Interview and Excerpt: Brownie Fix by Ellen Cardona
Thanks to Ellen Cardona for stopping by with a Q&A and excerpt from Brownie Fix. Please visit her page on CLP Blog Tours for more information!
[image error] **Interview**
When did you know writing was for you?I started writing in 4th grade. I guess it was fan fiction for The Empire Strikes Back. Yikes. I just dated myself. I made up a story, but then I abandoned it after I received some criticism. I turned my passion for writing to English Lit. and writing literary papers. It wasn’t until my mid 30s when I got the guts to take a creative writing class for one of my graduate classes that the light bulb in my head turned on again, and the power stayed on this time.
How would you describe your books?Strong Female Characters. Brownie Fix and my second book, Raven’s Return, which will be released in December, have strong female characters. They don’t know how strong they are at first until they are faced with obstacles and discover their inner strength.
Is Brownie Fix a personal story for you?Absolutely. It’s my first book, and my writing mentor told me that your first book is about yourself. Brownie Fix is about my struggles with postpartum depression, but it is very exaggerated. If I wrote about myself, it would be very boring. What is not exaggerated is the raw emotion that surfaces in the book. Those emotions are mine.
What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?Copy Editing. I found that I had to make a list on how to spell words and keep it consistent. Is it gray or grey? Is it long-sleeved or long sleeved? You have to be consistent. Also, I cannot stand typographical errors, and I had them in my first printing. I didn’t catch them because I was so used to looking at my words. Luckily, I found a very good copy editor.
What are your favorite genres to read?Horror and the Classics. They don’t really go hand in hand, but they work for me. I grew up on Stephen King, Anne Rice, and Dean Koontz, but I also studied the classics, especially Virgil, Dante, and Shakespeare. I love the classical allusions and how they are tied together. I guess that’s why my real job is an English professor.
What do you want readers to take away from your story?I want my readers to know that there’s hope even when the walls of depression have closed around you and shut out the light. Persey, the main character in Brownie Fix, really finds herself in the bottom of a dark hole, but she climbs out of it. I want my readers to know that if they’re in the hole, they can climb out. You can touch the light, but you have to start climbing.
How important do you think social media is for authors these days?Very important. I’m a self-published writer, and marketing has to be the hardest part. I immediately set up a website, Facebook and Twitter pages, and a blog. You have to put yourself out there, and the best way to do it is with social media. The blogging community is huge, and I really never thought about it until I had to market Brownie Fix. I have my own blog, but I just use it for therapy. I never thought people would read it, but they do. I’m just starting to get to involved in blogging, and there are so many opportunities out there. It’s exciting.
What would be your advice to aspiring writers?
Do not give up. Keep writing. Do not do what I did and let the criticism get you down and not write. I hate to tell you, but the muse does not exist and the story does not write itself. You have to write it and just keep at it. It’s all up to you.
[image error] **Excerpt**
Chapter Two: Unpleasant MemoriesAs the nurses in the hospital prepared Persey for thebirth of the living child inside her, she remembered thedead child that she lost last year, fifteen months ago.That day, Persey started out excited and so happythat she was pregnant, if only for five weeks. She andHayden were in an examination room, which wascovered in mauve colors that were supposed to becalming for the patients.She was on her back in stirrups and was waiting onthe nurse, who was going to run a test to check on thebaby’s heartbeat. The mauve colors were not workingon Persey, for she was a bundle of nerves when she sawthe metallic thing coming toward her.“I’m going to rub some jelly on this; it will be a littlecold,” said the blonde nurse with the skinny, sized twobody. She held a strange phallic-looking probe, aninternal sonogram. The nurse, in her blue scrubs andher black pants, smiled with her flawless white teeth.Staring at the probe in horror, Persey spread her legsfor the thing that looked so familiar, yet so horriblyalien. “How appropriate. You put a condom on it,” shesaid and smelled rubbing alcohol and lubricating jelly.“We thought you’d appreciate that fact. Seriously,though, it’s the only way I can see the baby this early.I’m sorry,” the nurse replied and guided the metallicprobe closer. “Don’t worry, I put some jelly on it, and itwill ease on in.”“Yeah, where have I heard that before?” askedPersey, winking at Hayden, who had been unusuallyquiet in the corner of the mauve room.
