Q&A: Jennifer Chase, Author of Dead Cold

Jennifer Chase is a multi award-winning crime fiction author and consulting criminologist. Jennifer holds a bachelor degree in police forensics and a master's degree in criminology & criminal justice. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent sociopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells. In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling.  She is an affiliate member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists.

Her latest book is the crime thriller, Dead Cold.

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As a book bloggin’ and book luvin’ Princess, I’m always curious to find out how authors got the ideas for their books.  How did you come up with the idea for your book?

For my Emily Stone Thriller Series, my inspiration came from my own personal experience with a violent sociopath that threatened my life, daily, weekly, for more than two years. There were so many incidents that happened to me that it really seemed more like a movie than real life. I wanted a different kind of character and eventually Emily Stone was born. You’ll just have to guess which  

scenes were based on my own experience.

Can you tell us what your book is about?

I’ve just released the crime thriller Dead Cold. It’s the sixth book in the stand-alone, award winning Emily Stone series. This installment revolves around a serial killer hunting in a small California community and leaving frozen body parts in public places for the cops to unravel. Emily Stone is a vigilante detective who hunts down serial killers and some of the most dangerous criminals. She manages this covert activity staying under the law enforcement radar, and sends a complete investigation to the police detective in charge, but things don’t always go as planned.

Can you tell us a little about the main characters of your book?

Emily Stone is a vigilante detective hunting down serial killers and child abductors. She is an ex-cop, whistle-blower for her previous police department, trained in SWAT and forensic science. She decided to dedicate her life to her cause of finding victims and manages to stay covert. She could not accomplish as much as she does without the help of her partner and love of her life, Rick Lopez. Lopez is also an ex-cop/detective who has almost the same drive as Emily. Stone and Lopez make an unstoppable team and you won’t believe what they get themselves into during their hunts.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would that be?

Stay focused with your writing, and never take anything for granted no matter what you hear.

What would you say is one of your interesting writing quirks?

I write barefoot about ninety-eight percent of the time—no matter what, summer, winter, it doesn’t matter.

Do you hear from your readers?  What do they say?

I’m very lucky to hear from readers—they are amazing. Many times, they want to tell me how much they love Emily Stone and they look forward to the next book. I receive pleads from readers that cannot wait for the next installment—please, please hurry.

What is the toughest criticism given to you as an author?

No writer likes to hear that someone didn’t like their book or they thought it was bad. But you have to remember as a writer, there are all types of people and tastes out there. It would be weird if every person that read your book loved it.

What has been your best accomplishment?

I’ve been blessed to win many book awards, and I’m delighted that my series is still going strong and doesn’t seem to be losing reader interest any time soon.

Do you Google yourself?

I have Googled myself. It’s enlightening because I found that some people have posted positive reviews and comments about me and my books on sites that I didn’t know about. It also tells me that I’ve been working hard and my books are getting out there to crime thriller readers.

How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?

I have about a half dozen of these types of manuscripts in my office.

Fun question – if you were princess or prince, what’s one thing you would do to make your kingdom a better place?

My kingdom would have an endless supply of books in all genres.

Do you have anything specific that you would like to say to your readers?

Thank you to all my readers and fans for supporting my series. You make it all worthwhile and keep me motivated.