Today we’re welcoming the wonderfully witty Kris Bock to the blog! From haunted museums in New Mexico to accidental detectives navigating life (and crime) after 50, Kris writes mystery and suspense with a healthy dose of humor and heart. We asked her all about Halloween movie titles, fall baking fails (spider cookies, anyone?), psychic sleuths, and the real magic of roasting green chile. Whether you’re into ghost stories, cozy casseroles, or just a great character-driven mystery, this is an autumn conversation you won’t want to miss.
1. If your book were a Halloween movie, what would it be called?
The Accidental Detective is a humorous series about a former war correspondent reinventing herself as she faces fifty, so how about The Curse of Starting Over.
For A Stone Cold Murder (The Reluctantly Psychic Murder Mysteries), maybe Little Museum of Horrors, since it’s set at a quirky small town Museum in New Mexico.
2. What’s your go-to fall treat or spooky-season snack?
As the weather gets cooler, I enjoy baking more. I once tried making chocolate chip cookies where you pull them out of the oven and use a toothpick to drag melted chocolate out of the chips to make “legs” so they look like spiders, but getting the legs thin turned out to be way harder than the online photos made it look. Now I see most of the recipes suggest using melted chocolate in a pastry tip or Ziploc bag.
I can’t find photos of my cookies where the spiders all had really fat legs, but here are some decorated mini cheesecakes I made for a different spooky party. Another favorite fall recipe that isn’t particularly spooky but is very tasty and season is Chai Tea Shortbread. Yum!
3. What are you currently working on? What inspired you to write this series/book?
The next book I have coming out is Buried in Betrayal (Reluctantly Psychic Murder Mystery Book 3) in early January. It continues the adventures of Petra as she enjoys her new “found family” and job at the Banditt Museum in small-town New Mexico and, of course, gets involved with another murder investigation. I believe the seventh Accidental Detective book will be out sometime next year as well. I’m doing some research and story development for a possible new mystery series, but it’s too early to talk about that! I’ll simply say that my ferrets are helping with the plotting.
4. Which character in your series would survive a haunted house—and who wouldn’t make
it out?
My main characters and sidekicks are pretty good at working together, so I think they’d all make it out. In the Accidental Detective series, Kate would have to wrangle her father’s “challenging” friends, who would probably want to run toward danger rather than away from it. But with her sister by her side, I think they’d get everybody out safely.
In Reluctantly Psychic, Petra might find a way to communicate with any ghosts, since they are presumably psychic energy left behind after death. So she could try to help them resolve their issues. And if that didn’t work, her new friends have some surprising skills that might help everyone escape.
5. What’s one fall tradition you or your main character never skip?
In New Mexico, autumn is announced by a chill in the morning air and the scent of roasting green chile. We eat green chile (the local pepper, not chili the stew) year-round on almost everything, but autumn is a great time for green chile stew, enchilada casserole, and other tasty local dishes. Check out some Southwestern recipes and baked good recipes on my blog!
About the author
Kris Bock writes mystery, suspense, and romance, often with smart, snarky heroines finding adventure
(sometimes against their will) in the Southwest. She lives in New Mexico where she enjoys hiking with her
husband and playing with their ferrets.
