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K.M. Pohlkamp

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KMPohlkamp

Genre

Historical Fiction, Thriller

Member Since

April 2017

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K.M. Pohlkamp is a blessed wife to the love of her life, a proud mother of two, and a Mission Control flight controller. Originally from Wisconsin, she now resides in Houston, Texas.

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Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

K.M. Pohlkamp Fall 2016 I read an article about forgotten females from history that profiled Locusta. Locusta was a female poison assassin from Rome (Gaul) and is c…moreFall 2016 I read an article about forgotten females from history that profiled Locusta. Locusta was a female poison assassin from Rome (Gaul) and is considered to be the first serial killer. The fact the first serial killer was a woman struck me and the more I read about her, a story began to weave in my mind. As a female engineer, I relate to the challenge of going against traditional female stereotypes. I imagined the challenges Locusta must have faced and wondered if her gender ended up being an asset in a field where surprise would provide an advantage.

There is not much known about Locusta, which incited my imagination. My plot is inspired by Locusta’s life, but is not a replication. It is mixed with the product of my own imagination and those familiar with Locusta will recognize bits of history but still be surprised by the twists and turns.

As a story formed in my mind, my priest gave a sermon about how easy it is to fall into a cycle of sin and penance. Often we realize our actions are incorrect and then feel guilt and performance penance. But after awhile the guilt wears, it becomes easy to commit the sin again. Of course he was talking about minor offenses, but as a matter of reductio ad absurdum, I applied this concept to a murderer. My main character, Lavinia, believes she can continue to murder because confession forgives the sin.

Inspired by the notion confession could provide a source of false permission, I lifted Locusta’s inspiration out of Rome and placed my novel at the height of the Catholic church in England. The exact year is open within the book, but I imagine it to be ~1520s. During this time period, the priest was a powerful official at the local level and the historic practice of “indulgences” helps bolster why Lavinia may (falsely) think she can simply go to confession to be forgiven for mortal sin.

I decided to place the story in two fictional shires so I could craft my own little world within 1500’s England, and provide creative freedom for Lavinia to influence local peers.

In the novel, Lavinia, also references a “Swiss-German peer”. This is a nod to Paracelsus who is considered the father of toxicology and was also beginning his work around this time period.

If you “Google” Locusta, you’ll discover she was ultimately executed for her crimes. I do not believe she was raped to death by a giraffe, but I’ll leave that up to your imagination . . . (Now you want to Google her, don’t you?)(less)

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Can you tell us a two-sentence horror story?

K.M. Pohlkamp The pages flew by as she found herself consumed within the best romance she had ever read and at last, the moment was here, the climax, the proposal s…moreThe pages flew by as she found herself consumed within the best romance she had ever read and at last, the moment was here, the climax, the proposal she had waited 437 breathless pages for. But a soft, crinkling rustle of paper broke her attention as her eyes lifted from the precious book to witness her toddler chewing on the last, ripped out page.(less)

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K.M. Pohlkamp’s books

Average rating: 4.36 · 136 ratings · 56 reviews · 4 distinct works

	Apricots and Wolfsbane 4.34 avg rating — 105 ratings — published 2017 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Shadows of Hemlock 4.48 avg rating — 21 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Flicker: Stories of Inner Flame by Chris Barnham (Goodreads Author), Deana Birch (Goodreads Author), Salena Casha (Goodreads Author) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 7 ratings — published 2018 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Seeds of Apricot it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 3 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

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FREE Short Story Now Available

I'm counting down to the Nov 19 release of the sequel to Apricots and Wolfsbane, Shadows of Hemlock, with a FREE prequel short story download!

Download free now: BookHip.com/PKQNBT

Haven't read Apricots and Wolfsbane? No problem! The short story will introduce you to the romance of Tudor England and the strong, female assassins in this perfect fall read from an award-winning author. It's FREE so why Read more of this blog post »

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K.M. is Currently Reading

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Overcoming Dyslexia By Shaywitz Sally E

by Sally E. Shaywitz

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Apr 26, 2021 12:07PM

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K.M. Pohlkamp has read The Greenest Branch (Hildegard of Bingen, #1) by P.K. Adams (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Brain to Books Cy...: K.M. Pohlkamp- Historical/Thriller Author	9	14	Apr 08, 2018 07:19PM

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Historical Fictionistas — 15786 members — last activity 3 hours, 48 min ago
Welcome to Historical Fictionistas! We want to experience all different kinds of HF with all different kinds of people. The more diverse, the better. ...more

Apricots And Wolfsbane Book Chat — 20 members — last activity Feb 28, 2019 01:13PM
Are you a fan of Apricots and Wolfsbane? Are you reading the book and need to talk about it? This club is for you! While writing Apricots and Wolfsba ...more

Brain to Books Cyber Convention (FAIRGROUNDS) — 831 members — last activity Mar 05, 2019 07:10AM
Welcome to CyCon! Find more at HTTP://WWW.B2BCYCON.COM We meet "LIVE at The McKinley" April 2019! ...more

The F-word — 5760 members — last activity Apr 15, 2025 09:52PM
This is our reading group for anybody who loves to read and identifies as a feminist. We'll be reading a variety of books that may fall into one of th ...more

Goodreads Librarians Group — 301822 members — last activity 1 minute ago
Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Libra ...more

AUTHOR PORTAL - #B2BCyCon 2018 — 60 members — last activity Apr 07, 2018 06:37AM
Welcome to the Author Portal! This is a private group reserved only for those who have registered for the 4th Annual Brain to Books Cyber Convention ...more

Tudor History Lovers — 3110 members — last activity Dec 01, 2025 01:52PM
Anyone who enjoys historical fiction or history books about Tudor England will like this group. Whether you have been all the way to England just to t ...more

HPL Reads Book Club — 298 members — last activity Feb 10, 2025 01:47PM
This is the online book club for the Houston Public Library. We are a dynamic public library that serves one of the largest service areas in Texas – m ...more

Houston Book People — 3 members — last activity Jan 09, 2018 07:01PM
This is a group I started to help get bookish people in the Greater Houston Area together. Open to readers, writers, authors! Group started 1/9/18 on ...more

Magic of History — 17 members — last activity Nov 08, 2018 06:17PM
This group was created in conjunction with the website http://magicofhistory.com It's a site devoted to history and historical fiction. Those who join ...more

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