Welcome back, Carol. God
has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on the horizon?
As a writer, I always hope my work will be a success. I pray
the truths of my themes will encourage my readers. If I move my readers into
another world and help them escape for a few hours, and if my themes resonate,
I'll be happy.
Tell us a little
about your family.
I've lived in Tennessee
for 18 months, and it's the best move my hubby, Neil, and I have made in the
twelve years we've been married. The only drawback is it's far from our
families in New York and Massachusetts .
Has your writing
changed your reading habits? If so, how?
Sadly, it has. I'm not reading as much for pleasure any
longer. I do reviews and critiques and read to support author friends. Between
that and my stained glass interests, books read for the pure joy of reading have
slipped in the hierarchy.
When I pick up a book for pleasure, I'm still reading more
as a reviewer asking myself how I can grow from what I'm reading. It is a
drawback in being an author.
When I try to read
for pleasure, if I’m able to turn off my internal editor, I know it’s a very
good story. What are you working on right now?
I've returned to my first love—humor. My brother recently
entered his second marriage with a widow. They have the craziest family—most of
whom live with them. Therefore, my newest book, The Honeymoon's Over is exploring the wacky world of late-in-life
second marriages. Boy, do we bring baggage into each other's lives. With the
Lord—it's all good.
What outside
interests do you have?
Outside interests, how do I love thee? My husband constantly
tells me to not take on too much—but there's so much to do and life is short.
Taking his advice, three things other than writing dominate
my life. I walk and run. God has blessed me physically that in my dotage, I can
still run and win races in my age category.
Weekly, three friends and I hike in the Smokies or the Cumberland Plateau . What an amazing world our Lord and
Savior has created. My buddies and I move slowly because the tiniest of
wildflowers or the grandest of waterfalls leaves us spellbound.
Finally, I love all things glass and create stained glass.
Every evening, you'll find me in my studio cutting my fingers and burning my
favorite sweater as I cut and solder my creations. The first day of creation in
Genesis is my favorite. When God said, "Let there be light" He knew
glass was coming. The play of light through glass mesmerizes me more than
diamonds.
How do you choose
your settings for each book?
Setting is about the only thing, aside from theme, where I
employ that writer's rule "write what you know." Most of my settings
are upstate New York or Long
Island where I've lived most of my life.
Recently, I moved to Tennessee .
My next novel will be A New York Yankee
in Stinking Creek. I want to play up the contrast of the liberal NYC
stained glass artist with the slower, more cordial Tennessean. A town near
where I live is named Stinking Creek—one of the coolest names I know.
It'll be a take on Twain's famous Connecticut Yankee.
However, my hillbilly Southerners will show miss modern city gal what life is
really all about.
If you could spend an
evening with one historical person, who would it be and why?
The judge Deborah. Living in a patriarchal society and being
a leader of her people, Deborah demonstrated that women can take leadership
roles. They can teach men. They can have lives beyond the home. I love her
spunk and intelligence and ability to fight for right.
Most of my life I'd been a single mother. I had to take on
roles not typically given women. Furthermore, God gave me the gift of teaching.
Because of that, I love Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth. It's
especially intriguing to me that the husband, here, is only an aside (not that
my darling hubby of a dozen years is an aside).
What is the one thing
you wish you had known before you started writing novels?
How to write.
Seriously. That's my answer.
I blithely began writing my poems, plays, short stories
believing I was the next Sue Monk Kidd. Then I found good critique partners,
began meeting with agents and editors and learned the sorry truth: I needed to
figure out this writing thing.
With each novel, I've grown. I read in my free time, mostly
studying what the author has done right and what she's done that annoys me. In
my own writing, I try for the former and hope to ignore the latter.
Perhaps someday I'll earn the Pulitzer. Until then, I'll
study.
What new lessons is
the Lord teaching you right now?
He's teaching me that I'm redeemed without having to earn
it. Sounds basic, doesn't it? Somewhere deep in my psyche, I have a hard time
believing this.
To help myself and others, my blog is devoted to what I've
learned in overcoming my perfectionism and in understanding the pure, simple,
unadulterated truth of the gospel: I am redeemed—no strings attached.
What are the three
best things you can tell other authors to do to be successful?
First: Get a good critique partner—someone who is honest and
kind and unafraid of telling you the truth. You may need to move around to
several people, but the partner must be honest. That honesty must be tempered
with respect.
Second: Understand no matter how good you are or what awards
you may garner, you must constantly strive to improve. You don't have it all
together, don't know it all. Have a thick skin, take criticism and grow from
it. Criticism more than praise is your best friend.
Finally: Understand in this competitive and shrinking
market, authors will be asked to do more than write. Unless you become like Ted
Dekker or Nora Roberts, your name is not going to sell the book. You will have
to promote it, set up book signings, find promotional sites online, and shell
out your meager income to advertise. These venues will be your responsibility—not
your agent's or your publisher's.
And Fourth: (Yes, we were only supposed to have three—but
this is a freeby) Have fun. Do what you love and the three pieces of advice
will be enjoyable.
