Interview & Contest with Chris Karlsen Author of Golden Chariot

About Chris Karlsen

I was born and raised in Chicago. My father was a history professor and my mother was, and is, a voracious reader. I grew up with a love of history and books.

My parents also love traveling, a passion they passed onto me. I wanted to see the places I read about, see the land and monuments from the time periods that fascinated me. I’ve had the good fortune to travel extensively throughout Europe, the Near East, and North Africa.

I am a retired police detective. I spent twenty-five years in law enforcement with two different agencies. My desire to write came in my early teens. After I retired, I decided to pursue that dream.

I currently live in the Pacific Northwest with my husband, four rescue dogs and a rescue horse.  

 Interview:

1    1.  What inspired you to become a writer?

      I considered it in my teens but never had the confidence to really try. Years later, when I retired, I was determined to learn the craft and seriously give it a go.

2       

     2.  When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?  

        My early teens.

3   3.   What genre(s) do you write?

      

       I write paranormal romance and romantic thrillers. 

        4.  Why do you write the stories that you write?  

       

       Things like reincarnation and time travel interest me and I enjoy a happy ending, which is why I write the paranormals. I read a lot of thrillers and love history and travel, which is why I write the romantic thrillers, I can combine both in those.

        5.  Where did the inspiration for your book come from? 

       I love Turkey and visited the ruins of Troy twice. As I walked the walls of the ruins the first time, I started thinking about the Trojan War and writing a story with my spin on how it went rather than Homer’s in The Iliad. The second time I visited, I knew I wanted to give my heroine, Charlotte Dashiell, a radical view of the war and the characters Homer speaks of, which gave me the idea for the hero, Atakan Vadim. He doesn’t believe her theory has any credence.  

  

         6.  How long did it take you to put the story together? 

    Two and a half years. I did 18 months of research before I wrote a word. 

 7.  Can you share a little about your novel with us? 

 Golden Chariot is a romantic thriller set in Turkey. The heroine, Charlotte is an American nautical archaeologist and the hero, Atakan is a Turkish agent, also an archaeologist investigating her.  

GOLDEN CHARIOT      

EXCERPT:

                Shouts of “fire” came from all sides of the camp. The west wind blew sparks in the direction of the lab. They could lose the entire camp, but not the lab, not the artifacts.

                Charlotte grabbed an empty barrel from the fire line. She ran with it and started climbing the stairs to the shower stall’s water tank. A man’s large hand covered her mouth. His other hand brandished a gun. With the cold barrel to her ear, he walked her backwards down the few steps to the ground.

                “Don’t scream.” Little-by-little his palm came away from her mouth.

BLURB:

The rare discovery of a ship sunk during the time of the Trojan War has been found off the coast of Turkey, near Troy. Charlotte Dashiell is an American nautical archaeologist and thrilled to be part of the recovery team. The wreck may contain proof of her highly controversial theory about the Trojan War.

                Charlotte is present when the Turkish government agent assigned to guard the site is murdered. Her possible involvement and a questionable connection to a private collector of black market relics bring her under suspicion. Atakan Vadim is the Turkish agent sent to investigate her. Unknown to either of them, the smuggler behind the murder plans to steal a valuable artifact and frame Charlotte for the theft...after they murder her.

TAGLINE:

Myth, murder, and money clash in this gripping undersea adventure.

      

        8.  Who is your favorite charter in your novel and why?  

      I love Charlotte but I’d choose Atakan. I enjoyed letting him start off so stern and serious and then fleshing him out. I loved making him the skeptic to her theory and giving him solid reasons to argue. I enjoyed adding his sense of humor and showing sensitivity in his unique fashion.

      9.  Now that your book is getting ready to hit the stores describe how you feel in one sentence? 

      It was released last month. I am very excited. This is book one of a new series and I’m very happy people who read the paranormals are liking this one too. 

       10.  What has surprised you the most about the whole processes of getting your book on the market? 

      How much promotion is involved to get noticed. 

  

.     11.  Would you like to share what the reviewers are saying about your book? 

     “Mystery, intrigue and romance, it (Golden Chariot) has it all.” “Fast-paced and action-packed.” “Dan Brown underwater.”

     12.   How many books have you written?  

                                                   I have three in release. 

       Amazon Heroes Live Forever

      “Heroes Live Forever,” and 

      “Journey in Time,” are books one and two of my paranormal romance series, “Knights in Time.” “Golden Chariot,” is book one of my “Dangerous Waters,” romantic thriller series. I’ve finished the rough draft of the sequel to Golden Chariot.

       

      Other Place to Buy Knights in Time Series

       Bookstogonow.com

       Barnesandnoble.com

       Google.com

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          Amazon  Journey in Time

        13.  What are you working on next?                                                              

  

      At the moment, I’m working on book 3 of my “Knights in Time,” series. I hope to have this in release by late fall.

     14.   What do you like to do for fun when you’re not writing? 

       Read, travel, take belly dance lessons.

  

       15.  How can readers contact you?

Facebook

Chris Karlsen Website

Email: chriskarlsenwriter@gmail.com

       16.  When does your book go on sale and where can we buy it? 

      At the moment it is an Amazon Select exclusive.  Amazon Golden Chariot

       17.  Last but not least is there anything that you would like to add?

      My website has trailers for my first two books and I hope to have one for Golden Chariot within a few weeks. For your followers interested in history or the locations I’ve used,  my website also lists research material and personal photos of places.

Contest 

Leave a comment or ask a question to Chris and she will be selecting one lucky winner to give a Kindle or Pdf. copy of The Golden Chariot to!!!  Good Luck to Everyone!!!