Ask Jay and Cora!

[qnlps]

Thank You Cynthia for the opportunity to participate!

Losing It and Faking It are pretty awesome, who wouldn't love a sexy British Professor hot damn Lucky Bliss! And who wouldn't take notice of Cade the Charmer and a badass chick like Mackenzie.

I just want to know since Cade already move on with Max is it necessary for Cade to bid goodbye to Him and Bliss's friendship? because on the scene in the club in faking it they just say goodbye was it just closure to Cade's feelings or totally the friendship I certainly hope not ;)

And Cora I truly can't wait for Keeping Her I must admit I'm team Garrick!

I have yet to read on Rule and Jet but they're on my reading list just reading the comments above definitely I will love it too.

[Beverly]

Jay wrote: "Beverly wrote: "my question is for jay, do you have plans to write another book focus on rule and shaw? i loved the both and i want more of them
thank you"<

As a reader myself I'm not a particular..."

thank you for answering my questions, i can't wait for more stories from marked man series

[Tiffany]

Thanks for the invite, I really enjoy reading and promoting new books/authors in my book club. I look forward to reading more great books that are sure to come and will be happy to share the great reads to everyone who is willing to listen to me..:)

[Cindy]

Cora wrote: "Cindy wrote: "First of all thank you for invite! I am Currently reading Golden Boys Book!! and I absolutely LOVE IT!! I am a huge Fan Of You Cora Carmack I absolutely love you're books."

THANK YOU..."

OOh I did! I loved the way you had Max open herself up to Cade right where everything started. I was hoping she would just give in when she walked out on him, and go back. But I really Liked how you had it played out, had me worried for a bit. I really love your books! Can't wait for Finding It!!! :)

[J luvs books]

Thanks for the invite! I have read and absolutely loved, Rule & Jet!!! I love your writing concepts. You add a little angst but not overboard and I am so happy for that! The absolute best part are these men, with the tattoos and piercings!!! I have to say they are my favorites out of all books I have read, and that's a lot. Thank you Jay!!!

[Cora, Author of Faking It]

Nathaly wrote: "Cora, what inspired you to write Losing It?"

Hi Nathaly,

Many things actually. I found myself wanting to read a book about a college-aged protagonist that was funny. I'd read several other New Adult books that I loved, but they were all dark and tragic, and that wasn't my college experience at all. When I couldn't find a book to read like I wanted, I decided to write my own.

In addition to that, I wanted to write a heroine that was different than your typical heroines who are either shy or kickass. I wanted to write the girl that fell in between those two opposites. Namely, a girl who is awkward and weird and totally herself.

Out of those two desires, Bliss and LOSING IT were born.

[Cora, Author of Faking It]

C.K. wrote: "These questions are for Cora Cormack:

Question 1: Is there any chance that you would write a bonus scene of Garrick meeting Bliss’s parents for the first time? When read Losing It I was hoping tha..."

Hi CK! Thanks for your fabulous questions.

For your first question-- whether or not I'll ever write a bonus scene where Garrick meets Bliss's mom... it's not in my current plans, no. I'll never say never. BUT... in the upcoming Garrick/Bliss novella, we get to see Bliss meet Garrick's parents. And in FAKING IT, we see Cade meet Max's parents. Between those two books, I'm a bit done with the whole meet-the-parents thing for the moment. :)

And question two... whether or not Bliss and Cade will ever repair their friendship.

That's hard to say. Should I ever write a sequel to FAKING IT (which I'm not promising, but again not ruling out), I would probably touch on that again, just to see how far the two of them have both come. But honestly... there are some things a friendship just can't get over. I don't think there's any hard feelings left on either side between Bliss and Cade, but their friendship will never again be what it was. And that probably would have happened even if Cade hadn't originally had feelings for Bliss. Things change when one friend gets married, and the other doesn't. It's two totally different lifestyles, and even if you have the best of intentions, people tend to grow apart.

[Cora, Author of Faking It]

Isabel wrote: "First thanks for inviting me to this group! Garrick is definitely in my top bookbiyfriends, I fell in love with him in the first page he is introduced, I'm looking forwards to all of your books Cor..."

