Guest Post and Giveaway: Trick Roller by Cordelia Kingsbridge

We’re so pleased to have author Cordelia Kingsbridge stopping in today on the tour for the latest release in the Seven of Spades series, Trick Roller, from Riptide Publishing. Cordelia’s talking fight scenes today, and there’s also a giveaway, so be sure to check out those details below.

Welcome, Cordelia!

Writing Fight Scenes, Or: Guns Ruin Everything

One of the best parts of writing mystery/suspense fiction is writing fight scenes. In fact, I started studying Krav Maga in real life primarily to improve my fight scenes – though I ended up falling in love with it, and now practice as much for my own enjoyment as anything else.

But whether in novels, TV, or movies, writers of fight scenes always face one dilemma – the reader/viewer asking, “Why doesn’t [Character] just shoot them?”

It’s no secret that Americans have developed a regrettable overreliance on guns to solve problems, especially in the case of law enforcement. So when writing a character who would realistically be armed at all times – like Detective Levi Abrams in the Seven of Spades series – writers have to find creative solutions for why such a character would choose to engage an aggressor in hand-to-hand combat rather than the less risky path of simply shooting them.

There are two main categories of solutions to this problem: situational and psychological. With a situational solution, there’s a plausible, logistical reason that the character can’t shoot their gun. For example, in Kill Game, Levi’s gun is knocked out of his hand when Dominic falls on top of him after protecting him from an attack from behind, and ends up too far away for him to recover. The possibilities here are endless, including the character’s gun jamming, the character being taken by surprise too fast to draw or fire before they’re disarmed, and so on.

The psychological solution is a trickier approach. This involves establishing a mental/emotional reason that the character can’t or won’t fire their weapon in a life-or-death situation. With a civilian character who has rarely handled a gun before, this is easier to justify, but for a character with an experienced law enforcement or military background, the reason  has to be firmly rooted in well-developed characterization for readers to believe it.

In Kill Game, Levi is reeling from the effects of his first officer-involved shooting, in which he shot and killed the perpetrator of a hostage crisis. This event has long-ranging consequences. In Trick Roller, when Levi is put in a situation where it would be safest for him to shoot an aggressor, he freezes, paralyzed by flashbacks and his fear of becoming a killer again – fears that have only been worsened by the Seven of Spades’s taunts.

Levi’s tendency to choke before he can pull the trigger evolved into a significant theme that runs through the entire series and is deeply tied into his characterization – and it all started as a way for me to justify putting him in melee fights instead of shootouts! It’s a prime example of how plot can inform characterization, and vice versa.

About the Book

It’s the height of summer in Las Vegas. Everyone believes the serial killer Seven of Spades is dead—except Levi Abrams and Dominic Russo—and it’s back to business as usual. For Levi, that means investigating a suspicious overdose at the Mirage that looks like the work of a high-class call girl, while Dominic pursues a tough internship with a local private investigator. The one bright spot for both of them is their blossoming relationship.

But things aren’t so simple. Soon Levi is sucked into a dangerous web of secrets and lies, even as his obsession with the Seven of Spades intensifies. Dominic knows that Levi isn’t crazy. He knows the Seven of Spades is still out there, and he’ll do anything to prove it. But Dominic has his own demons to battle, and he may be fighting a losing war.

One thing is certain: the Seven of Spades holds all the cards. It won’t be long before they show their hand.

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About the Series

Las Vegas has never seen a serial killer like the Seven of Spades.

The self-styled vigilante is on a mission to cut down the wicked and treacherous, and Sin City has no shortage of targets for their bloody wrath. What happens in Vegas . . . ends with the Seven of Spades’s calling card on a grisly corpse.

Standing against the killer are Levi Abrams, a dedicated homicide detective locked in a constant struggle to restrain his own dark side, and bounty hunter Dominic Russo, a charming rogue with a heavy secret weighing on his shoulders.

The hunt for the Seven of Spades sends Levi and Dominic on a collision course, igniting a passionate relationship forged in conflict and sealed with blood. Together they’re stronger than the sum of their parts, but a wily, elusive serial killer isn’t the only threat that will strain their bond to the breaking point.

Ante up, because the Seven of Spades is all in. Are you?

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About the Author

Cordelia Kingsbridge has a master’s degree in social work from the University of Pittsburgh, but quickly discovered that direct practice in the field was not for her. Having written novels as a hobby throughout graduate school, she decided to turn her focus to writing as a full-time career. Now she explores her fascination with human behavior, motivation, and psychopathology through fiction. Her weaknesses include opposites-attract pairings and snarky banter.

Away from her desk, Cordelia is a fitness fanatic, and can be found strength training, cycling, and practicing Krav Maga. She lives in South Florida but spends most of her time indoors with the air conditioning on full blast!

Connect with Cordelia: Email || Tumblr || Twitter || Facebook

The Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Trick Roller, one lucky winner will receive a $15 Riptide credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on February 3, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!