This month’s Bookmarks interview is with Kelley Griffin, wife, mother of 5 boys, and the author of the romantic suspense novel, The Unraveling of Kirin Lane.

What was the germ of the idea that led to the writing of The Unraveling of Kirin Lane?

A dream. I know, sounds corny, right? I dreamed the sequence where Kirin tripped walking into the elevator and found herself stranded with the famous and handsome JT. Flirting, yelling and the whole comical bit. Then later in my writing, I dreamed the bar scene where she was stood up for a blind date, and eventually rescued. I loved the vulnerability of Kirin’s damaged character right alongside the strong and stubborn parts of her. She was a fun character to pen.

Did you have an alternate ending in mind for your story, or did you always know just how it would end?

I had no idea! The most exhilarating part of writing a good twisting suspense was not knowing the ending. During the writing process, I had NO idea how it would all culminate. I would envision a curve or arc around the bend, and all of a sudden the story would jet off in a completely different direction. It was fabulously fun to write, and not knowing the ending was even more exciting. When all of the arcs intersected splendidly–by Divine intervention, I might add–I was beyond thrilled.

Mark Twain retreated to his study to write every morning after breakfast. His family blew a horn if they needed him. Stephen King writes every day, with no exceptions for holidays. His daily quota is 2,000 words. Do you have any writing rituals?

I think all writers have some odd rituals. I write at 5 am with a fluid G2 pen and spiral bound books of unlined paper. If I write during the day, it’s usually on the computer and then I try to do any editing at night. Of course, I am a closet writer, meaning that literally I write sitting cross-legged on the floor in my closet with a pen and paper.

The Unraveling of Kirin Lane

Kirin Lane has loathed her father since her mother died mysteriously and her father abandoned her. Now a young southern woman, widowed with two small boys, Kirin must choose whether to keep her comfortable hatred of her father, or decide to follow the clues and missing pages hidden in the book he bequeathed to her, to discover why he left her behind.

During her father’s funeral, Kirin encounters a group of dark-suited men and one in particular whose bright-white, murderous smile causes her blood to run cold. Saul was her father’s boss in a West Coast crime ring. Tortured by a lost love and fueled by the notion that Kirin’s father hid the codes he needs to access his millions in the book, Saul will stop at nothing to steal it back from her. Kirin must solve the mystery of her mother’s death before Saul finds her in order to keep her family safe.

Successful and confident, yet riddled with abandonment and trust issues, Kirin can only think of keeping herself and her boys alive. But when a handsome stranger saves her in a parking lot, she begins to believe that she could love again and place her trust in someone who won’t ever leave her.

Sam is handsome, loyal and has secretly been watching over Kirin for the past two years, which hasn’t been easy with her innate super-talent of falling head first into trouble. Ending every other relationship as soon as it begins, Sam must decide if his heart will be strong enough to protect Kirin, gain her trust, and finally allow someone into his life.

About Kelley Griffin

A closet Romantic Suspense writer, mom to five sons, wife to a marine, and southerner by common law, Kelley Griffin writes the old fashioned way: a fluid pen and spiral bound books of lineless paper. She is surrounded by testosterone, laughter, family, and love and strives to be a better person each and every day. Her plots are unpredictable and her characters are so real, they will live with you long after the final page. Her debut novel “The Unraveling of Kirin Lane” is a twisting and turning romantic suspense riddled with humor, infatuation and conflict that will have you quickly turning the pages and surprise you all the way to the end.

The sequel begins with an explosion of activity and is underway – due to be finished in 2016.

For more about this writer, please visit her website.