The Rose Red Reaper by Kristi Loucks interview!!

Book Cover and Blurb

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?

Links

Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Reaper-Chicago-Serial-Crimes-ebook/dp/B00BOYYYA8
Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00BOYYYA8


Createspace: https://www.createspace.com/4194609

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.

Excerpt #1 The Rose Red Reaper

Mason turned and headed for the stairs, taking them two at a time with Devon right behind him. The hallway was alive with dozens of officers questioning the other residents about what they may have seen or heard. And Mason was almost certain they’d seen and heard nothing. Melinda and Piper had arrived as they made their way down the hallway to the victim’s apartment.

They entered the apartment and instantly smelled the acrid tang of copper. Blood dripped in fat droplets from the ceiling, indicating that his latest victim’s heart had been pumping at the time the wounds were inflicted.

Mason closed his eyes as he prepared himself to enter the room fully. When he opened them, he moved to the left where he saw Dr. Hovey crouched over the body of the young victim. His eyes had been taped open; his hands were extended out to the side and duct taped to the metal slats of his headboard.

The carotid artery was gaping open with a solid stream of dried blood coating his skin and leaving the unmistakable spray pattern on the ceiling and walls. His mouth was duct taped to silence his screams and he had a tourniquet on his left arm that prevented him from bleeding out as the killer warmed up with his brachial and radial arteries. Dried blood had dripped from his nose, covering the tape that kept him silent, and the sheets beneath him were saturated with blood and urine. Undoubtedly, this poor young man had spent the last hours of his life in an unimaginable state of terror.

“Looks like the handiwork of your guy,” Dr. Hovey stated. “No hesitation marks. Each incision is methodical and precise.”

“Yeah. He’s enjoying this, too. He wants them to watch, to see the life drain from their bodies. He wants to be the last thing they see,” Mason said as he glanced around the room.

 Interview Questions

1.  Why did you pick Rose Red? Are you a Stephen King fan?

     I am a fan of Stephen King, though I didn’t make the connection to his Rose Red until after the manuscript was finished.  Rose red actually came from the imagery in the first crime scene the team visits.  The white rose petal floating in a sea of blood.  It didn’t seem right to call it The Red Rose Reaper since the roses were actually always white. So, he became The Rose Red Reaper because the roses were often partially stained red by the blood of his victims.

2.  Who would play the main characters if a movie was made?

     That’s such a tough question.  I actually don’t usually associate characters with actual people very often, though I did have a very specific person in mind for Dakota which was Alexis Bledel. For some reason, that was who I envisioned for her right away.  Mason, I could see as someone like Ian Somerhalder because of the intense blue eyes, anyone who played him would have to have those eyes.  Devon, perhaps Jesse Spencer.   The Reaper is a tough one because he has to fit into society, but has this underlying darkness.  That one I find myself stuck on.  Maybe a reader would have some thoughts there.  I could see someone like Michaela Conlin playing Melinda.  And Piper, I envision as someone who looks like Taylor Kinney, sort of imposing in size but has that sort of mischevious kid like quality that draws you in.

3.  Why did you pick blindness as a character flaw?

     Oddly, when I started writing the book Dakota wasn’t going to be blind.  I was struggling with not making her a hapless victim and trying to give her some depth, but I kept getting stuck on how she would tie into the case and ultimately how she might be linked to the killer without being aware of it.  I got frustrated one night and shut off the computer and turned on the television to watch a guilty pleasure, Master Chef.  Christine Ha was a competitor on the show who happened to be blind.  And all of a sudden I had my answer, what if Dakota was blind?  Simple as that.  She was a baker, because I am and also because it is one of those things where feel is more important that sight in a lot of cases.

4.  Will there be more books about the same characters?

   Yes, I am planning a four book series where each of the four core characters will be highlighted. Book two will focus on Devon Cole.

5.  What would you like my readers to know?

     I grew up in a suburb of Chicago, so this series being based in Chicago features a lot of places that I am familiar with as will the rest of the series.  I always loved to read, and I especially loved stories that gave you a picture of where the story takes place.  I think that comes from familiarity which is why I chose Chicago.  It is a city that I know and love! 

     More importantly, I would like to say thank you to your readers for stopping by and I hope that you enjoy the series!