Featured Author Interview: Chris Karlsen

Tell us about yourself and your books.:
After I retired from law enforcement I decided it was time to write the story that had been sitting on the back of my mind for ages. I went to the local Barnes & Noble and bought all the magazines they had on writing. I knew I had to learn the craft. At the same time, I started the story. As I went to workshops, seminars and writer's conferences, I'd apply what I leaned to the story. After several years, I felt it was ready. A dear friend started a small publishing house and asked if I'd consider publishing with her. I did and I haven't looked back. I now have 12 books in publication. I have several series. One is a historical romance "Knights in Time," which has a time travel element. I have a contemporary thriller series set in Turkey called "Dangerous Waters." I've been writing a historical suspense series called "the Bloodstone Series." My new release, A Venomous Love, is the third book from that series. It is set in Victorian London and my protagonist is a London detective, Rudyard Bloodstone. I also have a WW2 romance novella series. I'm working on book 2 in that series.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don't think so. I'm not superstitious by nature so I don't have rituals I follow when I sit down to write. I do set aside 3-4 hours in the afternoons to write and I try to do that six days a week. I try to get all my personal business done in the morning. I quit writing by five and spend the rest of the evening relaxing.

What authors have influenced you?
Bernard Cornwell writes the most visceral and dynamic battle scenes. In my Knights in Time series the Battle of Poitiers (1356) connects the heroes. I tried to recreate the visual strength of his works in my stories.
Julie Anne Long writes wonderful romances. I am not terribly comfortable writing love scenes and read through hers to give me direction.
Joe Wambaugh writes brilliant cop stories. He was with LAPD for years and knows how create police officers that have great humor and pathos.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Commit to putting aside time to write. It is so easy to say you'll do it tomorrow. Writing is dedicating time to sit and type words on the page. Even if your busy day only allows fifteen minutes. Use them.
Also, join a critique group if possible. Fresh eyes need to see your work, not just family and friends who might not be honest so as not to hurt your feelings.

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never start by writing a narrative that's only purpose is too "set the stage" or give history to the opening characters. Those are almost always passive and dull to the reader. Whatever you want to tell them in that passive opening you can put in dialogue and action throughout the story.

What are you reading now?
I am reading "The Flame Bearer" by Bernard Cornwell. It's part of his Saxon Tales series, which I love. For research I'm reading "Reach For the Sky" by Paul Brickhill. It is about the greatest RAF pilot.

What’s your biggest weakness?
Getting distracted by my newsfeed or Facebook posts or something on television, a show my husband is watching in the den and I can hear.

What is your favorite book of all time?
The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay.

What has inspired you and your writing style?
I've been inspired by my favorite authors. My father was a history professor and history inspires me. All my books have historical elements or are the basis for the plots. I want to see a world from the past or an event through the eyes of my characters. I enjoy going deep into those worlds using my characters.

What are you working on now?
I'm working on a WW2 romance novella. It's called "The Ack-Ack Girl." It's set in WW2 England and the heroine is a member of an anti-aircraft unit of women. She falls in love with an RAF pilot. I haven't gotten to the romance between them yet but I'm slowly progressing:)

What is your method for promoting your work?
I like blog tours with interview options and I also take out a fair share of ads. I work on getting reviews as well as they're so important.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I will be promoting "A Venomous Love" my new detective Bloodstone book for the next couple months. At the same time, I am writing my WW2 novella and hope to have it out by the holidays.

How well do you work under pressure?
I am a retired police detective. I spent 25 years in law enforcement. I started back in the mid 1970's when women were just beginning to be allowed to work patrol. I was assigned a high crime area and had to deal with those pressures. I later moved to SoCal and joined a department in the LA area, some pressures were the same, some not. I believe I was successful in that profession because I could handle pressure well.

How do you decide what tone to use with a particular piece of writing?
I try to use a mix of historical information, which I weave into a scene so it doesn't sound like a school lesson, I always try to include humor, courage and a sense of decency for the protagonists is important to me. They can make mistakes and do, but I want their moral core to be strong. I don't want to make any one character perfectly bad or perfectly good and that sets the tone for much of the story.

Author Websites and Profiles
Chris Karlsen Website
Chris Karlsen Amazon Profile
Chris Karlsen Goodreads Profile

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