Interview with LC Kanon, author of 'Spring Break'


ABOUT LC KANON

LC Kanon is a native of Chicago, Illinois and has lived and worked in various locations across the country. A first-time author, LC was driven to write after reading far too many thrillers with damsels in distress. Compelled to meld the drama of chick lit with action and suspense, LC began writing and never stopped. Her first book, “Spring Break,” mixes coeds and cartels in a bloody romp through Mexico. When she’s not writing, LC enjoys watching kung fu, taking long drives, and walking along sandy beaches.
To purchase Spring Break, click here.

Q: Thank you for this interview, LC. Can you tell us what your latest book, Spring Break, is all about?

A: It’s about a group of coeds who run into a Mexican drug cartel while on spring break in Cancun. A lot of action ensues, especially when two of the girls break off from the group and decide to take on the cartel—guns blazing!

Q: Can you tell us a little about your main and supporting characters? 

A: My main characters are a “mean girls” foursome made up of Leigh, Eva, Gia, and Joy. They are spoiled Scottsdale coeds who are going down to Cancun to do what they do best: party. They run into Guero, a cartel kingpin, described as a “Mexican Ken doll.” He is not pleased when they insert themselves into cartel business.

Q: Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination? 

A: I got inspiration for Leigh’s personality and appearance from a close friend of mine. Her “mean girls” friends are totally made up but their personalities are familiar. For example, I think everyone has crossed paths with a “Gia,” a really nasty, popular girl who is used to getting her own way.

Q: Are you consciously aware of the plot before you begin a novel, or do you discover it as you write? 

A: This book began with the plot, which was so interesting to me that I started writing and couldn’t stop. That’s when you know you have a good idea, when it just won’t leave you alone until you finish it. I feel like I was seeing my characters around me constantly, it was very inspiring and a great motivation.

Q: Your book is set in Cancun. Can you tell us why you chose this city in particular? 

A: I vacationed in Mexico for several years and always loved the energy around spring break. It has a fun vibe and offers the perfect location for the girls’ extra-ordinary journey.

Q: Does the setting play a major part in the development of your story? 

A: Yes, these girls are out of their element in Mexico, and the otherworldliness fuels their bad behavior. I think the debauchery and party-like attitude some of these girls have on spring break was really important because this fuels their misdeeds early on in the novel.

Q: Open the book to page 69. What is happening? 

A: Only three girls made it out of their hotel alive, and they have just arrived at a location they think is safe. One of the girls, Leigh, just got off the phone with Guero, a cartel kingpin. She is trying to negotiate her way out of Mexico but conversation doesn’t go well. The page ends with Leigh concerned Guero is closing in on their location.

Q: Can you give us one of your best excerpts? 

