Serial Killer Debut

HUNTED

Profiler Series, book 1

Mira

Terror stalks a small Virginia town…

FBI rising star, criminal profiler Evelyn Baine, knows how to think like a serial killer. But she’s never chased anyone like the Bakersville Burier, who hunts young women and displays them, half-buried, deep in the woods. As the body count climbs, Evelyn’s relentless pursuit of the killer puts her career – and her life – at risk. And the evil lurking in the Burier’s mind may be more than even she can unravel.

Terror is closer than she thinks…

The Bakersville Burier knows he’s got an FBI profiler on his trail. He knows who she is and where to find her. And he’s biding his time, because he’s planned a special punishment for Evelyn. She may have tracked other killers, but he vows to make this her last chase. This time it’s her turn to be hunted!

Read a little, buy the book

MEET ELIZABETH HEITER

She likes her suspense to feature strong heroines, chilling villains, psychological twists, and a little romance. Her research has taken her into the minds of serial killers, through murder investigations, and onto the FBI Academy's shooting range. Elizabeth graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in English Literature. She's a member of International Thriller Writers and Romance Writers of America. Visit Elizabeth at www.elizabethheiter.com.

THE PROFILER is PROFILED

ANGI: How often to you get lost in a story?

ELIZABETH: I wish it were more often!  These days, I’m so busy writing books that I have less time to read.  But growing up, I went to the library every other week and came home with a stack of books so high I couldn’t see over them.  And the bookstore was still my favorite place to shop.  Needless to say, I read fast!  And I LOVE books, pretty much all genres.

Doing research (learning to shoot a Glock)
at the FBI Academy.

ANGI: Can you tell us about a real-life hero you’ve met?

ELIZABETH: A real-life hero I know is the FBI Special Agent who has read my manuscripts for accuracy.  He’s been in the FBI for more than a decade, being on the front line in a counterterror squad among other things.  My friend, along with his colleagues – male and female – are heroes to me.  Doing the research to write an FBI character really made me appreciate all the work they do, and the personal risks they take to do their jobs effectively and protect us.

ANGI: What do you like about the hero of your book?

ELIZABETH: HUNTED is a psychological suspense, but it still has a romantic element.  The hero, Kyle McKenzie, is a Hostage Rescue Team agent with the FBI.  I loved writing him because he’s such a mix of badass (HRT is basically the FBI’s version of a Special Operations Team) and sensitivity (he really stands by my heroine, FBI profiler Evelyn Baine, even when she doesn’t think she needs him).  Plus, he’s charming, and he knows it!

ANGI: Is there a playlist you’d recommend for reading your latest release?

ELIZABETH: Definitely something up-tempo, with a lot of tension built in.  One song that immediately comes to mind (probably because I listened to it often while writing HUNTED!) is called Promentory, from the Last of the Mohicans soundtrack.  There’s something about the use of string instruments (which seems so appropriate for the psychological elements of the book) and the inherent tension in the song (which ties into the action sequences).  Basically, that song makes you feel like something big is always on the cusp of happening – which I hope is also how the book makes you feel!

ANGI: Fairy Tale or Action Adventure?

ELIZABETH: Action-adventure, definitely!  While I don’t mind a good fairy tale, in most of the classic tales I remember, the heroine needed to be rescued (I like a heroine who can rescue herself!).  I like a modern twist on a fairy tale, something like Ever After (my favorite scene in that movie is when the heroine is surrounded in the woods and is told she can keep only whatever she can carry out – and so she matter-of-factly picks up the hero!).  Action-adventure appeals to my need for an adrenaline rush (but in my opinion, the best action-adventure also has a romance with a fairy tale ending – or the promise of one to come!).

ANGI: What was the first story you remember writing?

