Wednesday Spotlight with Anne Patrick

Hello and welcome to Wednesday Spotlight! My featured guest today is Anne Patrick. Anne is here to discuss her latest romantic suspense from Champagne Books, Out of the Darkness. We are sitting in the rose garden this morning. With a gorgeous backdrop of azure blue skies and rolling green hills, and with the songbirds sweetly chirping, Oliver has just finished setting out refreshments on the flowered umbrella table. And when the front doorbell rings, Oliver plucks up a rose from the arbor and dashes off, muscles pumping.

A few minutes later, Oliver escorts Anne out to the garden to join Sharon. Oliver, being the gentleman he is, helps her into her chair. But not before casting her a wicked wink.

Sharon: Welcome, Anne! Great to have you as my guest today. So how are you?

Anne: I’m doing wonderful, Sharon. Thanks so much for having me over today. I’ve been looking forward to meeting both you and Oliver for some time.

Sharon: We’re honored to have you!

Oliver serves diet coke and presents a plate of chocolate covered sunflower seeds. He smiles a beguiling smile as he plops a few morsels into Anne’s mouth.

Anne: Mummm yummy, and I’m not just talking about the sunflower seeds *huge grin*.

Oliver pumps his biceps.

Sharon: Oliver has just returned from the book store where he stood in line for over an hour. This is one hot off the press. Tell us a little about Out of the Darkness, a brief synopsis.

Anne: Out of the Darkness has ex-FBI Profiler, Alex Michaels, forced into hiding by the serial killer who murdered her twin sister and left her with a career ending injury. Meeting up with an ex-pro football player who is also facing an uncertain future, Alex makes Royce McIntire an offer he can’t refuse. Settling into her new life, Alex has no idea the killer is hot on her tracks along with the team of FBI agents who failed to protect her before. When they all catch up to her, not only is her peaceful life shattered, but once again her life is in jeopardy.

Sharon: Draws me right in. You know romantic suspense books are my favorite genre, and Out of the Darkness has quite an intriguing premise. So, tell me. What do you suppose that fascinates people about serial killers?

Anne: That’s an excellent question, Sharon! Speaking for myself, I’m intrigued by their characteristics. Although there are similarities between most, there is usually something unique about each one of them.

Sharon: I must admit to being one of the curious when it comes to serial killers. I need to know what makes them tick and love getting into the mind of a killer. So much in fact, that my latest book also features one. What kind of research did you do on serial killers?

Anne: I’ve read several books by John Douglass. He’s the world’s foremost expert on profiling. He created and managed the FBI’s Criminal Profiling Program, and he and Robert Ressler were the original profilers who interviewed serial killers like Bundy, Berkowitz, and Gacy. I was also a huge fan of The Profiler series. I have the entire collection on DVD *grin*.

Sharon: Hat’s off to you. I appreciate when an author takes the time to do proper research, especially when it’s about something that perks my interest. Do you believe that serial killers are products of some type of childhood abuse, traumatizing them to the point they dissociate in order to block out the incident?

Anne: From the research I’ve done for my books, it’s evident that virtually all serial killers come from dysfunctional backgrounds involving sexual or physical abuse, drugs or alcoholism and their related problems.

Sharon: I agree. Let’s talk a bit about the names. I love the name Royce, one you don’t hear in every novel coming down the pike. LOL How did you come up with the name? Any one you know?

Anne: I don’t know, it just sort of popped into my head. I have a list of names that I sometimes go to, but usually as I’m fleshing out the story in my head the names just come to me.

Sharon: Give us a little background on Alex and her twin sister.

Anne: Alex and her sister, Cassie, grew up on a farm in Iowa. Their father was cop, so law enforcement was always in Alex’s blood.

With a sweeping bow, Oliver hands Anne a pen. If I might be so bold as to ask for your autograph, love?

Anne: I’d be honored, Oliver. *grinning as butterflies take flight in her tummy*

Oliver swoons off, clutching his book close to his heart.

Sharon: What’s next for Anne Patrick?

Anne: Well I have a couple of WIP’s I hope to finish soon. A romantic suspense and a inspirational romance.

Sharon: What do you do when you’re not writing these edge of your seat suspense books?

Anne: When I’m not working, you’ll usually find me at the lake with family and friends or playing in the park with my German Shepherd Zoe.