Thanks Isabel! I'm so glad you liked Garrick. Hopefully you like Cade, too! And Jackson Hunt when you meet him in FINDING IT this fall.

[Cora, Author of Faking It]

Mercy wrote: "Cora wrote: "Mercy wrote: "Awww thanks for accepting me, I have not read the book but I have good Jay wanted because I find it more interesting that this tattooed guy ...

A question for Cora What ..."

Hi again, Mercy!

For Keeping Her-- you can expect to see more of Bliss's awkward humor. But this time you get Garrick's POV as well, so you get to see what he's thinking. You can expect lots of romance, a few mishaps, and one really rough meet-the-parents day.

Do keep in mind, though, that Keeping Her is just a novella, so it's only about 1/3 the length of a normal novel.

As for my day to day life... I'm afraid it's different every day.

I will say that I usually sleep a little late because I'm a total night owl, and am usually up writing into the wee hours of the morning.

Right now I'm doing a lot of traveling for events and conferences, so there's a lot of time spent in airports and hotel rooms, as well as seeing new cities and meeting new people. But when I'm home, I usually wake up and check twitter and facebook first thing. I answer questions and chat on there for an hour or two. Then I get up and get ready and eat something. Then my afternoons are filled with answering emails, and I generally start writing late afternoon or in the evening.

[Cora, Author of Faking It]

Rayna wrote: "Hi Cora,

I just wanted to thank you for writing Losing It. I identify very strongly with Bliss (awkward and never being able to get out of my own head and whatnot) and it was great reading a love ..."

Hi Rayna!

YAY! I cannot tell you how much I enjoy responses like yours because that was totally my whole goal with LOSING IT. I wanted to give voice to a different kind of heroine (a girl who is very much like me). Sadly the funny, odd girl is usually a secondary character or the best friend. And I really wanted to see what would happen if we put her front and center.

Max in FAKING IT is very different, but I hope you'll still identify with her and enjoy her story.

<3

[Cora, Author of Faking It]

Dianne wrote: "Hi Jay and Cora! Any tips for a first time novelist of your genre? I'm about a third of the way through my first draft. I know the skeleton of what is going to happen and the ending, but I seem to ..."

It's always hard to finish a book. It feels like a monumental accomplishment every time I manage it. For me, I find it helpful to have someone else pushing me along. With LOSING IT, I had a dear friend reading the book as I was writing it, and she was great about pushing me on and encouraging me when I wanted to give up.

Also... READ. Whenever I'm stuck... I read, and that always seems to loosen things up for me.

Good luck!

[Cindy]

Jay,
The characters in your book seem like they'd be totally cool to hang out with in real life...the tattoos and especially piercings have made me curious. Do the inspirations for your characters come from people you meet, fantasy, dreams, research, your own experiences, etc?

[Cora, Author of Faking It]

Kath wrote: "To Cora,

is this how you've pictured Garrick? :) if not who do like to portray as Garrick?



"

OH Kath! That is a LOVELY picture. To be honest, I didn't have any one person in mind when I wrote LOSING IT, but I do LOVE Joseph Morgan, and would be 100% okay with him as Garrick. :)

[Cora, Author of Faking It]

Kalie wrote: "For Jay and Cora: What was your writing process like? Did you use a special computer program, notecards, etc.?"

Mine is pretty boring actually. I write on Microsoft word, and I'm a fly by the seat of my pants kind of writer, so no outlines or notecards for me.

Occasionally, when I'm struggling with a scene or a book, I'll write by hand in a journal. It makes me slow down and think and is good for writer's block.

[Cora, Author of Faking It]

Meredith wrote: "To CORA:
Cora, I LOVED both Losing It and Faking It. Your characters were amazing! I was rooting for Bliss and Garrick all the way (and was even annoyed at Cade for wanting more than friendship w..."

Hi Meredith!

Thank you SO MUCH. I'm so glad that you connected so strongly with both books. That's always a wonderful thing to hear!

