Friday Featured Author Cara Carnes, Part Two
This week’s featured author is Cara Carnes. Due to a technical difficulty, I wasn’t able to get the interview up until late today, so bio and book information went up earlier in this post.
Here is the interview.
Tell us about your latest release?
Redemption is the first book in The Rending series and takes place after civilization as we know it has been torn apart by war. Humanity’s government, the NAH, has ostracized all humans who are deemed genetically Impure and aligned themselves with the succubae in a war against the Paraspecies.
The first book takes place after the epic war has ended and a tentative truce has been put into place. The heroine, Mira, is a runner for the Impures, who must rely on the Paraspecies to provide provisions and other necessary survival items. She’s been imprisoned in a secret NAH testing facility for two years and must enlist the help of the Alpha wolf she’d fallen in love with two years ago.
But Adrik’s pack is stretched thin and the Paraspecies are still coming to terms with the loss of their king. He shouldn’t concern himself with the human’s troubles, but he’s not about to let her get away from him again.
Are you a plotter or pantser?
I’m somewhere in the midde, but leaning way closer to plotter. I’ve got series arcs, character arcs and books thought out way in advance, especially for The Rending series. BUT when I’m writing I allow the characters to throw curve balls quite a bit, which typically means redoing some planning.
What was the most difficult part of the publishing process for you?
Hmm…I think for me it depends. For The Rending and my indy published projects it’s definitely been the fact I’m the one driving the bus on all of the stuff. While I’ve got phenomenal editors and cover artists, etc. there’s still so much involved with getting a book “out there.”
How about the most fun?
I love world building. Creating situations and characters and complex worlds is where I find the most pleasure from the writing process.
What inspired you to write your first book?
I’m honestly not sure. The first story I wrote was when I was really young and it was because my mom had a passion for writing as well. Obviously, I aspired to be just like her.
Do you have any writing rituals? (Time of day to write, must have beverages? Etc?)
I write when I find the time to. I always have to have something to sip on, preferably a form of caffeine. Aside from that I’m pretty flexible except for having my world notes, etc. with me. If I’m at home that’s a project board. If I’m writing elsewhere, it’s my portable story bible. I haven’t converted 100% to electronic versions of this stuff. For some reason I work best with hands on stuff. (Okay, I confess…I’m a sticky note addict and I can’t give them up.)
Who is your go-to author, the one you know you can always count on to deliver a great story?
OMG. That’s like picking a favorite child. LOL. I’m afraid there’s no way I could pick just one. I know. Everyone always says that, but it’s so true. I read a variety of different authors for different reasons because each has a strength or natural talent that draws me in.
What projects are you working on at the present?
I’m currently working on book three of The Rending Series. It’s titled Salvation and is definitely one of the most challenging books I’ve tackled. There’s a lot of conflict threads and world stuff going on. And the heroine is definitely a challenge.
What do your plans for future projects include?
My project board for the rest of 2015 and the first half of 2016 has quite a few works on it. I have the next book in The Rending, a new adult contemporary, a contemporary and three paranormals. So it’ll be a busy month. I try and update my website with what I’m working on very frequently.
More information about Cara can be found at
Cara Carnes Social Media Links:
Website: http://www.caracarnes.com/
Newsletter: http://goo.gl/forms/fpqi38VMqD
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1cPSYbg
Twitter: https://twitter.com/caracarnes
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/cara2361/
Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/1e8kK4i
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1I7omga
