamorous Criminal Psychologist and profiler, Patricia Holmes.
While trying to rebuild his marriage, he finds himself in a desperate race against time to free the victim and fight his desire for his new partner.

Available at: Amazon The Wild Rose Press

A sneak peek between the pages of Glimpse, Memoir of a Serial Killer.

“Pat, I know you went to uni with the boss, because he told me. I am an old-fashioned cop who believes in what I do. This is a hideous case, with clearly a deranged murderer who takes delight in abducting, raping and torturing women. If we don’t stop him, he will keep going because he likes it. Believe me, I’m willing to take any help from you that will get me closer to this guy.”

“He’s not deranged. He just sees things differently than you or I do. To him his behavior is normal, and you cops are the abnormal ones. That’s probably because of his upbringing. Tell me everything you know, let me try to get a feel for this guy, Daryl has already told me quite a lot, but I want your take on the facts. I will tell you one thing I think already, he lost his mother at a very early age. I think she went out to the shops and never came back. She abandoned him, that’s why he selects his victims from shopping areas.”

“Oh come on, how can you know that?”

She uncurled her legs and leant forward on her desk. “My role, if I am to be any help at all, is to theorize. To observe the facts and make deductions from them. It would be fair and reasonable if I were wrong twenty percent of the time. I could live with that; eighty percent is good for this kind of work. Our man abducts women, from supermarkets, therefore he does it for a reason and not by random chance. By him replicating that, it would make sense if he is hurting his mother for leaving him. Rick, people who commit these sorts of crimes don’t do it just for fun, although often they enjoy the act. They can feel driven to do it; it satisfies an urge or need that they have. Psychopaths hear voices, which tell them what to do and how to do it. But Sociopaths have no conscience, they don’t feel guilt, and you can’t argue with them logically. They often will feel incredibly superior, and they will lord that over you; tease and taunt, just to show how clever they are. They will shift the blame so if you don’t stop them it’s your fault, not theirs. Rick, this is my field, I’m not going to be able to tell you where he lives, because I don’t use a crystal ball. But, I might be able to tell you the kind of place he might live in, the sort of up upbringing he may have had, and most importantly, the kind of things to look out for if you interview him. I’m only offering to help you, so, please, tell me everything, don’t hold back; what do you have to lose?”

He nodded slowly, and took a long draft of his beer. She’s right, what do I have to lose?

About the author Stephen B. King:

Web: www.stephen-b-king.com
twitter: @stephenBKing1
Facebook: @stephenbkingauthor

It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Glimpse, Memoir of a Serial Killer.

Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Halloween, Serial Killer, Spooktacular, Stephen P. King, Thriller by Tena Stetler with 15 comments.

Jul 24th Interview Stephen B. King Author of Thirty-Three Days

Give a warm welcome to Stephen King, (No not that Stephen King, Stephen B. King) author of Thirty-Three Days!

Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about Stephen B. King and his Thirty-Three Days!

Lets start off with what defines you as an author? As a person? Are they one in the same?

I think both. Thirty-Three Days allowed me to show my belief that the important things in life are love, family and friendship. If you’re very lucky you are granted other things, but those are the best you can ask for. In all of my books, no matter how dark the subject matter is – and a couple of mine are very dark – there is always a love theme. I genuinely pity anyone that has never had that feeling of love, where the other person takes your breath away with just a glance across a room full of other people.

What inspired this particular story? I’m almost embarrassed to admit it came to me in a dream – a multi layered one about the end of the world, extinction of mankind due to genetic food modification, and seven (think: Magnificent Seven) dedicated people having to play leapfrog through time to place a lonely woman at the right time and place in history to stop it. She falls in love, but cannot stay in the past. I love developing ‘the impossible love story’ and asking the question – but is it impossible? Is there hope? There is also the ‘thriller element’ where the desperate wise men in future, cannot afford failure, so they send another seven people back, to murder the man responsible.

Why should we read this book/series and what sets you apart from the rest and makes your book/series unique? I genuinely believe Thirty Three Days is a unique story that asks many questions yet at the same time entertains. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve read the story, through re-writes and editing etc, and there are three places that choke me up every single time – and I know what’s happening next. I just hope I’ve been able to tell the story well enough, to do it justice.

Tell us something about yourself and allow us to get to know you. I was asked to leave school at an early age in an era when rock music meant everything to me. I got involved in the band scene as a long haired guitarist, and lived the cliché sex, drugs, and rock and roll. When I finally grew up, I married and had children (all of whom I adore) many years passed with me threatening to ‘write a book’. My poor wife listened to imagined plot lines I dreamt up and never raised her eyes at me, yet I never started writing. And then, one day, a song by Leonard Cohen, called Nevermind, inspired me. One line spoke to me in a way I’d never experienced before: I live among you, well disguised. I wrote a 30 verse poem just about that one line, and my daughter, after reading it, asked me what came next in the story. She cajoled me, and my wife bought me a laptop, and Forever Night poured from me. A UK publisher picked it up, and the rest is history.

