Please welcome Kim Cresswell by Marian Lanouette

Today I’d like to welcome romantic suspense author Kim Cresswell. Kim’s debut book Reflection was an awesome read. When I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it and all the characters. The subject matters has stayed wtih me.

Welcome Kim, let’s get started.

What inspired your latest book?

REFLECTION is my debut romantic suspense and was inspired by headline news. The story evolved after Clonaid (a company founded by the religious sect called the Raelians which views cloning as the first step in achieving immortality) announced the birth of Eve, the “first human clone” in 2002 using the similar technique to clone, Dolly the Sheep. About 160 nations in the world have yet to outlaw the birth of human clones and others are allowing the creation of human clones as long as they are not put into a woman’s womb (how do we know they aren’t implanted?), add a kick-ass heroine, a sexy FBI agent and a villain you love to hate, thus, REFLECTION was born.

How much time do you spend promoting your books?

What works best for you? At this point, I’m promoting about 6 hours a day since REFLECTION is my debut release. I’m hoping to slow down a bit and finish my next book, a thriller, Lethal Journey.  I need to find some balance with writing and promoting.  I haven’t found that perfect balance…quite yet. Where do you get the ideas for your stories? My ideas come from many different places such as movies, conversations and experiences to name a few. Occasionally, an idea smacks me in the side of the head. Such is the case with a book I’m working on, a supernatural mystery. The idea came from a terrifying dream—the perfect scenario for the story’s villain, a serial killer. I watch the news, read the paper, and search the Internet looking for interesting stories that make me ask the question, “What if?”

Do you have critique partners?

I do. I work with a couple fantastic critique partners I’ve had since 2001. These gals are talented multi-published authors. I value their opinions–good or bad.

What is your favorite dessert/food?

Oh, God! I love food! I am such a foodie! Cheesecake, chocolate, and seafood are on the top of my list…and French fries and…stop me please!

How likely are people you meet to end up in your next book?

Pretty darn likely…especially people I don’t like. Seriously, if the person is interesting, bits and pieces of their personality are blended into my characters.

Was your road to publication fraught with peril or a walk in the park?

Fraught with perils…well sort of.  With REFLECTION, I was blessed to work with two fantastic agents. The first being an agent in Toronto who ended up closing her agency. From there I signed with Jill Marsal of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. Jill was wonderful and supportive. I recommend her highly.  Publishing is all about timing, so I learned. Even the best agent was unable to sell my book when the economy went into a recession in 2010. Every rejection letter basically said the same…”great book..loved it..but we can’t take the chance on a new author in this economy.” More recently, I was asked to rewrite REFLECTION to a category romance by a well-known and popular publishing house. I declined because I am not a category romance author. I simply have too much to say. So I decided to go with a smaller publishing house, MuseItUp Publishing, because I knew I would be allowed to publish my story the way I wanted to..as a single title mainstream romantic suspense.

Give us an elevator pitch for your book.

Okay, here you go…A reporter’s determination to expose an illegal human cloning project places an innocent child in the crosshairs of a master criminal. What genres are you drawn to as a reader? I love suspense, thrillers, mystery, action and paranormal genres.

Do you prefer to read in the same genres you write in or do you avoid reading that genre? Why?

Actually, I love to read in the same genre because I’m always learning..studying other authors.

Do you have any words of inspiration for aspiring authors? 3 tips.

Don’t ever give up. Rejection is nothing more than one person’s opinion. And write…write and write more. Please tell my readers a little bit about your book.

Florida investigative reporter, Whitney Steel, has lived in the shadow of her legendary father long enough. To prove herself she needs to find the “Big” story. She found it. Now it may kill her. After Whitney receives a lead pointing to the world’s first cloned human, now a small child, she vows to unravel the truth. However, sifting through the facts proves to have dangerous results, including death threats and murder. When Whitney is nearly killed, but is saved by undercover FBI Special Agent, Blake Neely, he refuses to let her get in the way of his own objective—at least not right away. Caught in a lethal game between a billionaire obsessed with genetic perfection, his hit man’s thirst for retribution, and a Colombian drug lord fresh out of prison determined to make Blake pay for his twin brother’s death over a decade ago… Can they save an innocent child before it’s too late? Faced with tough choices, with deadly consequences for many—Whitney soon realizes that sometimes a story becomes more than just a story.

