New York Times Bestselling author Erica Spindler started her writing career with romance novels, but crossed over to suspense, "taking advantage of what I've come to call my 'dark gift.'" That dark gift has provided her with fourteen bestselling thrillers, the latest of which is Breakneck.
Breakneck is a sequel to Copycat, starring Detectives M.C. Riggio and Kitt Lundgren. The story focuses on a killer who is stalking a group of young cyber-thieves. The detectives, part of the Rockford, Illinois Violent Crimes Bureau, begin investigating the murder of a young man with no criminal record, not even a noise complaint. He is just the beginning of a string of murders of young adults, apparently clean-cut and law-abiding with no apparent motive for their murders.
Spindler says, "I really wanted to bring back these characters (Riggio and Lundgren), but was searching for a plot idea. About the same time, I experienced a series of security breaches on my credit card. I started researching information/identity theft and learned how frighteningly vulnerable we all are. And I started to wonder: What if a group of cyber thieves stole the identity of someone with the skill to fight back; a predator who would stop at nothing to punish all those involved?"
As part of her promotion efforts for Breakneck, Spindler is offering a "Freebie" to anyone who sends her the receipt from the purchase of the hardcover edition of Breakneck. "I'll send them Riggio's Detective Essentials--several items straight from M.C.'s desk and mentioned in the book--absolutely free." To find out more about the offer, readers are invited to visit her website at www.ericaspindler.com. She has also created a video book trailer for the book, her first ever.
Spindler admits that she does her best writing "away from my office, as crazy as that sounds." She mostly works in a coffeehouse. Her current favorite looks out over Lake Pontchartrain near where she and her family live near New Orleans. "The atmosphere's great, coffee sublime and oddly, they have a photograph of the Flatiron Building hanging on the wall by the table where I wrote. (My publisher, St. Martin's Press, is located in the Flatiron Building). How's that for kismet?"
When not writing, Spindler stays busy with her family. "But when I do have time to simply indulge, I enjoy sneaking off to a movie, reading the newspaper on the porch or meeting a friend for coffee or a glass of wine. And recently I've surprised myself by taking up painting."
Spindler also says she loves to hear from readers who can contact her through her website or write her at PO Box 8556, Mandeville, LA 70470-8556. She is hard at work on her next novel, tentatively titled Blood Vines.
Contributing editor Mark Terry is the author of the Derek Stillwater thriller series. His newest thriller, THE SERPENT'S KISS, is available in stores and online.
