{"id":641,"date":"2018-08-31T02:06:00","date_gmt":"2018-08-31T02:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/box5379.temp.domains\/~pjmaclay\/kris-bock-and-whispers-in-dark\/"},"modified":"2019-03-26T02:29:14","modified_gmt":"2019-03-26T02:29:14","slug":"kris-bock-and-whispers-in-dark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/?p=641","title":{"rendered":"Kris Bock and Whispers In The Dark #MysteryExchange"},"content":{"rendered":"

\nI’ve got one more! And many thanks to this week’s author, because Kris is the one who organized this whole thing. So I’m really happy to present Kris and her books <\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\nMany writers are inspired by real events or people in their
\nlives. This makes difficult situations a form of research. \u201cThis stinks, but
\nmaybe I can use it in a book!\u201d I write romantic suspense for adults as Kris
\nBock and middle grade novels (for ages 9 to 12) as Chris Eboch. In most of these
\nbooks, the connection to real-life experiences isn\u2019t obvious. <\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n
\nIn my romantic
\nsuspense Whispers in the Dark<\/i>, my
\nheroine is an archaeology Masters student working at the fictional \u201cLost
\nValley\u201d monument, which is closely based on Hovenweep National Monument<\/a>, where
\nI once spent a week camping. In Counterfeits<\/i>,
\nthe heroine inherits a children\u2019s art camp, which I based on a camp near Jemez
\nSprings, New Mexico, where I\u2019ve attended many writing retreats. Using real
\nlocations helps me bring the settings to life even if I did not, for example,
\nfall into a ravine while fleeing from a bad guy.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n
\nBut What We Found<\/i><\/a> <\/i>was inspired by helping to uncover a
\ntrue case of murder.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nLest you think that makes me some kind of amateur detective,
\nmy involvement was purely accidental. Two friends and I were exploring the mountains,
\nlooking for some suitable gravel to try gold panning (because, why not?). We
\nfound a likely spot and were about to take a sample when the guys smelled
\nsomething horrible. A glance in the right direction showed them a dead body
\nhidden just out of sight of the path.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nThe next hour passed in a surreal blur. We’d left our phones
\nin another vehicle, at the base of the mountain. Once we retrieved them, we
\nstill had to find a place with cell reception. We called 911, waited for the
\npolice, and led them to the body. Later that night we were interviewed by
\ndetectives. <\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nBy the following day, they had identified the body as a
\nwoman who had been missing. Her estranged ex-boyfriend was already a suspect in
\nher disappearance, but without her body they’d have trouble prosecuting him.
\nSeeing her picture on TV and learning about her family made the situation real
\nin a new way. We wanted justice for someone we\u2019d never met. <\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nIt\u2019s All Research<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nAs a writer, I knew I was getting rare first-hand experience
\ninto something powerful. I took pages of notes during that first week, even
\nthough I didn\u2019t know how or when I might use them. I was fortunate to be with
\ntwo men who talked openly about their experiences: the nightmares, the guilt
\nover violence against women, the anxiety that came from now wondering what you
\nmight see in the bushes. <\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nThree things struck me most strongly. <\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nFirst, we all felt deeply invested in the case, even though
\nwe\u2019d never met the woman in life and didn\u2019t know anyone else involved. We
\nfollowed the news stories, even though they made us anxious. When the murderer
\nwas finally sentenced \u2026 well, we weren’t happy (the sentence of less than 20
\nyears, in our opinion, nearly long enough), but
\nwe were relieved that it was over.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nSecond, it affected every aspect of our lives for weeks.
\nEven though the likelihood of finding another body, or even witnessing a
\ndifferent crime, was extremely slim, we were on high alert at all times. It was
\na struggle to put it behind us while still honoring the memory of the victim
\nand holding on to what we had learned.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nAnd finally, someone in law enforcement said that often
\npeople don\u2019t report crime scenes like these. How could someone walk away from
\nthat? I started thinking about all the reasons someone might want to cover up
\ntheir discovery, even if they had nothing to do with the crime. And that
\ninspired What We Found<\/i>.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n
\nTurning Truth into
\nFiction<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nSeveral years passed before I felt distant enough from the
\nexperience to fictionalize it, but I still had all those notes and memories to
\ndraw on. Some elements of What We Found<\/i>,
\nmainly the emotional ones, are taken directly from that experience. Most
\ncharacter and plot elements are fictional, although some are loosely inspired
\nby the real events.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nThis isn\u2019t an experience I would wish on anyone, but we\u2019re
\nglad we helped bring a crime to light and a murderer to justice. And it led to
\nwhat I consider my most powerful and personal novel to date. After all, one
\nbenefit to being a writer is that the worst experiences are still valuable as
\nresearch. <\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nThat\u2019s the truth behind What We Found<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nWhat
\nWe Found<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/span><\/a>When Audra goes back to her small hometown after college,
\nshe simply wants to fit in, work hard, and protect her 12-year-old brother from
\ntheir overbearing mother. Finding a dead body in the woods changes everything. <\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nHer former crush, Jay, insists they don\u2019t report the body.