As for your questions, the one thing I was unprepared for as a new author was the sheer amount of time it takes to do this job well. Between social media and answering emails and signing contracts and traveling for events, it leaves remarkably little time for writing. So, if I could go back in time to talk to myself when I was first starting, I would say to pace myself. In the beginning, I just said yes to everything because I was so excited, and much of it came back to shoot me in the foot. :)

As for my inspiration for titles and covers... I'm afraid the titles just popped into my head. For LOSING IT especially, there was just no other title. It was perfect. I like playing with the generic titles that have multiple meanings within the story. And the cover... well... that was just a matter of luck and a lot of time spent searching through stock photos. Seriously. A LOT of time. I was trying to find a picture of a couple together that fit Bliss and Garrick and for the life of me couldn't find one. But then I saw two separate pictures, and thought they could work together. So, I tried it and boom... it worked.

My FAKING IT cover though was through my publisher, so I can't take credit for that. :)

[Cora, Author of Faking It]

Nadia - Total Book Nerds wrote: "Hi Cora!

My New Adult Book Club on Goodreads is actually reading Faking It for our July month read. I've actually already read it, I can't wait to reread it, I love the characters, and of course y..."

HAHAHA. Um... very poorly.

In the beginning, all the success was so exciting that I went a little overboard with my commitments. I said yes to just about everything, and that has since come back to bite me.

At the moment, I'm a bit of a binge writer. When I'm on deadline, I will go DAYS without leaving my apartment or seeing another person. SERIOUSLY. DAYS. Then when I'm off deadline, I give my mind a break and go hang out with friends and squeeze in as much life as I can. Then usually a few days later, I have to jump right back into writing, and I disappear again.

I'm working on slowing things down though. I've got a few things left to finish, and then I'm going to be better about managing my time and trying to find a balance... hopefully. :)

P.S. I'm glad you liked FAKING IT and hopefully the rest of your book club will enjoy it too! <3

[Cora, Author of Faking It]

Quesa wrote: "Thank You Cynthia for the opportunity to participate!

Losing It and Faking It are pretty awesome, who wouldn't love a sexy British Professor hot damn Lucky Bliss! And who wouldn't take notice of ..."

Hi Quesa,

You're the second person to ask this question, and I'm afraid you might not like my answer.

Though I wouldn't say Bliss and Cade's friendship is over completely, it will never be what it once was. They'll still see each other on occasion and talk, but after the kinds of experience they've had together, I don't think they'd ever be close enough to consider themselves best friends again. Mostly because they're moving in two different directions in life. Bliss is getting married, and that could put a strain on any friendship. Your life changes, and you have less time for friends and people just tend to grow apart. Cade on the other hand is in a very different place with his relationship with Max.

So, they're not enemies. They'll still see each other. But to a certain degree, their friendship as it was before, definitely has come to a close.

*sadface* I know. But that's how life is as your grow older. Relationships change and grow and die out. And that's okay. It's part of living.

[Cora, Author of Faking It]

Cindy wrote: "Cora wrote: "Cindy wrote: "First of all thank you for invite! I am Currently reading Golden Boys Book!! and I absolutely LOVE IT!! I am a huge Fan Of You Cora Carmack I absolutely love you're books..."

Yay! I'm glad.

They both definitely had their own issues to overcome. And they had to want each other more than they wanted to keep their old way of life. That's something that takes time and doesn't happen overnight.

I do hope you'll enjoy FINDING IT, too. Don't tell... but Jackson Hunt might be my favorite book boyfriend yet. :)

[Orsolya]

Hi. Thanks for the invite. I'm from Ukraine, and truthfully, i read only Losing it. But I have to say, I think it was the perfect love story. I don't really have any questions, just wanted to say, Cora, thank you for the experience. Looking forward to read the other stories.

[Jay]

Cindy wrote: "Jay,
The characters in your book seem like they'd be totally cool to hang out with in real life...the tattoos and especially piercings have made me curious. Do the inspirations for your characters..."