Excerpt:

Mason Bailey gulped down his third Glenlivet. “I didn’t kill her.”

How many times had Whitney Steel heard those words? Dozens. But never from the mouth of a United States senator. For all she cared, the man could drink himself to Mars, but not until she got what she’d come for. An exclusive.

Under the awning shading the Pink Flamingo Club’s patio, she took a sip of her lime daiquiri, and couldn’t help notice the way the mid-afternoon sunlight brutally magnified every line on Mason’s tanned face.

“Of all the reporters in Panama City, let alone Florida, why me? We cut our ties years ago.” And our losses, she wanted to say, but didn’t.

“I know I can trust you.” His gaze darted across the street then back to her. “Besides, we were married once. That should count for something.”

Whitney straightened. Anger coiled in the pit of her stomach. “Give me a break. For a year and a half, I thought we were married. Too bad your girlfriends didn’t know about our little legal arrangement.” Especially, your twenty something assistant.

“Damn it, Whitney. I didn’t ask you here to rehash our past.” He yanked a monogrammed handkerchief from his jacket pocket and dabbed the sweat from his forehead. “I need your help. I know why Carmen Lacey was murdered.”

Her eyes widened. Now they were getting somewhere. “You have my full attention. Are we on the record?”

Mason shoved his empty glass aside. “Yes.”

Her heart thumped with anticipation. This story would be the topic du jour for months. Her ratings at WBNN-TV would soar, and finally her colleagues would take notice and treat her with the professional respect she deserved.

For the past twelve years, her colleagues said she’d had a free ride because of her father, an award winning war correspondent, and her ex-husband’s political connections. This time she’d prove them wrong.

She rummaged through her leather bag, placed her digital voice recorder on the table and gave the record button a firm push. “For the record, Senator Bailey, did you kill Carmen Lacey?”

“No.” He leaned back in the chair and loosened his pinstriped tie. “It’s true. I was the last person to see her alive. But there’s more to this than you think.”

Brown eyes that once set her heart hammering now conveyed a chilling,hollow look. Was it guilt? Desperation?

No. Fear.

Uneasiness slid down her spine. She stopped the recorder. “Mason, you’re scaring me. What the hell is going on? It’s been over three years since we last spoke. Then, out of the blue, you beg me to meet with you today. I know the police don’t believe you killed that woman.”

“But do you, Whitney? Do you believe I killed her? I need to know. It’s important.”

Stunned by the urgency in his voice, she answered carefully. “Of course not. You’re many things, but you’re not a killer.”

“Thank you. That means a lot to me.” He reached for his empty glass and tapped his chunky gold ring against the side.

Whitney turned the recorder on again.

“Carmen was a scientist working for a biotech company in Nevada. ShawBioGen. Heard of it?”

“Who hasn’t? They were one of the first to clone animals in the eighties. Caused quite a stir. But I don’t understand. What does that have to do with Carmen’s death?”

He opened his mouth to answer.

The large window behind them dividing the patio from the main restaurant exploded…

Watch the Trailer Buy Links

MuseItUp Publishing:  http://tinyurl.com/ctwm5cp Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Reflection-ebook/dp/B00B5HRBZE Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/289845

Now available in paperback! Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Reflection-Kim-Cresswell/dp/1482059355 Createaspace:  https://www.createspace.com/4144264

Bio Trained as a legal assistant, Kim Cresswell has been a story-teller all her life but took many detours including; working for a private investigator, running a graphic design business, and teaching computer classes at a local business school. After becoming disabled with Fibromyalgia and Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome, Kim returned to her first love, writing. For her, writing suspense fiction is an incredible adventure and she’s surprised where the journey takes her. She’s also an avid reader who enjoys playing computer games, ghost hunting and loves anything paranormal. Kim has a few new books in the works including the sequel to REFLECTION which will be released in late 2013. http://www.kimcresswell.ca/ Facebook Fan Page Goodreads Twitter

Filed under: romance