NK Chats To… Thomas Roehlk
Hello Thomas. Thank you so much for joining me today. What sets your book, Fire Feud, apart from others in your genre?
I consider my genre as thriller, with the sub-genre of legal thriller. I have much respect for women in the corporate law world, and I believe my work shines a light on this type of character in the crowded world of thrillers.
What’s your favorite compliment you’ve received as a writer?
My favorite was from a review I received on my first book, Red Deuce. It was “Red Deuce shows the author’s behind-the-scenes understanding of how corporations work, making it seem all too credible. The plot keeps you guessing until the very end. Just when you think you’ve figured it all out, he throws another curveball that leaves you eagerly flipping pages to uncover the truth.”
Why did you choose this setting/topic?
Choosing Chicago as a setting provides an amazing city with amazing history, and therefore amazing opportunities to build stories. My protagonist is a study in contrasts. She finds herself unable to poke the beast until it reveals its web of intrigue and illegality, and the story of intermingled crime and espionage allows the protagonist to push herself into solving the mystery.
Which author(s) most inspired you?
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NK Chats To… Elliott Ajai-Ajagbe Daley
Hi Elliott, thank you so much for joining me today as we shine a light on your book, Winter Solstice: Precipice of a Dream. Can you tell us a bit about your journey as a young Black author. How did writing begin for you?
When I was little, I really struggled to read. I remember proudly spelling “is”, “I-Z” in class — and everyone laughing at me. In that moment I promised myself I’d crack the literacy code and write a book of my own some day. Soon after, I was put in a reading recovery programme, and thanks to them, I quickly caught up. From there, I became obsessed with reading — I couldn’t stop and teachers had to keep taking me to the library to get more books.
Who inspired that love of reading?
My mum. She was an actress, clown, and children’s entertainer — she filled our home with stories and imagination. She used to play these videos with a catchy tune that went, “YOU CAN READ!” to encourage me. After I finally learned, I fell completely in love with books. She also got me and my brother into circus skills training — I even dreamt of joining the circus at one point!
What inspired Winter Solstice: Precipice of a Dream?
It started with my childhood belief in Santa. We didn’t have much money growing up, and I remember one year, when we were living at a shelter, Santa came to visit. When I saw he was Black, I said to him the same thing society had said me to me my whole life: “Santa isn’t black”.
Then I pulled off his beard to prove it — turns out it was my mum’s godfather just trying to bring the kids some Christmas joy. That moment really made me question what Christmas meant to me. All the media told me Santa couldn’t be black, but the only real Santa is the one that shows up and mine was a loving member of my black family. Did anything else matter?
As I got older, I started to see Christmas as both magical and difficult — a time of love for some, and pressure for others. One Christmas, an image popped into my head and to me it perfectly sums up what Christmas has become: a corporate Santa with a cigar in a gothic sleigh. He had armoured reindeer and elves pointing guns at the humans who were on their knees in the snow, holding up piles of cash, as every time you see Santa, it’s time to pay. He is the ultimate symbol of capitalism. That image blossomed into a world and that world inspired this story..
That’s a bold take on Christmas! How do you see your story reflecting today’s world?
by NK Chats To… Jodie Morgan
Hi Jodie. Thank you for joining me today. Can you tell me about Murder at the Summer Cheese Festival and what inspired it?
Thank you so much for having me, Laura! I’m really excited to be here.
Murder At The Summer Cheese Festival follows Laura Evans, who’s traded her high-stress Boston restaurant career for the charm of small-town Vermont.
She thinks she’s found peace as the new café manager at the Silver Springs General Store, but when a body turns up after a pre-festival cheese tasting…her boss Maggie becomes the prime suspect. With the festival just two weeks away and the store’s reputation on the line, Laura can’t just stand by and watch her new life crumble!
With the help of her observant landlady, Evelyn Chan, she discovers beneath Silver Springs’ picture-perfect surface lies a web of rivalries, secrets, and scandals.
The inspiration came from so many parts of my life coming together.
My background in hospitality (studying it at university and working long hours in restaurants and cafés) taught me the skills you need for excellent hospitality work are the same an amateur sleuth would need: observation, empathy, and reading the room.
