Glimpse into the Mind of a Serial Killer with Guest Stephen B. King

Many of you may be aware of just how much I love author, Stephen King. So imagine my surprise when I met another! Meet Stephen B. King from The Wild Rose Press. He writes psychological thrillers full of crime and police procedural. With fall in the air, and Halloween not far away, it’s the perfect time to highlight Stephen’s upcoming October 1, 2018 release, GLIMPSE, MEMOIR OF A SERIAL KILLER. So come along and lets meet Stephen. He’s sharing a peek into his writing life and the troubled mind of three different serial killers with the first book in The Deadly Glimpses Trilogy. 

Glimpse, Memoir of a Serial Killer

In 1999 Australia, Sergeant Rick McCoy investigates the murder of a woman found packed inside a suitcase. The Killer then abducts another victim and threatens to dismember her slowly, unless he is caught. His life is further complicated by a marriage in tatters. Frustrated at every turn, he is paired with glamorous Criminal Psychologist and profiler, Patricia Holmes. While trying to rebuild his marriage, he finds himself in a desperate race against time to free the victim and fight his desire for his new partner.

Glimpse, Memoir of a Serial Killer Excerpt

She curled her legs underneath her, which gave just a hint of her thighs, and sat back in her chair, cat-like. She sipped from her glass, and licked her lips. “God I needed that, it’s been a tough day.”

Rick almost burst out laughing. In this luxury house, which he would never be able to afford, she seemed so damned normal.

“What?” She asked, taking another sip of wine. “You don’t think we psychologists can have tough days? I have a psychiatric degree as well, and have two long term patients in the high security wing of Graylands Mental Hospital. One cooked his wife and child before eating their organs, and the other murdered three random strangers because, he says, God told him to do it. Trust me digging around in their minds constitutes a tough day.” She shuddered.

“I’m sorry Pat, I meant no disrespect.”

“No, I don’t suppose you did. But, I’m guessing you feel like you’ve been press-ganged into coming here, haven’t you? You believe using psychology to try to understand why someone would do horrible things to another human being is a waste of your evening. You’ve a wife, and probably a couple of children at home you’d rather be with, don’t you?”

He blushed, knowing she would tell if he tried to lie, and he found himself, against his earlier intuition, liking her. “Just one child, Amy, she’s five years old. Pat if you could just jot down this killer’s address for me, I would think you were amazing. But it’s going to be long hours of painstaking, often boring police work that tracks this guy down. When we’ve caught him, you can analyze him to death, I just want him off the streets.”

“Fair enough, we know where we stand. But, did you know that a high percentage and I do mean a very high percentage, of serial murderers had been previously interviewed by police, sometimes more than once, during an investigation? They are often let go, unsuspected, to kill again before they are eventually apprehended. Now I’m not saying great police work didn’t catch them eventually, but, had the cops had access to a good, insightful criminal psychologist, maybe, just maybe, they’d have him locked up earlier and innocent lives saved.”

Rick nodded, thoughtfully, then raised his glass in a silent toast to her and took a sip.

Preorder Glimpse, Memoir of a Serial Killer Right Here

I left Perth, Australia many years ago to go East and find fame and fortune in the music business as a long-haired rock guitarist. I wrote poems and music in my wild days. I gave it all up for love and got married (as you do when the right one comes along). Then, real life took over, children came along and I threatened to write a book for so many years my long-suffering wife eventually pushed me into it by buying me a laptop and said: “No more excuses, do it.” And so began this amazing journey.

Thrillers and crime genres have always fascinated me, and in particular, the dark world of serial killers and police procedurals. I love a good, un-put-down-able, thriller; the kind you just want to read one more chapter of at three in the morning, but you have to get up at six to go to work. Have I succeeded in creating stories that can take people to that place?

I hope so.

My first book, Forever Night, was contracted and published by The Totally Entwined Group UK’s now defunct Evidence Press when they were taken over by Bonnier UK. Undeterred it was followed by a trilogy, comprising of Domin8, The Vigilante Taxi and Burial Ground, All were self-published due to contractual problems with TEG, even though they gave me an editor to work with in the interim. Months passed in limbo. Repo, saw me return to two characters from Forever Night as new private investigators trying to save a man from jail for a murder he did not commit, which was also self-pubbed until the war with the big bad publisher was over and agreements were signed – so I can’t talk about it.

The Wild Rose Press in NY (no more UK publishers for me) contracted Thirty-Three Days, for which I will always be grateful – they are awesome to work with. They have also contracted another Trilogy called Three Deadly Glimpses, the first is due for release on the first of October and is called, Glimpse, Memoir of a Serial Killer. Book Two: Glimpse, The Beautiful Deaths will follow shortly after as it is going through the editing stage now, and the finale: Glimpse, The Tender Killer will be available next year.

 Author Interview

My characters usually have a favorite brew. (Ie: Hope=tequila, Sabrina=coffee, Carman=margaritas, Olivia= Vodka & Tonic etc) How about you? If it’s your own concoction, please share the recipe.

Wow, what a good question. Do you know I’ve only just thought about that now? My protagonists are a bit like me and my tastes. Some might say boring, but I prefer unpretentious. Black Coffee, good Bourbon, and wine (I’m a chugger not a connoisseur) but not necessarily in that order.

Most of my characters have a special ability or power. (Even Ruthie has the power of “knowing”) What kind of magic would you like to be able to do?

One of the fantastic things about being an author is being able to create people who can do all the wonderful things I can’t. In my last book, Thirty-Three Days, Jenny could travel back in time to save the future of the world – what a heroine? In the Glimpse series, Patricia Holmes has the gift of being insightful. She can look at random facts and bits of evidence and extrapolate from them things about the person even he doesn’t know. I’d love either of those gifts please.

Nothing is more rewarding than a genuine laugh and a good sense of humor. What can always make you laugh?

Old Monty Python sketches, and movies like Flying High, What’s up Doc and Death at a Funeral. I love a sense of the ridiculous.

My character, Olivia (Liv) from Evil Speaks Softly has always wanted to be a writer. What about you? Did you always want to be a writer? What other profession(s) have you had?

For as far back as I can remember I wanted to write, and for many, many years I found reasons and excuses not to. I was busy raising children, renovating houses and working sixty plus hours a week. I will always be grateful to my wife for buying me a laptop and telling me “no more excuses, go and write that damn book.” Sometimes, I think she regrets that now as book number nine is contracted and nearing completion.

Writing and marketing a book is hard work. Share your best “author tip”.

Write from your heart, and edit with your head. To complete a first draft is a celebration – lots of people will never get that far, and know that in that form, it is the worst it will ever be. From there is up, up, up.

Connect with Stephen B. King:

web: http://www.stephen-b-king.com
twitter: @stephenBKing1

Facebook: @stephenbkingauthor