An Interview with Autumn Taylor

Today I sat down with the heroine of our story, Autumn Taylor. It seems as if the tragedy of her past has made her a stronger person. We talked about her job as an FBI Profiler.

Krys Rayne: “So, Autumn, or do you prefer Agent Taylor?”

Autumn Taylor: She has one of those Mona Lisa smiles and laces her fingers over the table. “Autumn, please. This is my ‘off’ day.”

KR: I give Autumn a nod and take a deep breath. “So, Autumn, you had a very…” I stop because I’m trying to put my words delicately. “Traumatic experience while going to college, yes?”

A: “Traumatic is one way of putting it.” She spoke in a mildly dry tone. But I can tell my words didn’t offend her.

KR: “Being kidnapped by someone had a profound impact on your life, correct? You were going to school to become a therapist?”

A: With a nod, Autumn looked at a table next to us. It was empty, mostly at my express request. I felt it necessary not to have anyone eavesdrop on this conversation. Autumn turned back to me. “Yes, I wanted to help people. I wanted others to know someone was there for them when they needed someone to talk to.”

KR: I smiled and cocked my head to the side. “A very noble endeavor, as therapists aren’t always looked at in a very positive light.” I looked through my notes and looked up again. “But you still help people, though not as directly. By finding the bad guys.”

A: Autumn nodded again; her eyes were bright as if it brought a sense of satisfaction. “I don’t always get to bring in the ‘bad guys’ myself, but I help in a way.”

KR: “Can you explain what exactly a profiler is?”

A: “So profiling is a relatively new occupation. It’s only been around since maybe the 60s or 70s when the first ‘profiler’ came on the scene and coined the term ‘serial killer.” She made finger quotes when she said the phrase. “This, as some probably know, is a person who has a certain way of killing someone and there is a sequence where three or more people killed in that specific way are primarily the same person.”

KR: My eyes furrowed a bit, trying to follow. “Okay, so, I get that’s what a serial killer is, but where does a profiler come in to play?”

A: “A profiler comes in to see the whys behind the killings. How are they motivated to kill these people? What is the cause behind the motivation?”

KR: “And that’s where psychology comes in, right?”

A: “Exactly!” Autumn became more animated as she talked about her profession. “There are two types of classifications serial killers employ. It’s organized or organized. An organized killer may plan how they will attack their victim, where, what they will use. Some of them may have a ritual before, during, or after their kills. An unorganized killing means they’re all over the place; there’s no way to know when or who their next victim will be.”

KR: “So this is your job, to classify these types of killers?”

A: She held her finger up. “Just one part. The other is trying to figure out why they do what they do. The FBI has a classification system of what types of behavior these killers portray. What their childhood was like, if their parents were abusive, were they bullied in school, also if the parents were single, married or divorced.”

KR: My eyes widened, and my lips formed a small O. “Wow, you really have your work cut out for you. Your current case, The Forget Me Not Killer, isn’t a serial killer just yet, right? There have only been two murders.”

A: The excited level seemed to dissipate before my eyes as Autumn appeared to shut down. “You would be correct about that, but we suspect this killer is searching for his next victim.”

KR: Shit, I thought. I might have put my foot in my mouth in excitement to learn more about her current case. “Do you have an idea who the next victim may be, and will you be able to protect them?”

A: There came that Mona Lisa smile again. “I’m sorry, but I’m unable to speak at length about an ongoing investigation.”

KR: I nodded in chagrin. My excitement got away from me. I’m psyched to learn more about what it was like to be an FBI Profiler, that I forgot myself. Autumn kept looking over my shoulder now. Her eyes narrowed. I cleared my throat, and she schooled her features to look directly at me. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Autumn. I hope you’re able to get this person off the streets of New York and everyone will sleep better.”

A: When we stood, she shook my hand in a firm, no-nonsense grip. “A pleasure, Krys. I hope I get to see you soon under better circumstances.”

KR: Autumn didn’t really give me the chance to reply. I watched as she walked away to see a dark-haired man with full lips and the sexiest bluish green eyes that made my heart pound. The two had a brief conversation where Autumn looked down her nose (or tried to, since she was a couple inches shorter than him) and left him with a tilt of her chin. The sexy man slouching against the doorframe stood slowly, and his eyes found mine. He winked and walked away with a swagger in his step. The only person I could think of that looked and acted like him was the cocky lawyer, Nico Scala.

Now that was an interview I was dying to have!

***Forget Me Not's tentative release date is scheduled for Fall of 2022***