TBR welcomes Kim Cresswell

TBR: Welcome to TBR, Kim Cresswell. Will you share a little bit about yourself?
Kim: Thank you for having me. I'm thrilled to be here today! I was raised in London, Ontario Canada, and I am trained as a legal assistant. I've taken many detours, including; working for a private investigator, running a graphic design business, and teaching computer classes at a local business school before returning to my first love, writing.

TBR: Tell us about Reflection and where it's available.
Kim: Reflection is my debut romantic suspense novel and is available through my publisher, MuseItUp Publishing, Amazon and coming soon to Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Kobo and other other fine retailers. Reflection will also be available in paperback in late February.

Purchase Links

Amazon

AmazonUK

MuseItUp Publishing

TBR: Please tantalize us with a story blurb or excerpt.
Kim: I have both for you today. I hope you enjoy the blurb and excerpt.

BLURB

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...

TBR: What inspired you to write about the theme?
Kim: 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 investigative reporter, and thus, REFLECTION was born.

TBR: Are you a plotter or pantser?
Kim: I'm a plotter. I setup a storyboard in a spreadsheet and plot out as much of a story as possible. Then I color code each plot line, usually pink for romance, blue for the main plot and green for the subplot. This way I can see if I have any holes in my plot. 

TBR: Do you have a favorite quote you’d like to share?
Kim: My favorite quote in REFLECTION is...

He ploughed his fingers through his wet hair and smiled again. “Face it, I’m

growing on you.”

She was. No way would she give him the satisfaction. Stay focused. Get the

story. Walk away. “Yeah, like mold.”

TBR: Did any music inspire your book? Do you have a playlist?
Kim: Yes! I have to have some sort of music playing. For REFLECTION, I listened to; Barry White, Bon Jovi, David Bowie, Eagles, Guns N Roses and Eminem. God, I'm showing my age.  

TBR: Which of your characters would you most/least like to invite to dinner, and why?
Kim: George Raines for sure. He's WBNN-TV’s assignment editor, Whitney Steel's (heroine) co-worker and father-like figure. George's character is heart-warming and kind and quirky. I think he'd make a very interesting and entertaining dinner guest.  

TBR: While creating your books, what was one of the most surprising things you learned?
Kim: The most surprising thing I've learned while creating my books is how many crazy ideas I have yet to write about. I actually started an idea folder while writing REFLECTION.

TBR: What's next for you?
Kim: I'm presently working on the Retribution, the sequel to Reflection which will be available in late 2013. I'm also writing the first book of a four book supernatural mystery series, Deadly Shadow – The Assassin Chronicles.

TBR: What’s the most challenging aspect of writing? Most rewarding?
Kim: The most challenging aspect of writing for me is finishing the first draft. I have  an internal editor that will not shut off.  Most rewarding?  Finally finishing the first draft.

TBR: Who are some of your favorite authors and books? What are you reading now?
Kim: Oh, there are so many--but I'm an old-school-kind-of-girl. Harold Robbins (Never Love a Stranger), Jackie Collins (Lucky), and Sydney Sheldon (Master of the Game) top my list. Iris Johansen, Karen Slaughter, Michael Connelly and James Patterson are also some of my favorite authors. One of my favorite books is Waiting Wives: The Story of Schilling Manor, Home Front to the Vietnam War by Donna Moreau. Presently, I'm reading Burn in Hell, A Jake Carrington Mystery by Marian Lanouette.

TBR: Where can readers find you on the web?
Kim: I have a web site, blog and Facebook Fan Page.

Web Site

Trapped Inside My Head (Blog)
Facebook Author Page
Goodreads
Twitter

TBR: Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?
Kim: Do you read Romantic Suspense?  What do you love about the genre? Is it the suspense, the romance, or both?

TBR: Readers, Kim Cresswell will give away an eBook copy of REFLECTION (choice of .pdf, epub for Nook/Sony, .prc for Kindle or HTML) to one lucky commenter. She'll pick a winner on February 9th and announce the winner here. Be sure to leave your email address so she can contact you.

Thanks for visiting TBR, Kim. All the best to you.