Who is your favorite character of all of the books you’ve written and Why? Easy choice: Jenny from Thirty Three Days. She is a shy, lonely, introverted, sixty eight year old university lecturer with almost no self esteem who has to take a giant leap of faith in a man who says he is from the future and that she is the only one that can save the planet. It takes enormous courage for her to inject herself with a drug, that will send her consciousness back in time thirty three years on a mission. By taking that leap of faith, she is given a second chance to learn that life is not about career, money, or position, it is friendship, love, and family that matters. She is the most courageous heroine, with ,more problems to face than anyone should ever have to, and I am so proud of creating her. I hope she inspires others.

Speed Round (one word only answer): Yep, I know torture for a writer!<evil laugh>

Favorite movie: Inception.
Favorite book: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.
Last book read: Why319?
Favorite color: Like Jenny: Yellow
Stilettos or flipflops: Hmmm, I’m a man, so for me to wear? Flip flops, but on women, stilettos
Coffee or tea: Its humorous for me to relate that a hard ‘rocker’ now drinks green tea (LOL)
Ebook or audiobook or paperback: You can’t beat holding a book, and wanting to read one more chapter at 4am, when you know you have to get up at six
Pencil or pen: Pen

Favorite song: Can I pick 2? Roundabout by Yes, but the ringtone on my phone is Black Sabbath, God is Dead? Just love the question mark at the end

Streak or not: Oh definitely yes

Favorite dessert: Baked cheesecake

Favorite junk food: Very English: Fish and Chips

Favorite thing to do to relax: For many years, play guitar, but more recently: write. I’m making up for lost time

Champagne or gin: Gin

Paranormal or Historical: Neither?

Wonder Woman or Top Model: Wonder Woman – the 70’s version

Favorite TV show: True Detective (1)

Hot or cold: Weather or women? LOL. Hot – I’m Australian

POV: I have lots of them

I’d die if I don’t have: My laptop

Review or Not: Always

As you can see, it is impossible for a writer to answer in ONE word. LOL

Tell us a little more about Thirty-Three Days.

Jenny is a lonely university lecturer who’s consciousness has traveled back in time to her younger body to try to save the future of the world. A young microbiologist is going to release a genetically modified wheat that will mutate and ultimately destroy all plant life, leaving nothing but barren windswept dust bowls.
In the past, Jenny finds a love that has been missing from her life; the kind that comes just once in a lifetime. But Jenny can only stay in that time period for thirty-three days.
Meanwhile, in the future, fearful Jenny will fail, plans are made to send another back in time–an assassin. How can she choose between saving the man she loves or saving the future?

How about a sneak peek between the pages of Thirty-Three Days?

August 2nd 2049, Perth, Western Australia

After three weeks of research, Jenny O’Brien thought she was ready. The feeling of nervous expectation had followed her acceptance of what had started out being fanciful, then traversed through unbelievable, right on up to the doorstep of: You must be mad!

Well, I am as ready as I will ever be for my journey, I suppose.

But her fears and insecurities nibbled at her like a pack of baying dogs chasing a rabbit through the scrub. She was going to take the drug soon and go to sleep; the injector lay on her bedside cabinet. Then she would wake up back in time thirty-three years, in her younger body.

Yes, folks, it’s mad, isn’t it?

The sound of her nervous giggle echoed around the barren walls of her lonely apartment and returned to haunt her. She still had trouble believing she had been chosen by a “Committee” some two hundred and thirty years in the future.

Oh, my God, why did I agree to this insanity?

She had initially refused point blank to help, vigorously shaking her head. “I can’t, Simon, I just can’t. I’m not the person you think I am. You want someone strong and courageous. Someone who isn’t afraid to fail. I am the complete antithesis of that.”

He smiled in the crooked way he had, which she quite liked, if she was honest. He then spent the next four days convincing her she was all those things and more.

Once he had gone, returned to his farm in the future, she spent long hours, working at her desk in her one-bedroom apartment on the eighty-third floor of the glass and chromium steel building, The Monument Towers. She studied all the available history for the period she would be re-visiting and committed to memory all the necessary facts she believed she would need. Fortunately, a lifetime of study and lecturing students had given her near perfect recall.

The knowledge she was taking back in time was history but would be seen as fortune telling to others. Being able to recite events to come was a must if she was to have any success of convincing Iain, and more importantly, his son, Bradley, that she wasn’t a complete lunatic.

Her trip was to be the last link in the chain, the final “leap of faith” Simon called it, and hence they called themselves “Leapers.” Simon was the sixth, she was to be the seventh, and to her it seemed appropriate. Seven was her lucky number; she chose it for everything she could.

With a snap and twist of the alloy top, she opened a bottle of Margaret River wine, and poured a large measure into her crystal glass. She intended to finish the bottle before taking her ASX101 and going to bed, to wake up…in her own past. She still struggled to get her mind around the concept. At times, she wondered if it was not all part of some elaborate hoax.

It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Thirty-Three Days.

Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Genetic food modification, Stephen B. King, Thirty-Three Days, Thriller, World Extinction by Tena Stetler with 14 comments.