Author Interview: Carol North

The Basics
– Carol North
– Brand: Escape Into a Story by Carol North
– Genre(s): Contemporary with elements of the paranormal and science fiction
– Publisher(s): Class Act Books and Red Rose Publishing

To Other Authors

– What are the three MOST important pieces of advice you would give to a brand new author?

• 1. Have patience. From childhood, I wanted to become a writer. I also wanted to be married and have children, so my dreams of writing were pushed to the back of my brain, while diapers, cooking, and cleaning dominated my life. Occasionally, I’d meditate on how it would feel to be a writer. One day, my dream emerged fully formed into my life.

• 2. Don’t let other people discourage your dreams. When my brother and mother found out I was returning to school to study writing, they told me I was a fool and would be homeless if I continued toward my goal. I never did receive a degree in creative writing. No, it wasn’t because of family pressure. I quit school after the first semester because I was hired as the managing editor of a regional, monthly magazine.

• 3. Learn technique. IMHO, this is what separates the published from the unpublished. I worked full-time as a freelance tech and biz writer for 20 years before getting serious about writing novels. During that time I wrote stories and belonged to a critiquing group. Each short story I wrote concentrated on a different aspect of technique. For example, one story was told in gothic tone, another played with dialogue, and a third was designed to elicit a strong emotional response from the reader. When finally I had time to write novels, all I needed was to put together the various elements of technique I’d been practicing for years.

– What’s your favorite way to advertise?

• Ads and postings on review sites bring a lot of traffic to my site. I’ve had the best results from Bitten-By-Books and Fallen Angel Reviews. Another effective method is taking part in group marketing campaigns, particularly the IWOF Authors group Spring and Fall promotions. One of most fun ways is by creating relationships on networking groups, particularly on Sweet and Sensual Romances.

– What hard-knock lesson did the publishing world teach you (can be your own experience or someone else’s that you learned from)?

• Friends have told me horror stories about none too honest epublishers. That’s one of the many reasons I appreciate my current publishers, who are honorable and professional.

For the Readers

– Do you prefer ebooks or print for your reading pleasure?

• Ebooks. I live in Savannah, Georgia. My home is only 20 minutes from the ocean. It’s my idea of heaven to sit in a beach chair, tickled by an ocean breeze, and read from my eReader.

– Name three of your all-time-favorite, read-them-over-and-over books.

• 1. To see and “feel” a setting, I reread John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men.

• 2. When in the mood for romance, I reread Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

• 3. For a cathartic scare, I reread Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Idle Curiosity Compels Me to Ask

– What inspired you to be a writer?

• I don’t think I was inspired to be a writer. My career path seems to have been predetermined. I recall being about five years old and declaring “I’m gonna be a writer when I grow up.”

– What do you do immediately after finishing a manuscript?

• Sigh with relief and take a bubble bath.

– Do you talk to your characters or your muse or both?

• “Yes” to both. I’ve embarrassed myself many times when people saw me talking to them, so now I carry a recorder and pull it out when the muse strikes. Sometimes I remember to turn on the recorder. (Renee Note – I’d carry a recorder but I don’t like the sound of my own voice.)

Promo Section

~ Most Recent Release ~

Eternally His publisher: Class Act Books ISBN: 978-1-935048-26-8 (eBook) ISBN: 1-935048-26-0 (Print; available in Aug. ’09) blurb: All Erica Peterson wants to do is pay off the mortgage on her bridal salon when a ghost appears in the salon. The disturbance the ghost causes attracts police detective Grant Stewart. Suspecting Erica is hiding something, he investigates her private life. The ghost, who is wearing a Victorian-era wedding gown, has a history of violent encounters with owners of the building. She vows to stay until she has fulfilled her soul’s purpose. Erica, her staff, her clientele, and Grant suffer ghostly encounters. Erica is on the verge of losing everything: the salon, Grant, and the two-year-old child who has stolen her heart, To save all, she must travel through time to prevent a tragedy taking place both in 1894 and in present time. Eternally His is the story of a love so deep, so powerful it transcends time and space, spans a century, and dramatically alters the lives of the lovers and those around them. BUY NOW

~ Coming Soon ~

Love’s Reflection is a contemporary romance. Release dates are November 1 in eBook and December 1 in Print Love’s Reflection publisher: Class Act Books ISBN: Not yet available blurb: Alpha is every man’s fantasy woman. She’s beautiful, anatomically perfect, low-maintenance, and pure. She’s a robot created by Dr. Cort Hirsch in the image of Zoe Parker, the film superstar who rejected him. Cort envisions Alpha as the “mother” of the race of dutiful service robots he plans to manufacture. When Alpha refuses to clean the bathroom until Cort provides waterproof gloves to protect her hands, Cort thinks there may be a few flaws in her design. Perhaps he uploaded too much feminine literature to her database. The threesome is brought together after Alpha is photographed by a tabloid during a shopping trip, and thought to be Zoe. The robot is sacrificed when Zoe receives death threats. Cort’s passion is consummated, but by which female. buy link: Not available yet

Learn More
– Website: http://carolnorth.com
– Blog/Newsletter: http://cnorth.wordpress.com

Thanks, Carol!

Join me next week for Lena Matthews’ interview!