Lena Diaz is currently touring to promote her newest release Simon Says Die.
Thanks so much Lena for allowing me to join your blog tour.
Lena Diaz writes romantic suspense thrillers. Her first novel was He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not. Her second novel is Simon Says Die.
Lena grew up a Navy Brat, but while two of her three siblings followed her father’s footsteps and joined the Navy, Lena loosely followed her musically talented mother’s footsteps by choosing a more creative path, writing.
She wrote her first short-story in middle school. This fifty-page tale about a horse race had a wide fan-base, her entire eighth grade class. Lena likes to think they read it because it was so good. But she admits the popularity might have been because her teacher let the kids choose her book for a book report assignment and it was the shortest book on the reading list.
Her first novel-length manuscripts were paranormals ranging from contemporary vampire stories to medieval druid tales. Since dead bodies kept creeping into everything she wrote, she eventually turned to romantic suspense, her current passion.
Since being a Navy Brat means moving – a lot – Lena went to ten different schools in four different states (Kentucky, California, Louisiana, and Florida). But no matter where she lived during her childhood, her father always made a point of taking the family back home to Kentucky every summer to spend several weeks visiting her rather large extended family.
That’s why Lena considers herself a Country Girl even though she currently lives in a city in North Florida. Her fondest childhood memories are of her aunt’s farm where Lena spent her time feeding calves from a bottle, running from billy goats by the catfish pond, and dressing piglets in baby doll clothes.
Today Lena can be found in North Florida with her husband of twenty-plus years.
You can connect with Lena on Facebook or Twitter, or shoot her an email. If you join her mailing list, you will receive notice of future releases and special events and your name could be drawn for special giveaways.
Lena is professionally represented by Nalini Akolekar of Spencerhill Associates, Ltd.
Please take it away, Lena!
What’s with all the serial killers in novels these days?
My first novel -- He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not -- is about a serial killer’s lone surviving victim fighting back when the killer comes back to finish what he started. My latest novel -- Simon Says Die -- is about a young widow fighting back against a stalker who may also be a serial killer. I’m not sure if two books qualifies as a pattern, but if it does, I’m thinking the pattern just might be . . . you guessed it . . . a fascination with serial killers.
As I look around at the books I love to read, by authors like Karen Rose, Brenda Novak, and Allison Brennan, I notice the same pattern. Many of theses authors’ books feature serial killers as the villains. And, hey, these are best-selling authors. So I can’t be the only one who enjoys this type of novel.
Not a fan of books with serial killers in them? Are you sure about that? Ever read a book with a vampire in it? Vampires are serial killers who kill for decades or centuries and are nearly impossible to defeat. You love vampire books, right? So, are you still sure you don’t like books with serial killer villains? I know I do. But that begs the question of why. Why am I, and so many readers, fascinated by the idea of a serial killer as a villain in a novel?
I had to think a lot about this, and what it all came down to is that serial killers are the ultimate evil villains, the most terrifying type of killers I can imagine. They have no remorse, no conscience. They’re like machines, murdering their victims because of a craving, a drive they can’t control. But worst of all, the main factor that makes a serial killer such a great choice as the ultimate villain, is that these killers are strangers. They choose people so randomly that anyone could become their victim. Everyone is vulnerable, not knowing for sure what will trigger the serial killer to focus on them. And worse than that, because this type of villain usually has no ties to his victims, solving the crimes is exponentially more difficult than a ‘typical’ murder (if there is such a thing.)
Not all of my books will be about serial killers. I have a Harlequin Intrigue coming out early next year about a woman in witness protection on the run with a U.S. Marshal. Not a serial killer for miles around. Promise! But I definitely enjoy the challenge of having my hero and heroine have to outsmart the most evil, cunning type of killer around. So I’m sure some of my future books will contain -- you guessed it -- serial killers.
So, what about you? If you’re a fan of these types of books, what do you think is their appeal? If you’re not a fan, what types of villains intrigue you the most?
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