S. 3, Ep. 17: A Chat with Thriller Author Kristin Helling

Debbi Mack interviews thriller author Kristin Helling. To buy any of the books displayed, just click on the cover. The interview transcript is below, if you’d like to read it. Or download the PDF copy and read it later. Debbi: Hi, everyone. This is the Crime Cafe. Your podcasting source of great crime, suspense and thriller writing. I’m Debbi Mack, your host. Before I bring on my guest, I’d like to say two things. First, check out my website and the link at debbimack.com. The link “Crime Cafe” where you can find all the buy links for the Crime Cafe publications, as well as the subscribe button for the podcast. Secondly, I’m putting together a Patreon campaign for people who would like to support the podcast. Yes, you can help keep the lights on here and keep the great crime, suspense and thriller talk coming. So, they’ll be great perks for people who get involved and donate as low as a dollar. So, please consider it and be on the lookout for the page. I’ll let everyone know when that’s up. But now, what you’ve been waiting for. My guest is Kristin Helling who “enjoys stories with a journey, whether it’s a journey across the globe, a journey through space, or a journey of finding oneself.” I like that. How’s it going Kristin? It’s great to have you on. Kristin: Good, thank you for having me, Debbi. Debbi: Sure thing. It’s wonderful. So, you’ve done a lot of different types of writing and that intrigues me, but we’ll start with your thriller writing. The Altruism Effect, tell us about the book. What is the book about? Kristin: Yeah, so the premise is based around a psychological experiment from our history, a real one. As I was studying psychology, I got my minor with my bachelor’s in psychology and it was just all of these cases from the past that have taught us so much about humanity, was just so inspiring to me and so I feel like the stories write themselves when I read these cases and so my series, Mastermind Murderers is based off of loose inspirations from psychological studies. So, the first book, The Altruism Effect is based off of the Stanford Prison Experiment that happened in 1971. So, yeah my protagonist is a psychologist herself. She’s graduated with her doctorate and she’s running a clinic with a few other graduates that she has come close with and she’s had a couple of horrific experiences, which relates back to the prison experiment. Kind of helps her guide herself through life. Debbi: I know as a lawyer, it affected me. Kristin: She went through the training to be a psychologist and that definitely came from my background in psychology as well as, you know the cases that I allude to as well. Debbi: Yeah, I thought it was interesting that you had that reference to the Stanford Experiment, because I think I’ve heard of it before and that’s just very scary. And where does The Bystander Effect go from this, the next book I assume in the series? Is it an extension of what happens before? Is it the same protagonist or does something else happen? Kristin: It is, yes. So, this is a four book series. So, I don’t think it’s a spoiler in saying that she survives [laughs]. Debbi: Thank heavens [laughs]. Kristin: And so the second book, The Bystander Effect opens up with the detective that speaks to her when she’s in the hospital at the end. He actually goes back and visits her after there’s been some time for her to heal and he actually approaches her to ask for her expertise in a case that he’s currently working on. So, he…because of the experience that she had, he’s finding similarities in some current cases he’s working on and he thinks with her experience and her education that she would be a really big help to the case. And so, with a lot of kind of going within herself and seeing if this was possible for her to even do, she ends up taking the job, and so the two of them work to try and solve the next case that comes up. That’s kind of how the rest of the series is line...