Ken Hoss - Author: 2013-02-03

The Spring Thriller 2013

Welcome to the SPRING THRILLER Blog Tour, 2013 – a collection of blogs, books and authors who specialize in writing novels about murders, mysteries, espionage and terrorism which contain those crucial elements of character, tension, suspense, adventure, pace, action, realism and plot.

You’re invited to take part in ‘the thriller writers’ adventure by visiting and supporting the websites of authors involved in the tour and who are dedicated to turning out some of the best thrillers available today.

Each author named at the bottom of the page has asked been asked the same questions but the answers will obviously all be different. You merely click on the author’s name at the bottom of the page to see how they have answered the same question.

So, without further ado, here are the questions from THE THRILLER WRITER:

To Kenneth Hoss:

Q. How long have you been writing and what life skills do you bring to your work?

A. I started writing when I was in High School, mostly Science Fiction and Fantasy. My biggest influences were the masters, Heinlein and Bradbury, whose books launched me into other worlds. In my later years, I continued with the Fantasy writing, mostly short stories, which were still popular at the time. Now I write Crime Fiction. So why the switch? While on active duty in the Navy, I had the opportunity to work as both a Shore Patrolman and a Master-at-Arms, basically a Navy cop. After I left the Navy, and after drifting from one job to the next for a while, a Detective friend of told me I'd make a good cop. I joined a small department outside of San Diego and loved it, though being a rookie had it's good and bad points, it was all worth it in the end.

Q. Do you research content for your work and if so where from?

A. With book one, Storm Rising, I did a lot of research, and I got lucky and found a former NYPD Police Detective willing to be my technical advisor, and he was a Godsend. I met him on Police forum and he guided me through the ins and outs of the NYPD. If not for him, I may still be working on the first book. Of course, even with that, I still had to research other elements of the book. One example would be locations. Since Kelli doesn’t spend her life in the Squad Room, I had to know what places look like outside of the Precinct. All I can say is that if it weren’t for Google maps or Google Earth, I would have no idea what some areas looked like or how Kelli would get there.

Q. Tell us about one of your previous publications?

A. My first published work was Storm Rising – A Kelli Storm Novel, and is the first book in the Kelli Storm series. It is about a female NYPD Detective who not only has to deal with the day to day life of a New York City Police Officer, she also has to deal with being a recovering alcoholic, a mother in the late stages of Alzheimer’s, an ex-husband she is still in love with and finding her father’s killers. When I first approached the idea of writing a strong female character, I was hesitant, being told that it was not something a man could do, at least not well. I’m glad now that I did not listen to these naysayers, as Kelli and I have since become a good team and as such, work well together.

Q. What are you currently writing?

A. I am currently working on the third book in the Kelli Storm series, Eye of the Storm. It is the continuation of the first two and finds Kelli getting in deeper with the Colombian Cartel as well as the Russian Mob in Brighton Beach, NY. Whether this will be the final book in the series is really up to Kelli, though I do know that she isn’t ready to retire.

Q. What is so special to you about the ‘thriller’ genre?

A. The twist and turns, never knowing what the outcome will be until the end of the book.

Q. How do you spend your leisure time?

A. I sleep in, when I can, hang out with friends, enjoy a beer or two at my favorite pub and meet new friends, or just go for a walk when it’s nice outside.

Q. What is the most thrilling thing that has ever happened to you?

A. Well, that’s a hard one to pin down. Having travelled extensively with the US Army and Navy, I’ve had some odd experiences, some of which I dare not divulge.

Q. Can you provide links to your work?

A. Of course, here they are.

Storm Rising - A Kelli Storm Novel - Kindle US

Storm Warning - A Kelli Storm Novel - Kindle US

Storm Rising - A Kelli Storm Novel - Kindle UK

Storm Warning - A Kelli Storm Novel - Kindle UK

To see how our other authors responded, click on an author’s name below.