Mystery author T. M. Hern chats with me today about her new police procedural, Forced Fracture.
Bio:
Tressa Hern is a North American mystery and contemporary-romance writer who interlaces thrills, danger, comedy, and a bit of sexiness throughout her stories. Having worked in law enforcement and receiving a degree in Psychology, Tressa weaves her knowledge within her stories. She knew at a young age that she would write, and feels writing is the most gut wrenching, humbling, and rewarding task she could undertake. Secret … she loves to eat food that you can eat with your fingers, as long as the hands are clean.) A sequel to Forced Fracture is forthcoming as well as re-releases of previous books.
Welcome, Tressa. Please tell us about your current release.
New York police Detective Jagger Scott rushes to be by his sister’s side in Ft. Lauderdale Florida where she’s in a coma, the latest victim of a serial killer whose spree began in Wisconsin where FBI agent Peyton Morgan was assigned the case. The two meet and sparks fly in a tense power struggle amplified by physical attraction. Morgan has control of the case and Scott refuses to be left out, vowing to catch the culprit responsible for his sister’s assault.
Together they investigate the killer who eludes capture and continues his murderous spree. Their partnership fuels an overpowering desire to end the personal loneliness that has settled into their lives.
A fast paced, gripping thriller crafted with twists, turns, and psychological overtones, Forced Fracture will hook you from the beginning with elements that will please readers of both mystery and romance.
What inspired you to write this book?
My interest in Psychology, knowledge of it and stories such as Sybil and other movies portraying mental health and danger (s) to society. The question of whether Psychosis is a nature based as opposed to nurture causal factor. The police aspect of the story is from my experience in law enforcement, procedurally. The love story part? Everyone likes a little romance, don’t they?
Excerpt from Forced Facture:
Sitting upright, he threw his legs over the bed, stood, stretched, then wandered over to the chest of drawers under the television. Pulling on a pair of jeans and a black t shirt, he gathered his belongings resting on the tabletop, shoving the necessities into his pockets. He left the rest. He moved to the front of the hotel room closet and reached for a case, throwing the nylon strap over his shoulder and pulled a baseball cap low over his forehead, shading his eyes.
Complete silence deafened his ears as he stepped down the hall. Partially eaten dinner trays littered the outside of the individual rooms. He pulled the cap lower over his eyes looking up to see the exit sign for the stairs. Swiftly, he descended the two flights of stairs and opened the exit door for the third floor. This floor was just as sleepy as his. Perfect.
When he arrived at her room, he worked the lock and gently pushed the handle down and snickered as the door gave no resistance. He was getting better at this. He stepped into the sleeping area and saw her. His first glimpse. She hadn’t undressed, and the dim table light silhouetted her body. She was facing away from him. Her side silhouette was hourglass, and she was beautiful. The most beautiful. He gently turned her to lie on her back and gasped as her pouty red lips and wild tousled hair stirred his passion. He watched her breathe, silently envisioning how she would look through his lens. She would give everything to him, willingly. Setting the camera case near, he moved even closer. His hands trembled when he spotted the zipper running down the center of her blouse from the level of her breasts to her navel. He loved zippers. She had been thoughtful and attentive to his needs, as if he had requested it.
His passion was rising. As he slowly lowered the zipper of her blouse, his erection notched higher in painful agony as the zipper clicked lower and lower. The black lacy brassiere had a simple front closure beckoning him and was easily undone with a simple twist. His lips began to twitch as he sucked saliva back into his mouth.
What exciting story are you working on next?
Right now, I am doing a line edit on my first book ‘Shivering Heat’, which will undergo another cover change, I say another because, I just kept trying to get it better. This book will also have a title change to Trusting Him.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
Probably during the eighth draft of my first book. When I attended my first book signing in Nashville TN and readers came up to me and bought my books, wow, that made me very happy!
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I write, edit, for at least five hours a day. I write from home, so I often don’t get household things done because I’m busy writing and editing. I love to cook and make things I’ve never made before, recently it was tamales. I also have been told that I make the best dill pickles. I grow all the ingredients myself.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
Not sure if this is a quirk but when I went through the book I’m working on, looking at context and loopholes I ask myself …’ was I clear on that, did I bring this up?’ I would often start changing the dialogue or words only to find that two sentences down I already had covered the issue I was concerned about. Makes me think to myself that content wise, I’m good.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A magazine editor. I was eleven. I also wanted to write something like Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Robert Bach. The book had been a gift to me.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Thank you. Thank you for taking the time to read about me and my book “Forced Fracture” It was a rewarding story for me to write. If you read it and have any comments, please feel free to contact me through any of my social links. I hope that you enjoy it. Best wishes.
Links:
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