Then there was my love of fall colors, mountains, and all the gorgeous produce of that season: apples, late summer berries, maple syrup, and my favorite, cheese! When I pictured where all this would happen, I immediately thought of Vermont with its stunning fall foliage, beautiful mountains, and those amazing annual cheese festivals.
And I had to include the crafting community. My maternal grandmother, Mama, taught me to knit and crochet, and after nine years as a knitting and crochet blogger, I knew that world had to be part of this story. The crafting community is so generous and kind!
What are the challenges of writing a book in a series? What things do you need to consider?
I knew I wanted to write a series, because the books I enjoy the most are part of a series! If you look at my Goodreads, you’ll see many Poirot and Miss Marple novels!
A series lets the reader become part of the community. You watch people grow, make mistakes, repair relationships, and discover things about themselves. I want readers to feel like they’re returning to a welcoming place when they pick up the next book.
The challenge is keeping track of all the details!
You need to remember what happened in previous books, what secrets have been revealed, and what relationships have developed. I keep detailed notes about every character, location, and item within Silver Springs and the series’ wider world.
You also need to balance making each book satisfying on its own while still moving the series forward. New readers should be able to pick up any book and enjoy it, but long-time readers deserve those lovely little callbacks and character growth moments.
I suppose it’d be like juggling, and I’ll do my best to get it right as the series progresses.
How do you approach the planning, writing, and editing processes and how long does it take you before you complete the book?
by NK Chats To… Dr. Brent Bradley
It’s a pleasure to be welcoming Dr. Brent Bradley to Novel Kicks and thank you for inviting us onto your blog tour. How did you research your book, Frantic?
I did a lot of research! I went deep into AI magazine articles, online articles, and research articles. I also watched a lot of Youtube videos on AI, especially interviews with leading engineers in the field of AI.
What’s the hardest scene or character you wrote—and why?
The toughest scenes for me were the romantic ones from a female perspective. For me as a male, it’s not easy to authentically write what a female character is feeling when it comes to romance and attraction. However, I’ve done couples therapy for 25 years so I have a LOT to pull from!
Where do you get your ideas?
I tend to get ideas from areas that I am already interested in, and ones that I think others are too. They MUST provide a context for juicy relationship dynamics, which is my specialty. I let ideas simmer for quite a while before writing anything. Other ideas start flowing during these “simmer” times too. I do a lot of research, so ideas come from the research findings as well.
What sets your book apart from others in your genre?
by NK Chats To… Darryl Barkwill
Hi Darryl, thank you so much for joining me today. Can you tell us about your latest book, FC Farce and what inspired the idea?
Thanks Laura. FC Farce follows the mis-adventures of a lower league English football team. Initially known as Henlon Wanderers, the team is reluctantly inherited by Graham Farce.
After a series of mishaps, the club is forced to reform as FC Farce, which sets the tone for what lies ahead. Their debut season turns out to be a hilarious, ridiculous chaotic whirlwind, packing in just about everything that can go wrong at a football club. And at the centre of all the chaos is Graham, who is forced to try to restore the club’s reputation and ultimately save it from relegation.
What’s your typical writing day like? Do you have any writing rituals like needing silence, coffee etc?
With two young kids, I was often writing FC Farce quite late at night, it was the only time I could get peace and quiet. No huge rituals, but at times, when I was struggling for motivation, I would open a beer and try to let my mind open up a bit! Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t…
What’s your favourite word and why?
Win. Because all wins are good. Football team ‘wins’. Quick ‘wins’. Massive ‘wins’.
How do you approach the planning, research, writing and editing processes?
Planning wise, I tried to get a strong ending first and work towards that. The ending is what the reader will remember, so it has to be strong. In FC Farce’s case, the research mainly came from my own experiences of being a football fan. The events were unique but inspired by events I’ve found amusing.
I aimed to write around 500 words a day, enough to see progress but not make it too heavy. With the editing, being a new author, I sent the first draft to a beta reader to get some professional feedback. That gave me great tips on how to elevate my writing.
If you were compiling a playlist for FC Farce, which songs would you include?
by Book Club
