US: Westmore by Carol Cassada
UK: Westmore by Carol Cassada
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| Westmore by Carol Cassada |
Set in a fictional New
England town, follow the lives of three families; The Greens, the
Braxtons, and the Reynolds.
The Greens:
* Widowed matriarch Charlotte never thought
she could find love again after the death of her husband Michael, until
handsome Detective Bryant comes to her rescue.
* Youngest son Peter returns home from
college with his new girlfriend, who's ten years older than him, and is a
problem for Mama Charlotte.
* Scott and Alicia are singing siblings who
are on their way to the top, until tragedy strikes one night.
The Braxtons:
* Andrew Braxton is a ruthless and powerful
businessman who runs his household the same way he runs his company, with an
iron fist. Upon learning his son Wayne
plans on abandoning the family company, he'll do everything in his heart to
stop him from leaving.
The Reynolds:
* After the divorce Laura Reynolds and her
daughter Megan move back home with her father, where she plans to start life
anew, but little does she know that it's not easy to escape your past.
Join
them and other characters as they experience love, heartache, and ups and downs
in their everyday lives.
. . . . . . . .
Author Quiz interviews Carol Cassada…
Author Quiz interviews Carol Cassada…
Do
you ever feel yourself becoming quite emotional when writing a particularly
intense scene and is there a specific passage in particular where this was the
case?
Sometimes I do get emotional when writing
scenes because in that moment I’m experiencing what’s happening with the characters
and as a writer you feel the pain or hurt they’re going through. One particular scene in which I got emotional
happened in Westmore: The Aftermath. Charlotte’s
daughter, Alicia is seriously injured in a car accident and lapses into a coma,
and doctors offer little hope in her chances of survival. When Charlotte learns of the news she goes into
her daughter’s room and breaks down at her bedside.
When
you first get the idea for a new story, do you find that the finished product
tends to differ quite significantly from your original idea, or does the
original idea remain more or less intact?
The Westmore series is a perfect example of
this type of thing. The inspiration for the series came from soap operas, at
one time I dreamed of being a writer for the shows and I had a notebook with my
own soap opera ideas. So when I decided to turn the ideas into a book series, I
scraped some of the original over-the-top storylines I had in mind. Then I had
all the volumes of the series planned out and I thought everything was
straight, but as I started writing I realized a certain storyline wasn’t going
to work, so I either deleted it or switched it to a later volume.
Would
your book, Westmore, work best as a movie adaptation or as a TV series?
It’d work best as a TV series because I’ve
got too many volumes planned out for it to be a movie. Another reason is
because I feel like the storylines would play out better on a week by week
basis instead of cramming everything into a two hour film.
If
you could invite one character from your novel to a dinner party who would it
be and why?
From Going Home Again, I’d choose the
grandmother Edie because she could cook up some of her homemade meals. As for
Westmore, I’d invite Charlotte Green, so we can talk about fashion, gossip, and
hopefully she’d set me up with one of her good-looking sons.
Are
there any good book blogs or websites you would recommend, both for discovering
new books and authors, and also for promoting your own work?
I’m a member of Book Promo Group, a site founded
by authors Valerie Bowen and Liz Grace Davis. The site has a wide range of
authors from every genre for readers to enjoy. It’s also a great site for
authors looking for promotion; they can create their own pages, share their
books with readers, and connect with other authors.
How
do you see the publishing industry changing over the next few years?
A lot of authors, including myself have
chosen to go the indie route and to be honest I do see the trend continuing and
I think readers will eventually embrace the idea of indie books. As the rise of indie books grows, I think
it’ll take a toll on traditional publishers.
Are
there any book blogs or websites which you would recommend for an author
looking to find potential reviewers for their book?
Two great sites I recommend for finding
book reviewers are:
What
is your opinion on Amazon's KDP program?
Have the free book promotions helped overall sales?
I’m a member of Amazon’s KDP program and I
have used the free book promotions. At one time, I wasn’t selling any books at
all, but after the free book, my sales have increased. I do think the
promotions help with sales because nobody can resist a free book and it helps
spark interest in the author and their books.
What
advice would you give to a new author who has just finished writing their first
novel and is unsure as to what steps to take next?
I’d tell the author to take their time researching
the publishing industry, no matter if they go traditional or self-publishing,
they’re going to have a lot of work cut out for them. Everyone assumes writing
is easy, that all you do is write a story, but there’s more to it. Aside from writing, you also have to edit the
manuscript and send out queries to publishers and literary agents. Then after
you get published, you still have to decided on a book cover and do all the
promotion yourself. So I think it’s important for new authors, to do research so
they can understand the writing and publishing business, and be prepared for
what’s in store.
Who
do you see as your target audience?
Most of my novels are romance based, so
women are my target audience.
. . . . . . . .
Thanks for your comments, Carol, and good
luck with your writing.
. . . . . . . .
A
short excerpt from Westmore: The Aftermath
Slowly the car pulled to the shoulder of
the road, with a trembling hand Wayne
set the Corvette into park, his heart raced as he recalled what had transpired.
All he remembered was headlights, honking, and swerving to miss...the other
car; he wondered what happened to the driver. He glanced in the rearview mirror
hoping somehow the vehicle safely stopped, but there was no sign, fear spread
over his body. Still shaken Wayne
got out and walked to the other side as the mist of the April shower hit him,
he braced himself for the awaiting scene.
The sight of the mangled wreck made his
heart sink, he covered his face with his hands and turned away, the car smashed
head-on into a tree, the front distorted and the windshield broken. He didn't
know if anyone was alive, chances were nobody could have survived the crash.
Panicked, he didn't know what to do, if the police learned he was the cause of
the accident, he'd go to jail, but he couldn't just leave. The rain continued
to pour as he stared at the site, contemplating his decision.
. . . . . . . .
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| Author Carol Cassada |
Carol Cassada is on facebook and twitter:
Twitter: @dramacjc
Facebook: Author Carol Cassada
. . . . . . . .
Carol's books are available for
Kindle and PC from amazon.com and amazon.co.uk:
Going Home Again:
US: Going Home Again by Carol Cassada
UK: Going Home Again by Carol Cassada
Westmore:
US: Westmore by Carol CassadaGoing Home Again:
US: Going Home Again by Carol Cassada
UK: Going Home Again by Carol Cassada
Westmore:
UK: Westmore by Carol Cassada
You can also find Carol's books at Barnes & Noble
and Kobo Books:
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