\nBut the dead woman was murdered, and someone starts targeting Audra. She has to
\nstand up for herself in order to stand up for the murder victim. It\u2019s a risk,
\nand so is reaching out to the mysterious young man who works with deadly birds
\nof prey. But with danger all around, some risks are worth taking. <\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n\u201cAnother action-packed suspense novel by Kris Bock, perhaps
\nher best to-date. The author weaves an intriguing tale with appealing
\ncharacters. Watching Audra, the main character, evolve into an
\nemotionally-mature and independent young woman is gratifying.\u201d Reader Ellen
\nRippel<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nThis title stands alone and is not part of a series.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nExcerpt:<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nAn engine started.
\nThe battered old truck stood out like a janitor at the prom. It was dark blue,
\nsplattered with mud and probably decades old, with a cap on the bed. The
\nevening sun glared off the side window, but as I walked slowly past the front I
\nsaw a figure inside \u2013 the one-handed man. He had his hand on the wheel but his
\nhead back, eyes closed.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n <\/span>I paused, studying his face. I guessed he was
\nin his twenties, with short, light brown hair and pleasant features in a mask
\nas still as death. He opened his eyes and looked straight into
\nmine.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n <\/span>I couldn\u2019t move as he held my gaze. My heart
\nthumped against my ribs. He studied me without expression, no smile, no frown,
\nnothing in his face but weariness. <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\n <\/span>Finally I had to blink, and once the eye
\ncontact was broken, I jerked my gaze away and kept moving. I quickly turned
\nbetween the next two cars, to get out of his view. I\u2019d have to cross behind his
\ntruck to reach my car, which might look odd if he was still watching, but I
\ndidn\u2019t care so long as I got out of there, fast.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n <\/span>I noticed the rusty screeching again. It was
\ncoming from his truck. I stumbled to a stop, staring at the back of the truck.
\nWhat could be making that sound? The tailgate and back window on the cap were
\nclosed, hiding the sight inside, but the screech came again and again like
\nsomeone \u2013 something \u2013 screaming.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n <\/span>The screams seemed to echo in my head. I
\ncouldn\u2019t take any more. I turned away with a hand over my mouth to hold back my
\nown scream and hurried to my car.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n
\nKris Bock writes novels of suspense and romance with outdoor
\nadventures and Southwestern landscapes. All ebooks are .99c to $3.99 or free<\/b> with Kindle Unliminted.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nThe Mad Monk\u2019s
\nTreasure<\/i> follows the hunt for a long-lost treasure in the New Mexico
\ndesert. In The Dead Man\u2019s Treasure<\/i>,
\nestranged relatives compete to reach a buried treasure by following a series of
\ncomplex clues. In The Skeleton Canyon
\nTreasure<\/i>, sparks fly when reader favorites Camie and Tiger help a
\nmysterious man track down his missing uncle. Whispers in the Dark<\/i> features archaeology and intrigue among
\nancient Southwest ruins. In Counterfeits<\/i>,
\nstolen Rembrandt paintings bring danger to a small New Mexico town. <\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n
\nTo learn more about her latest work, visit www.krisbock.com<\/a> or her Amazon page<\/a>. Sign up for Kris Bock\u2019s
\nnewsletter<\/a>
\nfor announcements of new books, sales, and more.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nKris
\nBock\u2019s Newsletter signup<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n
\nKris Bock website<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n
\nKris
\nBock Blog<\/a>: <\/span>The
\nSouthwest Armchair Traveler<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n
\nKris
\nBock\u2019s Amazon page<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n
\nKris
\nBock on GoodReads<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n
\nKris
\nBock on Facebook<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n
\nKris
\nBock on Twitter<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’ve got one more! And many thanks to this week’s author, because Kris is the one who organized this whole thing. So I’m really happy to present Kris and her books  Many writers are inspired by real events or people in their lives. This makes difficult situations a form of… Continue reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-641","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paJdTo-al","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=641"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/641\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2111,"href":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/641\/revisions\/2111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}