Author Kristi Belcamino

Welcome to Flash Bang Mysteries, Kristi! What can you tell us about the latest book in your Gabriella Giovanni mystery series? (Love your titles, by the way!)

Thanks so much for having me, BJ.

My latest book is the fourth in the series, called BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO MOURN. I’ve been very happy to hear from reviewers that it can stand on its own without readers having read the first three books.

Here is a bit about it:

San Francisco Bay Area reporter Gabriella Giovanni has finally got it all together: a devoted and loving boyfriend, Detective Sean Donovan; a beautiful little girl with him; and her dream job as the cops’ reporter for the Bay Herald. But her success has been hard-won and has left her with debilitating paranoia. When a string of young co-eds starts to show up dead with suspicious Biblical verses left on their bodies–the same verses that the man she suspects kidnapped and murdered her sister twenty years ago had sent to her–she begins to question if the killer is trying to send her a message.

It is not until evil strikes Gabriella’s own family that her worst fears are confirmed. As the clock begins to tick, every passing hour means the difference between life and death to those Gabriella loves…

What inspired you to start writing fiction, and how long have you been at it?

I wrote the first book in my series, BLESSED ARE THE DEAD, to basically purge this guy I met as a reporter–a serial killer who preyed on kids–out of my head. I had quit reporting and was a stay-at-home mom of two little girls. I found myself extremely paranoid about everything in relation to them. I wrote the book to get him out of my head.

I see that you work as a journalist, as well as being an author. Do you find it a challenge day to day to switch gears from writing nonfiction to fiction?

When I first began writing fiction it was a bit of a difficult switch. I had to learn how to show rather than tell. It is pretty easy now to shift gears as I only work as a reporter on the weekends and write fiction during the week.

What genre do you prefer reading, and who is/are your favorite author(s) in that genre?

Crime fiction! Of course! My favorite authors are ones who don’t shy away from darker themes and include Lisa Unger, Alex Marwood, Chelsea Cain, Sara Gran, Laura Lippman, Jamie Mason … oh so many … those are just a few.

Along that same line of questioning, have you ever read an author who has had a lasting and positive impact on your life?

Yes! S.E. Hinton’s books, specifically THE OUTSIDERS. She changed the way I viewed the world.

How many hours per day do you devote to writing fiction?

Four to six hours a day, more when I’m on deadline.

It appears you’ve had some interesting jobs and experiences. Can you describe a typical day in the life of Kristi Belcamino?

Oh my life is very sedate now. During the weekdays, after I get my children off to school, I write for four hours, eat lunch, write for a few more and then the kids are back home. My evenings are most often spent ferrying the children to different activities or watching a movie with my husband. On weekends, I work at the newspaper. Snore. Sorry, if you thought it might be more interesting!

To me, you’re living the life. I dream of a day when I can write full-time. What has been the highlight of your novel-writing career thus far?

I’m still very honored that my first book was a finalist for best first mystery for the Anthony and Macavity awards.

If you could write from anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

Mexico, Spain or Italy. Are you sensing a theme here? My dream location would involve warmth and sunshine.

What are some of your interests or hobbies outside of writing?

I am a film buff. After reading, my favorite thing to do is watch a movie, usually a Sci-Fi flick. I also love wine and food. Are those hobbies?

I don’t drink wine, but I would definitely call food a hobby–or passion! What’s next after BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO MOURN?

I am juggling several projects right now.

I’m writing a nonfiction book called LETTERS FROM A SERIAL KILLER that is about my life as a reporter and the dealings I had with the man who inspired BLESSED ARE THE DEAD. I’m collaborating with the woman who raised one of the little girl’s he kidnapped and killed.

In addition, I’m writing the fifth book in the Gabriella Giovanni series, BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS (out June 21, 2016).

And, I’m polishing a standalone book, but I’m too superstitious to say anything more about that one yet.

BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO MOURN blurb:

San Francisco Bay Area reporter Gabriella Giovanni has finally got it all together: a devoted and loving boyfriend, Detective Sean Donovan; a beautiful little girl with him; and her dream job as the cops’ reporter for the Bay Herald. But her success has been hard-won and has left her with debilitating paranoia. When a string of young co-eds starts to show up dead with suspicious Biblical verses left on their bodies–the same verses that the man she suspects kidnapped and murdered her sister twenty years ago had sent to her–she begins to question if the killer is trying to send her a message.

Kristi Belcamino is a crime fiction writer, cops beat reporter, and Italian mama who also bakes a tasty biscotti. In her former life, as an award-winning crime reporter at newspapers in California, she flew over Big Sur in an FA-18 jet with the Blue Angels, raced a Dodge Viper at Laguna Seca, watched autopsies, and conversed with serial killers.