Author Spotlight: “Make Them Pay!” D.K. Greene

Today’s Author Spotlight is on D.K. Greene, who wrote Innocence Lost in the thriller anthology, Make Them Pay!

D.K. is a mom, wife, and full-time caregiver. Her big ideas are put to paper at a small corner desk under an even smaller window in Longview, Washington. She is the author of the Killers Club series, and gets lost in the study of the psychology behind repeat violent offenders.

She likes fancy cocktails in sugar-rimmed glasses, reading by the fireplace, and long walks on the beach to find places perfect for hiding evidence.

Take it away D.K.

Q: Tell us a little about your story in Make Them Pay!?

A: The character Mac Jones started as a worn-out mom treating her house like a detective agency in The Mommy Mysteries cozies. Over time, she’s transformed into a determined F.B.I. agent in the Killers Club novels. In this story, Innocence Lost, she is plucked from her life as a full-time mom and is thrust into the world of corporate crime when her son’s entire summer camp is kidnapped in one fell swoop.

Being a mom (and a character from a cozy mystery), she’s treated like a nuisance by the police. Through her grit, determination, and drive to get her son back, she chases down the most unlikely suspects in a bizarre case of mass kidnapping.

Q: What was the inspiration for your story?

I love writing Mac Jones. She’s funny, smart, and always ready for action. But there’s always a question that comes up: How does a mom go from chasing down lunch money in a bathrobe to sniffing out kidnappers and serial killers?

Us moms aren’t one dimensional people. We pick up a lot of talents while trying to keep our family alive. This story was Mac’s chance to turn on the heat and save the day, setting the scene for her dark and mysterious future.

Q: When did you start writing and/or publishing?

I started writing freelance pieces for online news, gossip sites, and small businesses back in 2010. In 2012 I switched to writing full length novels and have never looked back. My first suspense novel was published in 2015.

Q: Why thrillers?

Thrillers are as fun to write as they are to read. I am fascinated by the psychology of repeat offenders and the law enforcement that chase after them. None of the good guys are all the way good, and sometimes there are bad guys who aren’t all the way bad.

Q: Who are your favorite thriller authors to read?

This is a hard one because I read all over the place. Looking at the bookshelf in front of me, I have Chelsea Cain’s Archie Sheridan & Gretchen Lowell series, and Gregg Olsen’s Detective Megan Carpenter books mixed in with a bunch of true crime, science fiction, fantasy, and satire.

Q: Were your friends or family members nervous hanging around you once they read one of your books?

While researching locations for Where Bodies Lie, I took my wife and toddler on a Mother’s Day beach vacation so we could go “sight-seeing.” I was actually looking for a place to hide a body. I’ve had friends joke about worrying they’ll make me mad one day, and others ask the best way to hide evidence.

My wife doesn’t read my Killers Club series anymore. The first book was enough for her.

Q: What’s your favorite non-reading, non-writing activity?

My absolute favorite activity aside from reading and writing is sleeping. I know that sounds lame, but I’m a lifelong insomniac, so I don’t get to do it much. When everyone else is sleeping, I read and write.

If you want to check out Greene’s story along with the other 21 top thriller authors, here’s where you can grab your copy of Make Them Pay!