All of the above. It's a culture I am enmeshed in. It's an art form and way to self-express that I practice and have the utmost respect for. The characters themselves are all from the world but are just fun bits and pieces of imagination and experience. Man if all that hotness existed in one place in real life I would never get anything done because I would just be hanging out all the time drooling :)

[Jay]

Jill wrote: "Thanks for the invite! I have read and absolutely loved, Rule & Jet!!! I love your writing concepts. You add a little angst but not overboard and I am so happy for that! The absolute best part are ..."

Thank you! It always makes me feel like I did something right in life to have a reader tell me the boys made it to their favorite list!! :)

[Jay]

I just want to say thank you so much to everyone that joined. I hope you got the answers to the questions you were looking for. I appreciate the interest in the rest of the boys and the series! I love interacting with readers and other authors, it's always fun times.
I wish the best of luck to those of you venturing into the writing game. It's a lot of work, there are pitfalls, but the risk and aggravation is all worth it in the end.
Cora is awesome...and full of really thoughtful and sound advice, so read through what she offered up in terms of insight into the business. I think she has a clear and professional take on it that I am lacking. My rebel sprit kind of demands that I tell people "Just do what you want!" Which isn't always the best advice.
If you have any questions that I didn't answer or needs more clarification, hit me up. I'm pretty good about responding quickly:)

Happy reading friends
xoxo
Jay

[Irene]

Thank you very much Jay and Cora for responding to our questions xx

[Jessica]

I think it's fantastic that you guys are doing this! I love authors who connect with their fans/readers on a personal level. It makes me want to read more by said authors. After reading all these questions I am definitely going to be checking out Cora's books! Keep doing what you're doing ladies! Looks like you both have HUGE fans for life!

[Cora, Author of Faking It]

Shade wrote: "Hi. Thanks for the invite. I'm from Ukraine, and truthfully, i read only Losing it. But I have to say, I think it was the perfect love story. I don't really have any questions, just wanted to say, ..."

Hi Shade!

Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed LOSING IT. I hope you'll enjoy FAKING IT, KEEPING HER, and FINDING IT just as much!

[Cora, Author of Faking It]

Jay wrote: "I just want to say thank you so much to everyone that joined. I hope you got the answers to the questions you were looking for. I appreciate the interest in the rest of the boys and the series! I l..."

Awww, you're too sweet, Jay. I'm really excited for when your books come out in print, and we can start doing appearances together! <3

[Cora, Author of Faking It]

Jessica wrote: "I think it's fantastic that you guys are doing this! I love authors who connect with their fans/readers on a personal level. It makes me want to read more by said authors. After reading all these q..."

I hope you enjoy them! <3

[Cora, Author of Faking It]

Yes! Thank you all for stopping by!

And if you want to chat more, there's a live chat tomorrow (6/27) on my facebook page at 3PM EST! You can ask question and get answers in real time.

or we can just... you know.. hang out. :)

[T.H.]

Thank you both so much!!

[Novels On The Run]

Hello Cora and Jay :)

This is a Q for both of you. What is the one thing that shocked or surprised you with self publishing?

Michelle

[Novels On The Run]

Oo poo did I miss it. LOL!! Darn time difference. I was not home yesterday during day. Bugger bum :)

Mich

[Mercy]

Cora wrote: "Mercy wrote: "Cora wrote: "Mercy wrote: "Awww thanks for accepting me, I have not read the book but I have good Jay wanted because I find it more interesting that this tattooed guy ...

A question ..."
Aww thank you for sharing your time answering my questions (all the better), I loved how you were describing every day should be interesting to meet people different from you who live far away and also as you enjoy each day and that is different and awww I ilucionastes to the advancement of the story of Bliss and Garrick. I hope you continue to reap great success and you can not wait to read as Faking IT.

Many kisses, hugs and blessings, greetings from Venezuela

[Lindsay]

This goes to both of you! I love everything that I have read of yours Cora and Jay I'm about to read Rule. I just wanted to say that you both should just keep on writing and I will read every single thing that you do! You guys are great examples for New Adult, which is now my favorite genre. Happy Writings!!

