Happy May!
It’s the first Wednesday of the month and it’s time for my monthly chat with a Author Pal of mine.
This month I’m talking to Carsen Lane. I was privileged to get an ARC copy of her upcoming release and I’m so excited to share our chat where she talks a bit about the between-the-covers of bringing it life.
With that said… LET’S CHAT!!
Thanks for taking the time to chat today, Carsen!
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
CL: I’ve always used writing to process through my emotions. Then, I started writing when things got hard in my life, and I turned writing into a way to escape my reality instead of processing through it. I never saw writing as a career though, until I let a friend of mine read one of my stories and they declared, “You’re a writer.” I’ve never felt so fulfilled in any profession I’ve ever had as I do sharing my stories with others.
How do you handle writer’s block?
CL: Take a hot shower. It works EVERY SINGLE TIME. I always get my best ideas in the shower, so anytime I’m at a standstill in a story, I will take a long hot shower and by the time I get out I usually have a ton of ideas.
What comes first, the plot or characters?
CL: It depends on the story, but I want to say it’s almost always the plot. In Caging Grace, Grace for sure came first. I have dreams about her, and saw her in everything I did for a few months before the story slowly unfolded. But usually the story always comes first and the Characters just unfold when they need to.
Where is your favorite place to write?
CL: Out in nature. The balcony of a cabin, a park, the beach. I do my best writing when I’m alone and surrounded by nature. I’m not a sit in a coffee shop or at my desk type of author.
Do you prefer writing in silence or to music?
CL: I need silence for sure. If a scene has music in it, or is inspired by music, I’ll play that song to get motivated, but then go back to silence, otherwise I’m easily distracted.
How much ‘world building’ takes place before you start writing?
CL: Almost all of it. I do a ton of prep before I start writing. I will map out each chapter, and research and build each chapter in my mind, using my notes feature on my phone, several note books etc. When I have a chunk of time to writing, I just sit down and bang out all the words since everything is pretty much already been created in my mind and researched.
How do you deal with emotional impact of a book (on yourself) as you are writing the story?
CL: I feel everything I’m writing, which is why I like to do so in solitude. If I tried to write in public people would think I was insane, laughing and crying in public.
How do you come up with the titles to your books?
CL: Weird fact about me is I can’t start writing until I have a title. I come up with the concept first, title and then characters. If I don’t have a title, I don’t write.
Do you find it more challenging to write the first book in a series or to write the subsequent novels?
CL: Subsequent novels are never as easy as the first, for me.
Who is your favorite character that you have written? If so, who? And what makes them special?
CL: My favorite character hasn’t been released yet. Trinity from my book, Forgive me Father was such a complex and hard to write character. But her character challenged me more than any in my writing career, and I felt more accomplishment at the end of that book than I ever have with any others I’ve written.
Which of your books was most enjoyable to write?
CL: I just really enjoy writing, but some books have for sure been easier than others. I think Caging Grace was a very easy book to write, so I got a lot of enjoyment out of it because it all flowed so naturally. I wasn’t hung up on any part of the story and I found the research really interesting for that book.
Where do you get your inspiration?
CL: I’m a bit of a hippie, so I find inspiration from all around me. I love trying new foods, going to new places and taking in how I feel and turning them into stories and ideas. A lot of my book ideas have come from world events, or random articles that sparked an idea.
If you had to recommend one of your books to a new reader, which would you recommend?
CL: Bound By Grace is the prequel to Caging Grace, and it’s a nice quick read. It will show you my writing style, and get you ready for Caging Grace once its out. You can get it for free here: https://BookHip.com/XPWQDRK
THREE FUN FACTS ABOUT CARSEN
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
CL: I love growing/ canning my own food, Crafting and making gifts, Spending time in nature and drinking massive amounts of coffee.
What was your dream job when you were younger?
CL: I wanted to be a pediatrician.
What’s your favorite food?
CL: Nachos
TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT CARSEN & HER BOOKS, CHECK OUT HER SOCIAL MEDIA
With a sick, illegal immigrant mother, a dead father, and a younger sister to provide for, struggle has become second nature to Grace. What she doesn’t know how to do, is hope or dream. Those are two things you don’t have the luxury of doing when you work three jobs to support your family.
However, when fate sends her a lucky hand, will she be able to let go of the past long enough to get out of the underground fighting ring and make it in the UFC? Or will she allow her past to haunt her, and her guilt to burry her right along with her dreams?
This isn’t your average love story. Sometimes, the princess saves the prince. And sometimes, the best person to choose to love, is yourself.
The Scoop on
CAGING GRACE
Can you share something about your current book that isn’t in the blurb?
CL: My grandfather immigrated from Scotland, so I used a lot of his background for inspiration.
Are there any secrets from the book, you can share with readers?
CL: When I first got the idea for Caging Grace, I started writing it as a Romance. But when it was almost finished, I realized this was Grace’s story, and HER journey, HER love story…so I rewrote it even though it was 75% done, so it went from a Romance to Female Fiction.
What was the inspiration for the story?
CL: It’s really weird, but I took my niece to see a modernized Cinderella play and Cinderella was amazing and intelligent and wonderful…but the Prince was a bit of a tool. I thought, when are they going to write something when Cinderella saves and enlightens the Princes instead of the other way around? So, I decided to write it because I wanted my niece to grow up knowing she didn’t need a Prince to save her,
What is the future of the characters? Will there be a sequel?
CL: There is already a short story prequel out now. There will be at least one other book, Saved By Grace…and possibly another after that, I haven’t decided for sure.
If you had to describe the main character in THREE words, what would those three words be?
CL: Resilient, Badass and Vulnerable.
AUTHOR CRUSHING
Who is the author you most admire in your genre?
CL: Jane Austen. She was the queen of Women’s Fiction before it was even a thing. The voice she brought into literature back in a time when women were silenced will always be awe inspiring to me.
Favorite book when you were a kid?
CL: The Giver was my absolute favorite book, and I still read it every few years.
Favorite book you’ve read as an adult?
CL: I have way too many to pick just one: The Mist of the Serengeti, Verity, Kylan, The Hunger Games, A Court Of Thorns And Roses. And many more.
BEFORE I LET YOU GO, HOW ABOUT A RAPID FIRE ROUND?
Would you rather be in a room full of snakes or a room full of spiders?
Spiders hands down! I hate snakes!
Would you rather have an endless summer or an endless winter?
Oh that’s hard…I’m a spring person, but I guess Winter because I like using my oven.
Would you rather always be an hour early or be constantly twenty minutes late?
I’m always early.
Morning Person or Night Owl?
Night Owl all the way
City or Country?
Country
Paperback or E-Book?
Both! Paperback for my library and leisure reading, E-Books for night reading.
Share a link to a favorite song?
Thanks so much for talking with me today, Carsen!
Be sure to click over to Carsen’s social media, give her a like, check out her books,
and tell her Santana sent you!