A: How long had they been there—three hours? Four? Night had fallen, and Leigh could feel the pull of the tide mark the passage of time. When the meal was finally over, the group went out to the elegant patio for yet more cocktails. Soft music hummed from invisible speakers. The humidity made the sharp smell of the liquor even more noticeable. Leigh could hear the rhythmic crashing of the waves, which instead of being comforting made the situation seem more claustrophobic. By this time, Leigh found herself in solitary company. Danny and his friend had sequestered Gia and Joy on one end of the patio. Both girls seemed delighted at this, and even if they weren’t, they were too drunk to stave off their advances. For his part, Mr. Jiménez had quarantined Eva on a low chaise camouflaged by some strategically-placed foliage. Seated a few feet away, Leigh noticed Jiménez was doing the most of the talking, his low voice carrying into the night. Eva was not motioning for assistance and was even shooting him several shy smiles. Feeling the numbing effects of the alcohol, Leigh wanted to melt away entirely. She let her attention wander to a lit pathway exiting the patio. She got up with the intention of doing a little investigating, and maybe finding the bathroom. No one noticed as she walked down the winding pathway, which ran parallel to the beach. She was invisible to the group as she disappeared behind the dining area, the pathway ending a few yards away in front of a large, windowless building. It was the same in appearance as the white-washed resort, and Leigh thought nothing of trying the door, annoyed to find it locked. Walking quickly back down the little path, she noticed a boat rising and falling with the waves just off the shore. This boat looked very fast, with clean lines and no clutter onboard. Finding everyone on the patio where she left them, Leigh walked up to Danny. “Hi, sorry to interrupt,” she began, as Danny continued his intense conversation with Gia. Leigh stomped her stiletto on the ground in drunken annoyance. “Hello! I have to pee people!” she cried out. Without turning, Danny shoved an electronic key card at her so he could continue speaking with Gia, who never looked up to acknowledge her friend. Leigh snatched it from him, tracing her steps back to building and gently placing the key card on the electronic pad. The door opened with a click, revealing several more doors. Leigh opened each one with the same key card, her brow furrowing at all the security. There were no doors in the entire Sol II resort, Leigh mused, which means this must be Jiménez’s private residence. Intensely buzzed and getting hungry again, Leigh immediately located a very ornate bathroom in one cavernous hallway. Flipping on the light, she attended to the necessary business and did some primping. Her unease with Joy and Gia, coupled with the inattention of the other dining companions, didn’t exactly put her in the best of moods. Grabbing her bag, she exited, quickly realizing after a few turns that she had no idea how to get back out. The twisting hallways didn’t assist her drunken navigation. Further complicating matters was the lack of overhead lights, and Leigh wasn’t about to go searching for a switch. She could only hear her heels clicking on the tiled floors as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. “Oh this is it. This is the way,” Leigh declared to the empty hallway, feeling her buzz give way to sobriety as she realized she was getting lost. Burying her growing panic, Leigh walked down a hallway she thought was the exit, only to find all the doors lining it locked. She advanced towards the last door at the end of the hall. Holding her breath, she placed the key card next to the pad. It chirped back at her, and the door clicked open. With a yelp of success, she opened it. Weird, Leigh thought, as the room’s cool air made her hair stand on end. Leigh kept walking forward, the lights coming on with each step. After a few tentative steps, all of the lights flew on, highlighting a very long, narrow room. Surveying her surroundings, it took a few moments for Leigh to register what she was seeing. The room was packed to the ceiling with racks of small, white packages tightly wrapped in plastic. She leaned down to investigate and shot up just as quickly. “Fuck me,” she whispered. She knew what she had stumbled upon and immediately felt her stomach drop. Midway down the aisle, Leigh glanced toward the exit closest to her, a door located at the opposite end of the room. She made a beeline for it. Fumbling at the handle, she hastily inserted the key card, hearing the chirp of recognition as she pushed it open. Soon after entering she stumbled over what felt like a pile of rugs. Leigh let out a tiny yell as she fell, landing in something wet and sticky. Pulling herself to her knees in the pitch black, she fumbled for her purse, located her phone, and activated her flashlight app. She followed the artificial beam of light to a shoe, then a leg, and then to a torso. Where she expected to see a head there was nothing. A musty, metallic scent hit her like a brick wall, and she pulled herself slowly to her feet, shining the light on the rest of the room. There were eight or nine torsos, all without heads, all piled neatly on top of one another. Leigh felt the rush of blood in her ears, bile rising in her stomach. After a few moments, it subsided, melting away into a disturbing calm.

Q: Thank you so much for this interview, LC. We wish you much success! 

A: Thank you!

Spring BreakABOUT SPRING BREAK

An all-expenses paid trip to Cancun for spring break? It wasn’t exactly a hard sell for Leigh, Eva, Gia and Joy, frenemies from Arizona Southern University. But all is not well in the land of silver or lead. Soon after arriving, Leigh and the girls stumble upon some cartel carnage—a bloodbath of debauchery that makes even their wildest desert party seem tame.
Instead of doing the proper thing, like contacting the authorities, the girls venture down the rabbit hole in this tale of sex, lies, and bloodshed. Everything changes when Leigh makes the acquaintance of Guero, a cartel kingpin who is none too pleased with her newfound lust for blood money.
These vengeful coeds aren’t on campus anymore, and after Guero lets them know just how serious he is, they make a run for the border no one will ever forget.

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