Friday, July 31, 2020

Virtual Book Tour + #Giveaway: A Venomous Love by Chris Karlsen @ChrisKarlsen1 @RABTBookTours




Book 3 of the Bloodstone Series
Historical Suspense/Thriller
Date Published: February 28, 2020
Publisher:  Books to Go Now

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The killer whispered-“A pretty damsel...worth a pretty risk.”

A veteran, Detective Rudyard Bloodstone has fought a brutal battle and witnessed war horrors that haunt his nightmares. Now one of those horrors has followed him home from Africa.
A vicious predator, the Cape cobra, can kill a man in thirty minutes. A suspect using the snake as a weapon in robberies is terrorizing London.
When the crimes escalate into murder, a victim’s daughter, Honoria Underhill, becomes the focus of the killer. After several attempts on her life, Scotland Yard threatens to take over the high profile case. With few leads to follow, Bloodstone and his partner must now fight department politics and catch the killer before Underhill becomes another murder victim.







Interview with Chris Karlsen

    For those interested in exploring the subject or theme of your book, where should they start?
    A Venomous Love is the third book in my Bloodstone series. I’d suggest starting with book 1, Silk. I like to write each book from the POV of Detective Rudyard Bloodstone, my protagonist, and from the killer’s POV. I like to play with the back and forth between the two, the action/reaction. In Snifter of Death, book 2, the killer is unusual. I strive to make each killer different in the why and how they go about choosing victims. I am not a fan of slasher type stories and try, and hope, I succeed in getting into the head of the killers, their motivation.

    Detective Bloodstone is my favorite character to write. I really enjoy creating a world for him filled with all sorts of people, good and bad. Over the length of the series, I’ve especially enjoyed developing his personality.
    How did you become involved with the subject or theme of your book?
    The weapon used by the killer in A Venomous Love is a highly poisonous snake. I based the use of the snake on a story a London Metropolitan police officer told me a few years ago. She was on vacation in Morocco and checking out of her hotel. While at the desk a British couple ran into the lobby yelling they’d been robbed at snake point. She and I had a fun talk about other strange or funny cases we both handled. At the time we discussed the snake crime, I tucked the unique attack away in my memory, thinking I might someday use a snake in a story.

    The snake in my story is a Cape Cobra found in what is now South Africa and very deadly. Detective Bloodstone served ten years in the army in Africa and hated it. The snake gave me the opportunity to explore and share what he knew of the animal and some of his experiences in that area of the world.
    Anything you would like to say to your readers and fans?
    The book is set in Victorian London. I chose this time and place as I can’t think of a more interesting setting for murders. I find the intense difference in classes of the time fascinating. I try to bring that to life without making the contrast too dark or too falsely positive.
    What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
    I love writing Rudyard. As a retired detective myself, I am as much a part of his investigation as he is. There’s no DNA or other science he has to aid him in solving the crimes. I walk through the crime scenes with him trying to see what he can take from each as a clue when he only has his senses, instinct, and if he’s lucky, witnesses. I like him very much as a person and that makes for an enjoyable write. I truly enjoy writing each and every person in his life that is important to him.
    Can you tell us a little bit about your next books or what you have planned for the future?
    In between the Bloodstone books, I have started a World War 2 romantic novella series. My first book, Moonlight Serenade, was released last year. It was set in Australia and America. I am currently writing the second book in that series called, The Ack-Ack-Girl. It is based England. Ack-Ack girls were part of the anti-aircraft units in Britain and my heroine falls in love with an RAF pilot. I hope to have it released after the holidays.
    How long have you been writing?
    I started in 2003, after I retired from the police department. I wasn’t published until 2007.
    Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in A Venomous Love?
    As I mentioned my primary character is Rudyard Bloodstone, he is from Wales. He grew up in a big family where there was always food on the table and a roof over his head but money was scarce. He lied about his age to get into the army and served in Africa. He won the Victoria Cross (the British version of the Medal of Honor) for his actions in the Battle of Rorke’s Drift. He doesn’t see himself as a hero and is very humble about the honor. He does suffer from bouts of PTSD as a result of the battle. He has a lady love,
    Honeysuckle Flowers.

    Honeysuckle is a star in the London music hall world. She grew up in the theatre. Her parents are performers. She is candid, independent minded, thoughtful, and a wonderful companion to Rudyard.

    Will Bloodstone is Rudyard’s brother. He spent 18 years in the army serving in India. His goal was to serve 22 years and get recommended to be a Yeoman Warder at the Tower of London. An injury forces him out of the military before he has the necessary service time. He is a bit less “open-minded” than Rudyard. Will was a Sergeant Major and still carries that stiffer military attitude as he tries to navigate the civilian world.

    Archie is Rudyard’s partner. A devout family man with a cheeky wife and two daughters he adores. He is gentle and patient when Rudyard can’t be. They make a great team as a result.Those of some of the folks in Rudyard’s world.

    If you could spend the day with one of the characters from A Venomous Love who would it be? Please tell us why you chose this particular character, where you would go and what you would do.
    I would choose Rudyard Bloodstone. I feel we have the most in common. I understand how he operates as a detective. I never went to war but have a deep empathy for what he went through. I enjoy his sense of humor and his candor. I’d like to walk around his favorite part of London, then go to dinner at the Criterion, or other nice restaurant and then go for drinks to his favorite pub, The Boot and Bayonet. The pub is run by a good friend and veteran of the Crimean War. 

About the Author

I was raised in Chicago. My father, a history professor, and my mother, a voracious reader passed on a love of history and books along with a love of travel. 
I am a retired police detective. After twenty-five years in law enforcement I decided to pursue my dream of writing. I write a historical-time travel romance series called Knights in Time and a historical suspense called The Bloodstone Series.
I am also working on a world war two series of novella romances. The first is Moonlight Serenade and currently available. The second is my work in progress at the moment and will be titled, The Ack-Ack Girl.

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1 comments:

Chris Karlsen said...

I want to thank The Avid Reader for this opportunity to feature my book and discuss all my stories.
Chris Karlsen