Tell me about yourself. What got you started in writing?
I love to read. Some of my biggest
heroes are writers, so I've always wanted to someday emulate them. I’d written poems and short stories most of
my life, and as a teenager I wrote a romance novel, but it wasn't until my youngest son was in high school that I began to think seriously about writing
books and getting published.
How and where do you write? Do you prefer a lap top or do you prefer
writing freehand?
I prefer to write on my laptop at my desk, because then I can play with the
words and add things as they come to me.
But sometimes when I wake up in the morning, I have ideas for the story,
and then I jot them down on paper so I don’t forget.
What's your favorite part about writing? Your least favorite part about
writing?
My favorite part is writing the first draft, because everything is new and
exciting. It’s like reading a book for
the first time, but it’s coming from my head to the computer screen. It’s a blast.
My least favorite part is rewriting and editing, but I know it has to be
done.
How do you come up with your characters? Why would readers want to get
to know them?
Many times my ideas for books start out with a dream about the main characters in full color, detail, and action. When I start to write the story, it’s as if I already know them. I then make a file about the characters and start adding details about them to fully flesh them out. But sometimes I’ll be writing, and a character suddenly pops into the scene fully formed and starts saying and doing things. It’s really amazing. I hope readers would like to get to know the characters because they are interesting, and they feel a connection to them.
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What types of marketing do you do to promote your writing?
I write several times a week on my blog (http://carolnicolas.wordpress.com). As well, I have a Facebook page, and I’m on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Goodreads. I have done a couple of blog tours. I also have attended several writers’ conferences.
How do you schedule your writing time? When do you write?
’m usually busy with family, household chores, and walking the dog in the morning and evening, so most of the time I end up writing in the afternoon. However, if there’s not too much going on, I’ll try to write in the morning as well.
What are you currently working on? Do you have a new book out?
I have a new book called City of the
Giants that is being edited right now and will be ready to publish
soon. It is a YA Urban Fantasy that
takes place in an alternate reality Chicago.
A piece of a Giant city has fallen on top of part of Chicago, causing
destruction and death. In order to
contain the radioactivity and the Giant rats, the government builds a huge wall
around the entire area, dooming the people inside to eventual death. But then a magician and a teenage girl join
forces to find a way to get rid of the City of the Giants and bring freedom to
their people. I’m very excited about
it.
Do you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about it.
I am currently writing a YA Sci-Fi novel about a girl who finds out she is
half alien. When a message from deep
space comes to Earth proclaiming that all aliens must vacate Earth, Mia is
already having a hard time. After all,
her mother has just been murdered, and her grandparents want nothing to do with
her. Mia is forced to leave behind her
friends, her crazy but beloved aunt, and her mercurial boyfriend. Her long-lost father turns out to be a drunk
who owns a ramshackle ship built out of space junk. The pilot is young and handsome, but she is
allergic to him. Things only get worse when she finds out that Earth is about
to be destroyed by an armada of locust-like creatures, and the League of
Humanoid Planets don’t think it is worth saving.
What would you tell a beginning writer who wants to publish but doesn't
believe he/she has enough talent?
Keep on writing and creating! It is
only by writing that you become better.
Make sure you learn the rules of grammar, and read well-written books
often to help and inspire you. Prepare
to spend many hours working on your craft.
Read books about how to write, take courses on writing, and go to
writing conferences. Above all, don’t
give up. The stories that you carry
within you are unique, and you are the only one who can bring them forth.
***
Thank you, Carol!
Contact/learn more about Carol at the links below:
email carolcnicolas@gmail.com
web/blog http://carolnicolas.wordpress.com
Youtube Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCCu2Yo75rI
The Sixth Power is available
for Kindle at: http://www.amazon.com/The-Sixth-Power-ebook/dp/B00B4MHICQ
for other eBook readers at:http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/277723
Thank you, Kathryn!
ReplyDelete-- Carol
You're welcome, Carol. Much success in your writing!
Delete