Authors Interviewing Characters: Lisa Renee Jones

New York Times bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones brings a fresh, modern take to the thriller genre that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Some call him friend or boss.
Some call him husband or dad.
Some call him son, even a favorite son.

But the only title that matters to him is the one the media has given him: The Poet.

A name he earned from the written words he leaves behind after he kills that are as dark and mysterious as the reason he chooses his victims.

One word, two, three, a story in a poem, a secret that only Detective Samantha Jazz can solve. Because he’s writing this story for her.

She just doesn’t know it yet.

AN INTERVIEW WITH DETECTIVE SAMANTHA JAZZ by Lisa Renee Jones

Detective Jazz, good to speak to you today. I just thought we’d start with a little background. Is it true that you were the youngest officer to be made detective in the Austin Police Department at only 25, with the highest scores on record?

*Shifts uncomfortably* I’m not sure my test scores are relevant. Some people are good test takers while others are just not. That doesn’t make me smarter than the person who freezes up during tests.

But would the person who freezes up during a test be more likely to freeze up in a dangerous situation?

How you respond to questions on a piece of paper, while being timed, doesn’t necessarily relate. Some of the best cops I know suck at test taking but excel at common sense. Common sense can keep you alive. 

Can you give me an example of common sense?

If a suspected killer runs into a dark alleyway what do you do? Charge forward and end up alone with a killer who went before you and could be waiting on you? Or do you step back, calculate where they will exit the alleyway, or just generally, how to catch your killer without ending up dead yourself. Go up, go around, go inside a building that follows the same path. I’ve seen smart test takers make stupid mistakes. 

Your father was a police captain, am I correct?

He was. And now he’s not.

I know he was killed while on duty?

He wasn’t on duty. He was standing in a parking lot talking to me when a man he put away for some serious offenses shot and killed him. 

In front of you, correct?

And yes, before you ask, that was difficult. 

And where is the man who killed your father now?

Dead. Killed by another killer. That’s how the world goes round. Bad people think they’re immune to justice. As law enforcement, we have to make sure they aren’t, but sometimes a higher power does that for us.

Are you religious? I’m curious. Are most cops religious or does the job make you too jaded to believe good exists?

If we didn’t believe good existed we wouldn’t be protecting the innocent who, by definition, are the good guys. As for religion, you can’t believe in the Devil and not believe in God. I certainly believe in the Devil. Does every cop believe in the Devil? I’m pretty sure they do. They meet him every day. 

You’re a female in a man’s world. How do you make that work?

I don’t think about being in a man’s world. I think about doing my job and doing it well. And then that’s how everyone, men and women, sees me. A damn good detective 

You’re also a profiler, correct?

To some degree all cops are, they have to be, but I showed an early interest and ability to specialize. 

Do you believe that profiling skills make you better at your job than the next detective? 

I’m not trying to be better than another detective. I’m trying to be better than the bad guys. 

What I can say about profiling and police work is that it wakes you up. You realize that the scariest people on this earth are lions in sheep’s clothing. Your neighbor, your husband, your best friend. The sweet deli worker, or the nurse who helped deliver your baby.

Watch your backs. Be aware of your surroundings. Be aware of the people in your life. 

Do that well, and hopefully, you never need me. 

Is that your message to the public about The Poet? To stay alert? To look closely at family and friends? Do you have any idea who you are looking for?”

The Poet is a character creation of the press. It’s all about headlines and fear for them. Because fear sells. My advice to everyone is to listen to the official statements by law enforcement and use that common sense we talked about. 

So are you telling me The Poet doesn’t exist?

I’m telling you that we believe there is no threat to the general public.

In other words, The Poet does exist? I mean, come on, the press didn’t make the details up. Several people dead with poems left in their mouths. Did that or did that not happen?

There is no threat to the general public.

Are you sure?

Yes. If that changes, law enforcement will issue a statement. 

Do you have any leads on The Poet?

Yes. We do.

That’s all?

Yes. That’s all I’m at liberty to say right now.

When can we expect an arrest, Detective Jazz?

Sooner rather than later, but an early arrest means we risk not having proper evidence, which means the perp walks free. We need to do this right. 

I’m not going to talk you out of more details, am I?

No, no you will not.

And that it’s folks. Use common sense, stay alert, and be safe. More as soon as we can convince Detective Jazz to share more details. 

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Category: Contemporary Women Writers, Interviews, On Writing