Tell us about the
featured book.
Freedom comes only by forgiving the unforgiveable.
Twenty-four-year-old hairdresser Torie Sullivan has given up
on life. When her boyfriend betrays her, she careens her car into a ditch in a
drunken fury.
After paramedic Adam Benedict rescues Torie from her mangled
car, he learns she's the middle school bully who brutalized him. A week later,
he discovers she lives in a lean-to in Hookskill Nature Preserve. Despite his
hatred, his innate compassion won't allow him to leave Torie in the wilds. He
offers her a room in his miniscule cabin.
After Torie's first night at Adam's, tragedy strikes his
life, and he can no longer house her. His girlfriend, Maya Vitale takes Torie
in. Though first-grade teacher Maya's past isn't as sinister as Torie's, she,
too, hides a shameful secret.
In The Poison We Drink, the lives of
three disparate friends collide and reveal the toxic pasts that threaten to
poison their lives.
Only by forgiving the unpardonable can they be set free.
This book is available wherever books are sold online.
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2hujBdc
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/2hE0mNh
Please give us the
first page of the book.
(Unsaved Torie has broken up with her boyfriend, and is
drunk. The barkeep tries to keep her from driving but she refuses to listen.
This is where this excerpt picks up).
She snatched the keys from the blacktop as Collin exited The
Stadium. He loped down the steps and banged at her passenger window.
"If you drive away, I'm calling the cops."
The glow from the streetlight haloed Collin, like an angel.
If angels existed.
"Torie, no man is worth it. Consider AA. You don't have
to be like your mother."
She bit her lip. Mumbled. "I'm not like Jean."
Tears threatened, but she wouldn't be a cry baby. Hadn't
cried since middle school when... She
clenched her teeth and inhaled, let the air fill her lungs. Her mother thrived
on self-pity and man-lust. Not her.
With an exhale, Torie pulled away from the curb. Behind her,
brakes squealed, and a horn blared. She stepped on the gas, peered into the
rearview mirror, and let the black SUV eat her dust.
"I don't need no cab," she told Collin as though
he sat beside her. "I'm cool and in control..."
...Speed, and anger at Collin, lost their magic. Collin had
been a friend – sometimes stern, but always fair. Her eyes watered.
The real culprits resurrected – Selene and Trey. The imprint
of Trey's hand on her wrist, inviting her into his bed still burned like a
brand. Lying next to him, Selene smirked. Her friend knew Torie loved Trey –
the first man she dared to not simply date, but to love.
It did no good. He preferred her fat friend. Her stunning,
voluptuous, charismatic, sarcastic best friend. Torie's fingers dug into the
steering wheel.
Her stomach tossed. She had scruples. Unlike Jean. Unlike
everyone else. Still, the treachery of the two people she trusted most rushed
back and blinded her. Collin's rot-gut booze failed her. Her memories remained
raw.
Collin was right. She ruined every one of her friendships. Maybe
she was—
Her eyes blurred, and her nose ran. Her thought would stay
unspoken. Torie fished through her Kate Spade purse for tissues then tossed it
to the back seat. Her iPhone fell to the floor. Contorting her arm behind the
console, Torie attempted to retrieve the phone.
The car hurled itself to the right. The crunch of the
shoulder gave way to the bumpy grass. It caught the tires and yanked her down a
steep slope. The headlights illuminated tree branches as they grabbed the car,
rasped their fingers along its sides as though shoving her down the slope until
spider webs of pain showered over her. The Rabbit slammed into a stone wall.
Wow! I can hardly
wait to see what happens next. How can readers find you on the Internet?
You can find me on my blog which explores overcoming
perfectionism and the freedom of redemption.
Thank you, Carol, for
sharing this book with me and my readers. I know they are as eager as I am to
read the rest of the story.
Readers, leave a comment for a chance
to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in
the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory
or country if outside North America . (Comments
containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the
number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of
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pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on
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will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
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14 comments:
sounds like a great book! Shelia Hall sheliarha64@yahoo.com
Thank you, Shelia. I believe it's one of my best.
I live in East Tennessee, too. I know right where the Stinking Creek exit is!
Dianna in TN
Nice interview! This book sounds very intriguing. I'd love to win a copy.
Winnie T in Utah
Thank you, Winnie, I think this is my best one.
Savings, we must be neighbors. Stinking Creek is just up the holler a piece.
Great first page! YOu have me hooked and I want to know what happens! Have a great week!
Beth in Montana
I'm glad you're hooked. Hope you enjoy the book, Beth.
Hi Carol. I really enjoyed reading your thoughts and learning about this book. I think many of us have a hard time accepting that God's gift of grace is free.
Blessings!
Connie from KY
cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com
WOW this book sounds great. Looking forward to reading it. Thank you for the giveaway.
Lourdes in Long Island, NY
Enter me!!
Conway SC.
This looks like a very powerful book that I would enjoy.
Beth from Iowa
Thanks you, all. Forgiveness is a powerful healer. Even though this is a novel, it shows even the impossible to forgive can be pardoned.
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