About Kris Bock:
Kris Bock’s romantic suspense novels feature outdoor adventures in the Southwest. Whispers in the Dark features archaeology and intrigue among ancient Southwest ruins. The Southwest Treasure Hunters series includes three standalone titles. The Mad Monk’s Treasure follows the hunt for a long-lost treasure in the New Mexico desert. In The Dead Man’s Treasure, estranged relatives compete to reach a buried treasure by following a series of complex clues. In The Skeleton Canyon Treasure, sparks fly when reader favorites Camie and her cat Tiger help a mysterious man track down his missing uncle. What We Found is a romantic mystery about a young woman who finds a murder victim in the woods. In Counterfeits, stolen Rembrandt paintings bring danger to a small town in the New Mexico mountains.
What inspires you to write?
I love studying something new for a few months, writing about it, and then be able to move on to something else. I get to learn about science, history, foreign cultures, interesting people, and anything else that attracts my attention. Sometimes I write about it factually (for nonfiction), and sometimes I get to make up stories and go wherever my imagination leads!
Tell us about your writing process.
I am a full-time writer working from my home in New Mexico. I generally work on a novel for a few hours in the morning, when I feel most creative. I spend the afternoon working on nonfiction articles or work for hire books, or on business or marketing. Over the years (and 20+ novels), I’ve learned to start with character sketches and an outline, although usually the story changes as I get into the actual writing. I’ll generally start by scribbling a lot of notes. Sometimes I use index cards to shuffle scenes. Eventually I get the outline into one Word document, with a few sentences per scene or chapter.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I watch my characters play out scenes in my mind when I’m on a walk or lying in bed at night. This helps me get to know them before I start writing, and to keep in touch with them during the writing process. When I’m too busy with other work, “watching” my characters helps me stay close to them so I can jump right back into the writing when I have time.
What advice would you give other writers?
I got a Masters degree in Professional Writing and Publishing and it still took me years and lots of practice before I could write a competent novel. Don’t expect things to happen too quickly, and don’t try to do this alone. Take classes, attend workshops, get critique partners, and study your craft before you worry about publishing and marketing.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
My first book came out in 1999, and I now have over 30 traditionally published children’s books under the name Chris Eboch. When I began writing for adults under the name Kris Bock, I decided to self publish, because traditional publishers seemed to be lowering advances and grabbing more rights, while self-publishing was becoming a viable option. However, to self publish well is at least as hard as traditional publishing. It should be a business decision, not a shortcut.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I love the options and opportunities we have today. Things are changing quickly, and it can be hard to keep up, but I’m excited about the future.
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: Romantic suspense, suspense, action, and mystery.
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Kris Bock Home Page Link
Link To Kris Bock Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on other site
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
