Welcome Author Cassandra Carr

Hello everyone. So its beena  hell of a few weeks at sea here. About a week ago or a little over that my uncle died. He had cancer and we knew that at 76 he might not survive so it wasn’t a shock but it still hurt when he passed away. Right after that I ended up with the flu!! Shoot me now, I’m still sore and aching! Then on Friday my mothers aunt who was 92 passed away. Still having side effects of the flu my daughter had a birthday party here at the house. Oh good lord. I am still hurting! Alas, I still have things to do. On the bright side of all my hellish news however today we have a terrific author guest blogging with us today. I actaully have no talent for coming up with interview questions so let me go ahead and thank all of our readers for asking these questions to all of us over the years. Without more rambling from me please welcome Cassandra Carr to the blog!

Q: What books most influenced your life?

My first “favorite book” was The Westing Game. I also read “Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret” until it fell apart. I think it was reading books like those that got me started on the path to what I do today.

Q: Why do you write?

Because I have to. I’ve found the greatest peace in my life since I started writing.

Q: How long does it take you to write a complete novel?

At this point in my career, I can write a complete 50-60k novel (which is a little shorter than a trade paperback but common for erotic romance books), in about four months. That includes first draft all the way to submittal.

Q: What do you consider necessary to the writing process?

Time. I find that when I get a stretch of a couple of hours I can really get a lot of words down on the page. It’s when I only have half an hour or an hour that it’s hard to get going.

Q: Have you written in other genres besides erotic romance?

I also write non-erotic contemporary romance. I have one, a hockey romance, out on submittal right now.

Q: What books do you like to read?

I like erotic romance, but you do start to get sick of it when you also write it. I like non-erotic contemporary and historical romance. I’ve even been known to enjoy chick lit, and I love the Harry Potter series.

Q: What do you consider to be the most important element of a successful novel?

A plot that makes sense. I’m not a fan of the “big misunderstanding” being the crux of the plot – I like plots that have more layers.

Q: What is something that few people know about you?

Something few people know about me? Hmmmm. Let me think about that… (pauses) I would say I love watching teen movies, whether they be John Hughes’ old films like Sixteen Candles or somewhat newer ones like Clueless or Step Up.

Q. Does becoming published make a difference in your writing?

No, not really, except that instead of working for free I’m getting paid for it. Hee. But I understand that just because you’ve been published once doesn’t guarantee you’ll be published again and again. You still have to work hard and put out good stories.

Q. Where do you get your ideas for plots?

Everywhere, but mostly they just kind of come to me. I’m not a plotter, so I’m not always sure where a book is coming from moment to moment. Basically, I just make stuff up as I go!

Q. Does your family know you write erotic romance?

Yep! My mother, who writes womens’ fiction, was my critique partner, but I wouldn’t let her critique this one. That’s one of the reasons I use a pen name, though – I married into a Big Fat Italian Catholic family, and I don’t want them to ever be embarrassed by what I do. I’m not embarrassed or ashamed – I have the coolest job ever – but I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable.

Check out Cassandra’s hot cover!

Cassandra Carr lives in Western New York with her husband, Inspiration, and her daughter, Too Cute for Words. When not writing she enjoys watching hockey and hanging out on Twitter. Her debut novel, Talk to Me, was released by Loose Id on March 22, 2011. For more information about Cassandra, check out her website at http://www.booksbycassandracarr.com, “like” her Facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/AuthorCassandraCarr or follow her on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/Cassandra_Carr.
http://www.loose-id.com/Talk-to-Me.aspx

Thank you Cassandra for stopping by and blogging with us today. I enjoyed it and am sure our readers did also!!

Real Life in Books

Hello everyone! So sorry I’ve been MIA lately. I’ve gotten extremely busy with edits and revising and finishing an old book. I finally broke down and started using the Google calendar so that it would send me emails the day before I have to do something, um, like blogging

Today I want to talk about real life. I write because I enjoy the break from reality (temporary of course!) and I like creating places, people, worlds and settings where readers can escape everyday life. Occasionally things from my everyday life show up in my books. Now at this you all are wondering just what I’m talking about since my books are erotic romance, well get your heads out of the gutters! It’s not THAT!! Nope, its everyday things.

For example this morning I had to be at the school by nine so I could register my son for pre-k. All I had to bring was his social security card and us. Got the us covered! Thought I had the ss card covered too. Until I opened the envelope to get it. The husband stroke!! He had to take the cards to work for insurance stuff about a week ago. Swears he brought them back. Then swears he didn’t even take them! Are you kidding me?? At this point I’m contemplating how horrible prison life would be. I mean seriously.

Things like this happen around my house all the time. I put things in a certain place. He moves them. I ask why and he explains (in a pissy voice!) that I had whatever it was just lying around the house where the kids could get it. He truly believes that by moving things around he’s helping. NO! That is so not how it works. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love him for trying to help me, but certain things aren’t helpable. If I have something put up for a reason, regardless of where it’s at, LEAVE IT THERE.

Things like this show up in my books all the time. I think little fights, frustrations, and in some cases yelling matches brings characters to life for readers. What do you think? I know in Untamable my latest release, that Siddalee and Jasper fight like the above. They bicker, they yell, they love. It’s life.

And we have guests coming to Tuesdays this month. Writer Marie Tuhart will be here next Tuesday and the following Tuesday debut author Cassandra Carr will be here. And let’s not forget that our lovely reader and friend Danica Avet has just released her second novel in The Veil Series!

For more on my newest release          and       for Danica’s new release            and Jillian’s release