ELIZABETH: This is a hard one!  I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember.  And even back in elementary and middle school, I was drawn primarily to novels.  I started a lot of novels as a kid that I never finished, but the first novel I did finish was with critique partner Robbie Terman (whom I’ve known since second grade).  That masterpiece <G> was our own Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew story.  We wrote the very first version of it entirely by hand, in a big notebook.  Later, we revised it so it became its own story, completely separate from Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew, and typed it out onto the computer.  Somewhere, I still have that notebook with the original story!

Here I am with critique partner Robbie Terman,
writing novels (with a mocha, of course!

ANGI: What is your biggest vice?

ELIZABETH: Chocolate.  Or coffee.  Or best yet, chocolate coffee!  It’s become a little Pavlovian for me – have chocolate and coffee, must write!  (Or – am writing, need chocolate and coffee.  In fact, I have a box of Godiva on one side of my computer and a mug of german chocolate cake flavored coffee on the other as I write this blog post!)

ANGI: Is there a “Blooper” in your story (it may have been changed before printing)?

ELIZABETH: There were several that got changed before printing.  It seems I am a little too unfamiliar with names in popular culture, because when I gave the manuscript to my critique partner the first time, she laughed at me and told me I had to change the name of the Medical Examiner, because I’d used the name of a famous actress!  Then, when I turned in the first version to my editor, she pointed out that the new name I’d given the M.E. (now a man) was again someone famous.  Apparently, I’d better get a subscription to People!

ANGI: How is it working with hot guys and sexy women all day?

ELIZABETH: Oh, it’s a hard job, but someone’s gotta do it! <G>  I’ve always loved storytelling, and I really enjoy torturing my characters – making them face their demons and come out stronger for it.  For me, perseverance and the strength to keep pushing through, even when it looks like there’s no possible way there will be a good outcome, is a sexy trait!  (And, admittedly, I imagine the hero of my debut, Kyle McKenzie, to look a little like Hugh Jackman, and the heroine, Evelyn Baine, to resemble Thandie Newton, so they’re pretty good-looking on the outside, too!)

ANGI’S GOTTA ASK: I know you enjoy researching your books, but what do you do for fun?

BEFORE

ELIZABETH'S GOTTA ANSWER:  Why, Angi, do you ask this question because all I seem to do is write or research for my books? <G>  Last year, after nine years of submitting (see why I appreciate perseverance?!), I finally sold my first five books.  So, I was writing those while working full-time as an editor for an e-learning company.  

This is the after shot of my living room
– note the new floor I put in!

And, a few years ago, I bought a house, and decided I could do the updates (things like redoing all the floors in the house) myself.  But I’m determined to make more time to get back into some of the other things I enjoy this year.  

I’ve already made plans to go downhill skiing in January (once upon a time, I could handle jumps, skiing backward, etc. – we’ll see how this trip goes!), and come summer, I’m determined to get back on a jet-ski and do some wake jumping!  Maybe it has to do with why I like suspense and action-adventure (love that adrenaline rush!), but I like sports with a little speed built in!

FIND ELIZABETH:

Website    Facebook     Twitter   @ElizabethHeiter    Goodreads     

UP NEXT for ELIZABETH:

VANISHED

Profiler Series, book 2

Mira, January 2015

THE LAWMAN SERIES:

THE DISARMING DETECTIVE, SEDUCED BY THE SNIPER, & S.W.A.T. SECRET ADMIRER

Harlequin Intrigue, March, April & May 2015

ELIZABETH IS GIVING AWAY a copy of HUNTED to a blog commenter. North America Readers only.

Note: COMMENTERS are encouraged to leave a contact email address to speed the prize notification process. Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only unless specifically mentioned in the post. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. Winners of drawings are responsible for checking this site in a timely manner. If prizes are not claimed in a timely manner, the author may not have a prize available. Get Lost In A Story cannot be responsible for an author's failure to mail the listed prize. GLIAS does not automatically pass email addresses to guest authors unless the commenter publicly posts their email address.

ELIZABETH WANTS TO KNOW: What hobby did you used to love that you want to make time for again?