Sharon: Pets bring so much to our lives, don’t they? Sadly, that brings us to the end of our interview. Before I let you go, one of my passions is collecting legends or superstitions. Can you share one with me:

Anne: The one I remember most is the legend of the three-block-tunnel. It wasn’t far from where I lived as a kid and the story was that if you took a wrong turn you’d never come out. We used to dare one another to go in. It was pitch black and you couldn’t see but a few feet in front of you. The furthest I got was the fork. My flashlight stopped working and I took off as fast as I could back to the opening, never to return.

Sharon: Claps her hand together wildly. I love it! This is certainly one I’ve not heard before. It will be added to my scrapbook. And finally, if you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why? Who would you choose to play one of your heroines? And last but not least, who would play your romantic hero?

Anne: An island in the Caribbean – Why? - White sandy beaches & warm weather year around. Meg Ryan would make a perfect Alex. My hero… *motioning to the empty chair next to her*…Oh Oliver, you got a minute? *then with an arched eye brow* I have a proposition for you.

Oliver struts out to the rose garden, grinning and pumping his biceps, blowing kisses to his new love.

Sharon: Here is a sneak preview of Out of the Darkness

Excerpt:
The room was dark as he entered. Bypassing the light switch, he flipped on the TV and sat in the only chair in the room. He then picked up the remote and turned on the VCR.

“It is of my opinion we have a serial killer at work here. The victims are similar in background and appearance. The ways in which they were murdered are identical, and the victims were all recovered from the river.”

“Do you have any leads, Agent Michaels?”

“With these murders, important evidence is missing. All we have are the bodies. We don’t have a crime scene and we don’t know where the bodies were dumped into the river. This leads me to believe we have a very sophisticated killer. He’s familiar with police procedure. He knows by dumping the bodies into the river he is eliminating any evidence such as hair, fiber or semen.

“I believe he is Caucasian. Twenty-five to thirty years old. Five-eight to six feet tall, slim to medium build. He is muscular, may work out in a gym. He’s educated, undergraduate level, a thinker who takes great pride in planning things out. He is socially inactive. He hasn’t much experience with women either because of his appearance or lack of self-confidence. He has a criminal background, most likely juvenile offenses, either arson or petty larceny. I believe he may have committed his first murder during his preteens, but went unpunished. A major change or event has taken place in his life within the last six months, triggering his violent behavior: Either the loss of a job or promotion, or breakup with a girlfriend. I believe he is from the Joliet area and he quite possibly knew the first victim, Crystal Byers.”

“You said he knows police procedure. Any possibility he is in law enforcement?”

“Anything is possible. The only thing we know for sure is how dangerous he is. But he will be caught, I assure you.”

He paused the video and fixed his eyes on the still picture. Such a beautiful face. Her posture and expression were full of confidence.

She wasn’t so arrogant the night he’d attacked her though, and neither was her sister.

He turned off the video and stared at the snowy screen. Until she’d come along, he’d been in complete control. The Joliet police were such idiots. He’d had them running in circles, chasing their own shadows. Not even the great Galen Schroeder had a clue as to his identity or the depth of his capabilities. Not to worry though, no matter where she ran, he’d find her.

Thunderous applause breaks out through cyber space.
Then the words appear in the sky:

CHANCE TO WIN A DOWNLOAD OF OUT OF THE DARKNESS!

Stop by tomorrow and Ann will choose one lucky commenter.

Sharon: Tell readers where they can buy your book and get in touch with you?

Anne: Out of the Darkness can now be purchased at Champagne Books: http://champagne.vstore.ca/product_info.php/pName/out-of-the-darkness-ebook

To learn more about me and my other releases, please visit my blog:
http://www.suspensebyanne.blogspot.com/
or my website:
http://www.annepatrick.weebly.com/
Thanks again, Sharon, for having me on your blog! It was a pleasure meeting you and Oliver.

Sharon: My pleasure, Anne.

As the classic rock plays, Oliver plucks Anne off her feet and they dance through the arbor, cheek to cheek.

Anne Patrick, author of ‘Sweet’ Edge of Your Seat Romantic Suspense, has penned more than a dozen novels. Her works have garnered four and five star reviews and she’s received or been nominated for several awards. Her heroines are usually strong willed, witty, and often very opinionated…combinations that usually land them in situations where death seems imminent. Anne has an alter ego by the name of Kinzie Monroe, who writes Inspirational Romance. Anne, you might say, is the dark side of Kinzie. Anne’s books may be darker in subject matter, but they all carry messages of hope and faith. Born and raised in Oklahoma, she now makes her home in Kansas.