[image error] **Everyone who leaves a comment on Ellen's tour page will be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card! Anyone who purchases their copy of Brownie Fix before July 30 and sends their receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, will get five bonus entries.**
Author Bio:
Ellen Cardona wrote Brownie Fix to help deal with the postpartum depression she experienced after one of her pregnancies. Through her writing, she found that postpartum depression was real but conquerable, especially when one has the help of some dark chocolate and even darker humor. When Ellen is not writing, she teaches literature to college freshmen and attempts to help them understand the writing process, though they think she’s crazy because of her love for literature and writing. Ellen graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas with a PhD in Humanities with a specialization in Literature. Even though she has published several academic works on Ezra Pound, she could not ignore her true passion as a fiction writer. Ellen lives in Richardson, Texas and continues to learn daily from her husband and two children. In good times and bad, she still enjoys her brownies.
Connect with Ellen!
Website (AND TO DOWNLOAD THE FIRST CHAPTER FREE!): http://www.ellencardona.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EllenCardona
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/ellencardona <http://twitter.com/#!/ellencardona> <http://twitter.com/#!/ellencardona>
Blog: http://ellencardona.com/blog/
Email: ellen (at)ellencardona(dot)com
Buy the Book!
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005IC38EU/ref=as_li_tf_til?tag=ellencardonac-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=B005IC38EU&adid=1AR1GXZZAECEWZJEMZMT&&ref-refURL=http://ellencardona.com/
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/brownie-fix-ellen-cardona/1105068099?ean=2940013043732&cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-plecO0ACyhE-_-2:2940013043732 &
Paperback at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Brownie-Fix-Ellen-Cardona/dp/1466221518/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1341330305&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=ellen cardona
[image error] **Interview**
When did you know writing was for you?I started writing in 4th grade. I guess it was fan fiction for The Empire Strikes Back. Yikes. I just dated myself. I made up a story, but then I abandoned it after I received some criticism. I turned my passion for writing to English Lit. and writing literary papers. It wasn’t until my mid 30s when I got the guts to take a creative writing class for one of my graduate classes that the light bulb in my head turned on again, and the power stayed on this time.
How would you describe your books?Strong Female Characters. Brownie Fix and my second book, Raven’s Return, which will be released in December, have strong female characters. They don’t know how strong they are at first until they are faced with obstacles and discover their inner strength.
Is Brownie Fix a personal story for you?Absolutely. It’s my first book, and my writing mentor told me that your first book is about yourself. Brownie Fix is about my struggles with postpartum depression, but it is very exaggerated. If I wrote about myself, it would be very boring. What is not exaggerated is the raw emotion that surfaces in the book. Those emotions are mine.
What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?Copy Editing. I found that I had to make a list on how to spell words and keep it consistent. Is it gray or grey? Is it long-sleeved or long sleeved? You have to be consistent. Also, I cannot stand typographical errors, and I had them in my first printing. I didn’t catch them because I was so used to looking at my words. Luckily, I found a very good copy editor.
What are your favorite genres to read?Horror and the Classics. They don’t really go hand in hand, but they work for me. I grew up on Stephen King, Anne Rice, and Dean Koontz, but I also studied the classics, especially Virgil, Dante, and Shakespeare. I love the classical allusions and how they are tied together. I guess that’s why my real job is an English professor.
What do you want readers to take away from your story?I want my readers to know that there’s hope even when the walls of depression have closed around you and shut out the light. Persey, the main character in Brownie Fix, really finds herself in the bottom of a dark hole, but she climbs out of it. I want my readers to know that if they’re in the hole, they can climb out. You can touch the light, but you have to start climbing.