[Cora, Author of Faking It]

Novels On The Run wrote: "Hello Cora and Jay :)

This is a Q for both of you. What is the one thing that shocked or surprised you with self publishing?

Michelle"

Ahh... who cares about time? :)

The thing that surprised me the most was... well, everything. But especially the speed with which everything happened, and how quickly my life changed. Seriously... it's been a wild ride.

[Cora, Author of Faking It]

Lindsay wrote: "This goes to both of you! I love everything that I have read of yours Cora and Jay I'm about to read Rule. I just wanted to say that you both should just keep on writing and I will read every singl..."

Thanks Lindsay! I definitely don't have any intentions of stopping any time soon! <3

[Kath]

Cora wrote: "Kath wrote: "To Cora,

is this how you've pictured Garrick? :) if not who do like to portray as Garrick?



"

OH Kath! That is a LOVELY picture. To be honest, I didn't have any one person in min..."

Thanks for answering my question. Just finished reading Faking It and im oh so happy for Cade! :)


To Jay and Cora thanks for this! Wishing both all the best

[C.K.]

Thanks Cora, for answering my questions about Garrick meeting Bliss's parents and if Cade and Bliss could ever repair their friendship.

I'd still love to see a scene with Garrick and Bliss's parents but I am happy that there will be a novella with his family. I read the first chapter of Keeping Her and I really enjoyed it. The charm is still there.

I know Cade and Bliss's friendship could never be what it once was and I wouldn't want it to be. It would be inapproaiate if Bliss and Cade were like they used to be now that they are with other people. I still kind of wish that they could work things out and have some type of friendship. They have a lot of mutual friends.

[Uleesheart]

Ola! I just want to say I just purchased Cora's Losing it today and I'm 24% through and I've already laughed my rear off three times. Man you're funny. I hope you've experienced some of this stuff first hand because it really makes a great story. Jay I've also read both Rule and Jet..I've actually read Rule three times I think...I read quite a bit (and don't mind re-reading books I love). I enjoyed both! But man I really love Rule's character. Please keep up the writing and I'm looking forward to finishing Losing it. (sorry I don't have a question but I figured y'all would be reading the posts, so, I guess I just want to say thanks!)

[Bethy]

Cora, there are many books "untitled" in your profile, are they a new series?

[Cora, Author of Faking It]

Uleesheart wrote: "Ola! I just want to say I just purchased Cora's Losing it today and I'm 24% through and I've already laughed my rear off three times. Man you're funny. I hope you've experienced some of this stuff..."

Yay! Glad it made you laugh! Hope you're still enjoying it!

[Cora, Author of Faking It]

Bethy wrote: "Cora, there are many books "untitled" in your profile, are they a new series?"

Hmmm... there should only be one untitled and that is a novella spin-off of FINDING IT (which releases in October). I think the other untitled is a duplicate.

But don't worry... there definitely will be more books. I've only got, oh 5 or 6 pulling for my attention. :)

[[deleted user]]

thanks Cora and Jay! for everything :-) love you.both, I have a.question for Cora, are we going to know more about garricks childhood?

[Dianne]

Cora wrote: "Rayna wrote: "Hi Cora,

I just wanted to thank you for writing Losing It. I identify very strongly with Bliss (awkward and never being able to get out of my own head and whatnot) and it was great ..."

Thank you Cora! I just returned to Writing Workshop this week, and my writing coach is going to read my draft for me - yea! You're lucky you had a friend who did that for you. Yes, reading avidly, too. Just finished your Losing It - loved that the characters were acting students - very unique and enjoyable to read.

[Cora, Author of Faking It]

Adriana wrote: "thanks Cora and Jay! for everything :-) love you.both, I have a.question for Cora, are we going to know more about garricks childhood?"

Yes, that's actually a major component of Keeping Her. We learn all about the way Garrick grew up. :)

[Pamela]

Hi Cora <3
Have you have a "dream" actors for Bliss and Garrick?
Who are you favorite autors and books or sagas?

[Kim]

I loved faking it!! I haven't read rule yet but i want to. Though I heard it was good. Plus all these books are making me a guy with a tattoo kind of girl LOL!!