Kris Bock Writes Romantic Suspense Set in the Southwest
~ Romance in the Southwest ~
My guest romance author Kris Bock writes light romantic suspense set in the intriguing landscape of the Southwest United States. In her interview,Kris shares the wonders of the land she lives in, how she researches for her books, and her approach to plotting. She is also a prolific children’s book author and the author of numerous writing books. Tell us more Kris…
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I live in New Mexico with my husband and our two ferrets. My home office looks out on nature, complete with distracting wildlife such as roadrunners and foxes. My BFA in photography is used mainly to show Facebook friends how lovely the Southwest is.
I write novels of adventure and romance involving outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. Whispers in the Dark features archaeology and intrigue among ancient Southwest ruins. In Counterfeits, stolen Rembrandt paintings bring danger to a small New Mexico town. What We Found is a mystery with strong romantic elements about a young woman who finds a murder victim in the woods. The Mad Monk’s Treasure follows the hunt for a long-lost treasure in the New Mexico desert. In The Dead Man’s Treasure, estranged relatives compete to reach a buried treasure by following a series of complex clues. In The Skeleton Canyon Treasure, sparks fly when reader favorites Camie and Tiger help a mysterious man track down his missing uncle. Each of the Southwest Treasure Hunters books stands alone in this series mixing action and adventure with light romance.
Read excerpts at my Amazon page or website. Sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter.
How do you go about doing research for your works? Do you draw on personal experience for your stories?
Real life experiences often give me ideas. What We Found was inspired by finding a dead body while hiking. It also includes falconry, based on experiences I’ve had with a falconer.
Whispers in the Dark follows a young archaeologist who stumbles into danger as mysteries unfold among ancient Southwest ruins. That was inspired by a trip to Hovenweep National Monument some years ago.
I had an idea for a series about treasure hunting adventures in the Southwest, so I read up on some lost treasures. In The Mad Monk’s Treasure (99 cents, free with KU) two friends search for the Victorio Peak treasure – a heretic Spanish priest’s gold mine, made richer by the spoils of bandits and an Apache raider. Their experiences in the desert are based on my experiences hiking in New Mexico, though they get more danger and drama.
Counterfeits is set near Jemez Springs, a real town in the Northwestern part of New Mexico. I have attended many writing retreats at a camp there. Sites mentioned in the book such as Battleship Rock and Soda Dam are real. I hiked through the mountains and took notes for one scene where Jenny has to escape from some bad guys.
I blogged about my Southwest travel and inspiration more here.
Tell us about your reading habits.
I like romantic suspense and mystery, but nothing too gruesome. I don’t need dead bodies strewn on every page. Lately historical romance seems to be my comfort reads. It generally makes a nice break from whatever I’m working on. Maybe because I don’t write it, I can turn off the editorial brain and just be a reader. These days I mainly read on the Kindle, both for convenience and because my eyes can no longer always handle tiny print. I can get ebooks from the library without actually going to the library. Our small town has a good but small library, and the big library system I primarily use is over an hour away.
Tell us about your pets.
We got our first two ferrets in 2012. Zonks and Rico came as a pair. Ferrets don’t live very long, unfortunately, especially when you get them as older rescues, so we’ve loved and lost two more since then. We’ve had our current two, Teddy Black Bear (Bear) and Princess Pandemonium (Panda) since August. They love to wrestle and to sleep cuddled together. I have yet to use a ferret in one of my books, but I’m sure I will someday.
Are there animals in your books? What part do they play?
My treasure hunting adventures each have a different main couple, but some characters show up in each book. The Mad Monk’s Treasure introduces two friends, Erin and Camie, and Camie’s oversized orange cat Tiger. Camie and Tiger help out in The Dead Man’s Treasure, and they’re the main characters – along with a love interest for Camie – in The Skeleton Canyon Treasure. I think Tiger may be my most popular character of all. He goes hiking with Camie and has been known to attack intruders. Some people think his behavior is unrealistic, while others swear they’ve known a cat just like him.