How important do you think social media is for authors these days?Very important. I’m a self-published writer, and marketing has to be the hardest part. I immediately set up a website, Facebook and Twitter pages, and a blog. You have to put yourself out there, and the best way to do it is with social media. The blogging community is huge, and I really never thought about it until I had to market Brownie Fix. I have my own blog, but I just use it for therapy. I never thought people would read it, but they do. I’m just starting to get to involved in blogging, and there are so many opportunities out there. It’s exciting.
What would be your advice to aspiring writers?
Do not give up. Keep writing. Do not do what I did and let the criticism get you down and not write. I hate to tell you, but the muse does not exist and the story does not write itself. You have to write it and just keep at it. It’s all up to you.
[image error] **Excerpt**
Chapter Two: Unpleasant MemoriesAs the nurses in the hospital prepared Persey for thebirth of the living child inside her, she remembered thedead child that she lost last year, fifteen months ago.That day, Persey started out excited and so happythat she was pregnant, if only for five weeks. She andHayden were in an examination room, which wascovered in mauve colors that were supposed to becalming for the patients.She was on her back in stirrups and was waiting onthe nurse, who was going to run a test to check on thebaby’s heartbeat. The mauve colors were not workingon Persey, for she was a bundle of nerves when she sawthe metallic thing coming toward her.“I’m going to rub some jelly on this; it will be a littlecold,” said the blonde nurse with the skinny, sized twobody. She held a strange phallic-looking probe, aninternal sonogram. The nurse, in her blue scrubs andher black pants, smiled with her flawless white teeth.Staring at the probe in horror, Persey spread her legsfor the thing that looked so familiar, yet so horriblyalien. “How appropriate. You put a condom on it,” shesaid and smelled rubbing alcohol and lubricating jelly.“We thought you’d appreciate that fact. Seriously,though, it’s the only way I can see the baby this early.I’m sorry,” the nurse replied and guided the metallicprobe closer. “Don’t worry, I put some jelly on it, and itwill ease on in.”“Yeah, where have I heard that before?” askedPersey, winking at Hayden, who had been unusuallyquiet in the corner of the mauve room.
[image error] **Everyone who leaves a comment on Ellen's tour page will be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card! Anyone who purchases their copy of Brownie Fix before July 30 and sends their receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, will get five bonus entries.**
Author Bio:
Ellen Cardona wrote Brownie Fix to help deal with the postpartum depression she experienced after one of her pregnancies. Through her writing, she found that postpartum depression was real but conquerable, especially when one has the help of some dark chocolate and even darker humor. When Ellen is not writing, she teaches literature to college freshmen and attempts to help them understand the writing process, though they think she’s crazy because of her love for literature and writing. Ellen graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas with a PhD in Humanities with a specialization in Literature. Even though she has published several academic works on Ezra Pound, she could not ignore her true passion as a fiction writer. Ellen lives in Richardson, Texas and continues to learn daily from her husband and two children. In good times and bad, she still enjoys her brownies.
Connect with Ellen!
Website (AND TO DOWNLOAD THE FIRST CHAPTER FREE!): http://www.ellencardona.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EllenCardona
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/ellencardona <http://twitter.com/#!/ellencardona> <http://twitter.com/#!/ellencardona>
Blog: http://ellencardona.com/blog/
Email: ellen (at)ellencardona(dot)com
Buy the Book!
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005IC38EU/ref=as_li_tf_til?tag=ellencardonac-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=B005IC38EU&adid=1AR1GXZZAECEWZJEMZMT&&ref-refURL=http://ellencardona.com/
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/brownie-fix-ellen-cardona/1105068099?ean=2940013043732&cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-plecO0ACyhE-_-2:2940013043732 &
Paperback at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Brownie-Fix-Ellen-Cardona/dp/1466221518/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1341330305&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=ellen cardona
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