We’ve launched a new series over here called Book Shots. It features some of the top mystery writers working today. No one has time to doom scroll endlessly to find a YouTube clip of an interview. We’re giving you quick Book Shots of authors and their newly released books.

Some may be familiar faces, and others–well, you might just find your new favorite author. You may have caught the interview with Baron Birtcher

So, sit back, relax, and pour yourself the libation of your choice and enjoy Book Shots with Author Karen A. Phillips.

Karen A. Phillips lives in Northern California and writes humorous, fun, action-packed mysteries. Her characters are engaging and fearless. She has several short stories published in various anthologies. The Rocky Nelson Boxing Mysteries combine her love of boxing and the mystery genre. 

Karen is the former Chapter President of the Capitol Crimes Chapter of Sisters in Crime, in Northern California. She’s not saying if she needed to use her boxing skills to keep her chapter members in line. Her latest book is A Deadly Hook, the third in the series.

Question: Raquel “Rocky” Nelson is a fun character to follow in this series. How has she changed over the course of three books?

The arc over the trilogy is how Rocky has opened herself up to being vulnerable again. In book three she decides to open herself up to new possibilities.

Question: You set A Deadly Hook in and around the historic Gold Rush community of Georgetown, California. What drew you to this location?

I needed a forest where Rocky goes camping. What better place than the Eldorado National Forest just outside of Georgetown, comprising nearly 800,000 acres of wilderness where anything could happen—and does.

Question: What did you learn about the area, historically, and current day?

Georgetown was founded in 1849 during the gold rush when nuggets were so heavy they were said to “growl” in the metal pans. The town still maintains its quaint, historic, feel and the current population hovers around 2,500.

Question: Cryptids—without giving too much away—Rocky gets involved in the case of a dead man found wearing a Bigfoot costume. Does she believe in the existence of this mythical creature? Do you?

Rocky is very skeptical about Bigfoot in the beginning of the book. By the end she has opened her mind to the possibility he could exist. I am of the same mindset. I know there are people who swear they’ve seen the mythical creature. I believe they did see something unusual. And the fact Bigfoot’s existence has never been proven makes for great story-telling.

Question: Rocky is torn between two romantic attachments in A Deadly Hook. What pulls her to each of these men?

They are both strong men.

One is her former fiancé, Angelo. He’s a fire-fighter and arson investigator. He has never stopped loving Rocky and in book 3 this becomes something she can’t keep pushing away.

The other man is Detective Thompson. He’s by-the-book, and plays his cards close to his vest, but has a soft spot for Rocky. She feels they both want the same things—to see justice served—but she needs him to open up more, and that’s very difficult for him.

Question: You are involved in the writing community with critique groups and as past president of the local Sisters in crime chapter, Capitol Crimes. What would you tell new authors who might be shy about getting into a group with other authors?

Reach out to the president, or leader, of the group and let them know you have concerns. I’m sure they will do everything to welcome you. The world of writers is supportive, not competitive, and there are opportunities for anyone to learn and grow no matter what level of experience you have.

Question: What’s next?

A Deadly Hook is the last book in the trilogy. I’m moving on to a new series tentatively called “The Mother/Daughter Detective Agency.” It’s about a divorced mother who is a private eye living with her 13-year-old daughter who wants to be involved in her mother’s investigations. The father, who is still in their lives, is a detective. They also share custody of a German Shepherd—a retired police dog. The setting is Sacramento, California.

Here’s where you can find your copy of Karen’s series–and you should!

Amazon

Let Karen know what you think about A Deadly Hook, or leave a question for her in the comments below.

Hope you enjoyed Book Shots, please keep checking back and give me your recommended mystery authors for a future session. Up next will be Deborah Levinson with her new mystery, A Novel Story.

Book Shots

Illusion of Truth available now. Book #3 in the Detective Emily Hunter series

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org