What We Found includes falconry. Some years back I spent time with a man who raises falcons and hawks and went on a few hunts with him. This scene is closely based my experiences with a falconer:
We strode across the desert, angling to pass by bushy patches where rabbits might be hiding. The hawk flew ahead again, soaring about twenty feet above the ground before landing on a small tree. She waited until we passed by, then made another hop, farther that time. Kyle raised his left arm to shoulder height. The hawk flew back and landed. Watching her come in sent a strange breathless thrill through my chest. I’d seen owls and eagles fairly close in the zoo, but there they were sitting quietly on perches. This was a glimpse of something wild and beautiful.
A jackrabbit bolted out of a bush twenty paces ahead. The hawk took off after it.
Seconds later, she swooped down behind some bushes several hundred feet away. She rose up, made a small loop, and dropped down again. Something shrieked.
Kyle was already running toward the action. By the time I got there, he had the hawk on his arm again. She had a feather sticking out awkwardly from her wing. I didn’t see the rabbit and wondered if Kyle had hidden it to make it easier on me.
“She got beat up,” Kyle said. “That rabbit had some moves.”
“It got away?”
He nodded and plucked a small tuft of gray fur from the bush. “She made contact. But this time, it looks like the rabbit won.” He opened his fingers and the small tuft of fur drifted away on the breeze.
“The rabbit won!”
“It happens sometimes. Fortunately for our girl, she won’t starve.” He looked into her black eyes. “It’s frozen quail for you tonight, my dear.”
The falconry aspect helped me develop thematic elements of What We Found, added some action, and provided readers with insight into an usual pastime. One reader wrote, “The falconry aspect was almost as intriguing as the unveiling of the murderer!”
Have you written non-fiction or children’s books? How has that influenced your fiction writing?
I am the author of over 50 books for children, including fiction and nonfiction, early reader through teen. My novels for ages nine and up include The Eyes of Pharaoh, a mystery in ancient Egypt; The Well of Sacrifice, a Mayan adventure; The Genie’s Gift, a middle eastern fantasy; and the Haunted series, about kids who travel with a ghost hunter TV show, which starts with The Ghost on the Stairs.
My book Advanced Plotting helps writers fine-tune their plots. You Can Write for Children: How to Write Great Stories, Articles, and Books for Kids and Teenagers is available for the Kindle, in paperback, or in Large Print paperback. Learn more at www.chriseboch.com or my Amazon page.
Thanks for hosting me!
Whispers in the Dark by Kris Bock
Young archeologist Kylie Hafford heads to the remote Puebloan ruins of Lost Valley, Colorado, to excavate. Her first exploration of the crumbling ruins ends in a confrontation with a gorgeous, angry man who looks like a warrior from the Pueblo’s ancient past. If only Danesh weren’t so aggravating… and fascinating. Then she literally stumbles across Sean, a charming, playful tourist. His attentions feel safer, until she glimpses secrets he’d rather keep hidden.
The summer heats up as two sexy men pursue her. She finds mysteries – and surprising friendships – among the other campground residents. Could the wide-eyed woman and her silent children be in the kind of danger all too familiar to Kylie?
Mysterious lights, murmuring voices, and equipment gone missing plague her dig. A midnight encounter sends Kylie plummeting into a deep canyon. She’ll need all her strength and wits to survive. Everything becomes clear – if she wants to save the man she’s come to love and see the villains brought to justice, she must face her demons and fight.
Whispers in the Dark is action-packed romantic suspense set in the Four Corners region of the Southwest.
Meet Kris Bock  
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Kris Bock Blog: The Southwest Armchair Traveler
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Do you like books set in the Southwest?
Post your thoughts and comments below.
Thank you! Happy reading.
Nice to meet you, Kris, and learn about your interesting life. Whispers in the Dark sounds exciting and intriguing. I wish you all the best with all your writing!
Cat