📚 Up Close & Personal with 'Silent Little Angels' Jennifer Chase @jchasenovelist #upcloseandpersonal

Up Close & Personal is one of The Writer’s Life newest features. Here we feature authors who don't mind spilling the beans and telling what it's really like to write, get published and sell that book. Today's guest is Jennifer Chase, author of the crime thriller, Silent Little Angels: Detective Katie Scott Book 7.

Jennifer Chase is a multi award-winning and USA Today BestSelling crime fiction author, as well as a 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 psychopath, 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, and member of the International Thriller Writers.

Her latest book is the crime thriller, Silent Little Angels.

You can visit her website at www.AuthorJenniferChase.com or connect with her on Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads.

On Writing…

I've loved books my entire life—all types of stories. Writing stories and reading books was just a part of who I am and it still is today. I didn't become a professional writer until later after I worked in the corporate world. But rest assured, even in accounting meetings, I was thinking about a story plot and a murder mystery. I had published articles and photographs, but the nagging writing bug always had my ear.

I self-published my first book Compulsion, which set a whole new writing stage for me. One was that I could write a full length novel, and two, people actually wanted to read what I wrote. Yay! This time my writing opened a new perspective and so I dove in with both feet and never looked back. I wrote several more books in a crime thriller series. Since then, I've definitely become a better writer and I'm learning things about myself and my stories.

On Being Published…

Seeing your first book published and holding it in your hands is a fantastic experience. It means so much that I'm a published author and continue to write books. I'm very blessed. But, I'll let you in on a little secret, every book I've written and published since then gives me goosebumps and feels like the first book.

My latest book, Silent Little Angels, a Detective Katie Scott thriller, is a crime fiction series about a cold case detective and her K9 set in a rural California mountain area. The latest installment is the seventh book, but all my books can be easily read as a stand-alone.

Here is the synopsis for Silent Little Angels:

The water ripples as the girl’s body escapes the reeds and floats silently upwards. Her beautiful face—blue eyes frozen open, skin as white as snow—breaks the surface. But it’s too late, this innocent soul has taken her final breath…

When camp counselor Carolyn Sable’s body is found floating in a lake beside Eagle Ridge Summer Camp, Detective Katie Scott must dig deep to stay focused. As a child, Katie spent many happy weeks at that camp toasting marshmallows on the fire with her best friend Jenny… until the day Jenny disappeared. The loss will always haunt Katie, but Carolyn’s inconsolable family need answers.

Searching the area, the devastating discovery of two more bodies sends the case into a tailspin. Suddenly on the hunt for a serial killer, Katie’s blood turns to ice when she finds newspaper clippings about her own past cases planted near one of the bodies. Was this twisted killer banking on Katie taking the lead? And why?

Carolyn was adored by children and staff at the camp, so Katie thinks her sudden resignation is key to cracking the case. Uncovering a tragic accident involving a group of children in the weeks before Carolyn left, Katie knows she’s getting close.

But when the carefully laid trap Katie sets to catch Carolyn’s killer backfires, Katie finds herself in unthinkable danger and unable to even trust her own team. Can she stay alive long enough to crack the toughest case of her career, and how many more innocent lives will be lost before she does?

On Publishing Industry…

I believe that the publishing industry has changed quite a bit in the last five to ten years making it easier to get published for writers who are willing to write on a schedule. By that I mean, most authors with a publishing house write on average two to three books a year for a publisher. There are many small to medium sized publishers seeking all types of genres, which is fantastic for writers especially with e-books.

I started out self-publishing with some success. I never approached the publishing houses partly due to the fact that at that time they wanted submissions from agents and the wait time to hear back from them was months. Those rules began to lesson, but I was happy with what I was doing. I never ruled out publishers, but I didn't think about it either. However, I was approached by someone within a book publishing house who requested a pitch for a crime series. Why not? It's been a great experience and I've reached success with them, but it's still not like self-publishing. Choosing to self-publish and standard publishing is a choice. I've noticed that many authors have a balance of both like I do.

On Marketing…

Marketing is the thorn in my side. It's definitely, at least for me, the most difficult. It's an entire profession in its self. There's a lot to know and it seems that things are changing again. Maybe I'm not approaching it right, but it can be frustrating. What worked for my previous books doesn't necessarily mean it will work for my current one.

I can say that participating in a virtual book tour is great. Scheduling announcements from your website or blog, social media, and anything else you can think of which would highlight your genre. Sometimes you have to mix things up or try something new.

On Goals and Dreams…

My goal as a published author is to keep writing and building my audience. It's an amazing reality that I can write and make a living at it. But, I have to be diligent and keep things moving. I don't like to give tips to aspiring authors, but I strongly suggest do your homework on all aspects of publishing a book. Know what it takes. Be proactive and objective. Ask yourself if you really, really want to be a published author and are willing to do what it takes. If you need to step up your writing, for example, then do it. Read. Write. Research.

Title: Silent Little Angels: Detective Katie Scott Book 7
Author: Jennifer Chase
Publisher: Bookouture
Pages: 402
Genre: Crime Thriller

When camp counselor Carolyn Sable’s body is found floating in a lake beside Eagle Ridge Summer Camp, Detective Katie Scott must dig deep to stay focused. As a child, Katie spent many happy weeks at that camp toasting marshmallows on the fire with her best friend Jenny… until the day Jenny disappeared. The loss will always haunt Katie, but Carolyn’s inconsolable family need answers.

Searching the area, the devastating discovery of two more bodies sends the case into a tailspin. Suddenly on the hunt for a serial killer, Katie’s blood turns to ice when she finds newspaper clippings about her own past cases planted near one of the bodies. Was this twisted killer banking on Katie taking the lead? And why?

Carolyn was adored by children and staff at the camp, so Katie thinks her sudden resignation is key to cracking the case. Uncovering a tragic accident involving a group of children in the weeks before Carolyn left, Katie knows she’s getting close.

But when the carefully laid trap Katie sets to catch Carolyn’s killer backfires, Katie finds herself in unthinkable danger and unable to even trust her own team. Can she stay alive long enough to crack the toughest case of her career, and how many more innocent lives will be lost before she does?

An absolutely unputdownable crime thriller from a USA Today and Amazon bestselling author. Fans of of Lisa Regan, Rachel Caine and Melinda Leigh will be sleeping with the lights on!

Everyone is talking about Silent Little Angels:

“I still have goosebumps! Omg……… amazing…I flew through the pages with Olympic speed. I was hooked from the very first page.” NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

“One hell of an unpredictable rollercoaster ride with several twists and turns along the way… I almost had to read through my fingers… A brilliant, and highly recommended read.” Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

“It kept me guessing right until the end. There is plenty of action, suspense, and tension. I’ve become so invested in these characters. I was glued to this one and up way past my bedtime. I couldn’t put it down.” Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

“I read this in one very short sitting, I couldn’t put it down. It was well written with well-developed characters and a gripping storyline that was full of mystery, tension and twists… a thrilling read.” NetGalley reviewer

“All-time favorite… I was shouting in my head, don’t go back there… wow!” I Spooky’s Maze Of Books, 5 stars

“There was no way I was putting this book down!!!!!… I was literally holding my breath… I HAD TO KNOW!!!!! As for the explosive ending: WOW definitely not what, or who I was expecting.” Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

Book Information

Release Date: April 19 2022

Publisher: Bookouture

Soft Cover: ISBN: 978-1803142319; 402 pages; $11.99; E-Book, $3.99; FREE Audiobook with Audible Trial; eBook FREE with Kindle Unlimited Membership

Amazon: https://amzn.to/38HWeJ2