Q: What is the key theme and/or message
in the book? Is it inspirational, ethical, a matter of justice, or something
else?
A: In ACTS
OF MALICE there are two murders. The story is driven by the murders, the search
for the killers, and the need for justice for the victims. The characters are either
trying to stay out of the crosshairs of the killers, trying to find the killer or both. Closely related to this is the subtheme about the widows and family
left behind, and how they mourn and struggle in the wake of these devastating, senseless
murders And, there is a strong inspirational, Christian message. Still, it's the
search for the killers and the desire for justice that pushes the story
forward. That's why I say that I write from a Christian Worldview, rather than
saying I write Christian fiction because what I actually write are classic
murder mysteries. Many of the most important characters in my mystery novels
happen to be Christians.
Q: Villains can be hard to write. How did you
write yours?
A: I find most villains disturbing, even the
ones I create. That's why I don't get into their mindset too much. I show them
in social situations where they've got their public face on. Of course, I do
give an inkling of their interior being so that when it turns out at the end
that they are the killer, it's believable. I have put down and stopped reading thrillers
by authors that delight and revel in the demonic mindset of the psychopathic
killer.
Q: What comes first, plot or characters? How do
you develop one or both?
A: The murder and its motive come first. Then the
main characters drive the story and the plot forward. It becomes a question of
what would they do next to find the killer(s) and to survive the killer(s).
Two fun bullet
questions:
Q. What is your
fav thing to eat? Least fav?
A: Since Thanksgiving is coming up my fav dinner
thing to eat is the turkey with gravy and cranberry sauce. My least fav is the
traditional green bean casserole of frozen or canned French cut green beans topped
with canned onion rings and canned cream of mushroom soup. Then it's baked. Ugh.
I even wrote a blog article about my dislike of green bean casserole.
Q: Do you have a library membership? Do you use
it?
A: Yes, I
do. I used it for ACTS OF MALICE. I went to my local library and looked up Caracas,
Venezuela in the large atlas-type books. This is where my first victim was
murdered. I wanted to see the streets in large color photos and get a feel for
the city. I needed to understand the layout of the city and how the city was
surrounded by mountains.
ACTS OF
MALICE in a nutshell…
A
taut and compelling classic murder mystery with a national security underlying
theme. Interpersonal relationships, greed, dry humor. Uplifting.
Lavender Raines gets the 'doorbell ring'
no wife ever wants to get. Her husband has been brutally murdered, and the FBI
is more secretive than helpful. The problem is, his body was found in Caracas
when she thought his business trip had taken him to New Orleans.
Mackenzie just opened a second beach
resort-town restaurant, this one in Ribault Beach, Florida…but now the
clandestine national security organization that from-time-to-time sends him on
covert missions wants him to find Lavender's husband's killers.
Forces from within the "Deep
State" have shaped circumstances that will alter the course of both their
lives. Then a local man is murdered. Lavender and Mackey are polar opposites.
He is emotionally shut down about his life, but protective of others. She is a
pillar of strength in her family, but distrusting of Mackey and guarded around
him. Can they find common ground amidst this treachery and turmoil?
Short Bio:
Nike
N. Chillemi writes classic murder mysteries/detective novels. It's been said
she writes literature that reads like pulp fiction. Plenty of action, a dash of
grit, wry humor as her characters navigate through situations and relationships,
and there's as an uplifting message. There's usually a national security/public
safety underlying theme to her work. She likes her bad guys really bad, her
good guys smarter and better. Her newest endeavor is ACTS OF MALICE
Twitter: @NikeNChillemi
