Guest Interview with Paranormal Author Carole Avila....
Carole Avila.
Eve's Amulet by Carole Avila.
SJ: You certainly have your work cut out for you with a six book series. Carole, please tell us what do you love most about being a writer? Least?
SJ: Speaking of inspiration, Carole, if you could give just one piece of important writing advice to an aspiring writer, Carole, what would it be?
SJ: What is a favorite book you enjoyed reading and would recommend without hesitation? Why?
SJ: Before we close our interview Carole, is there anything new on the horizon for your fans to know about? Anything we should watch out for?
Readers, take note this book is available for sale now at online retailers: Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Eves-Amulet-~-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00EE29128/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414642234&sr=8-1&keywords=carole+avila , Bn.com: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/eves-amulet-book-1-carole-avila/1116440423?ean=9781626940567 and direct at www.blackopalbooks.com.
Of course, this interview wouldn’t be complete without an excerpt for my readers to enjoy: Read on for an excerpt from Eve’s Amulet, Book 1:
Hello-Hello and hello again and how are you today? I hope you’re all doing well and happy. I really do.
Ready to hear about a new book? Welcome back to my blog where I try to share whatever I think may interest you. Today is the third time I interview a fellow author and I'm so excited. With me this time is paranormal romance author, Carole Avila. Carole is an award winning author, poet and playwright. Black Opal Books published her paranormal romance, "Eve's Amulet, Book 1," an exciting and fun story to read and makes a great gift for time-travel, adventure, or romance enthusiasts. Her young adult horror story, “Death House,” should be released next year and is sure to scare her audience! Carole’s non-fiction work, "The Long Term Effects of Sexual Abuse," will be published by Spout Hill Press, and is based on her personal experience, as well as intuitive life coaching work. Carole lives in Southern California, and when she isn’t writing, reading, or visiting with friends, she enjoys the company of her children and grandchildren.
Carole Avila.
Carole has graciously accepted me into her world to take up some of her valuable writing time to talk about her writing and her debut novel, Eve's Amulet Book 1. So please, without further ado, let us welcome Carol to the blog and get this show on the road......Oh and before I forget, for those of you that visit this blog and leave a comment as well as subscribing to one of Carol's blogs, she is offering one (1) Free Printed Copy of Eve's Amulet Book 1 to one (1) lucky winner. So don't be bashful. Go ahead and leave a comment. Subscribed to one of Carole's blogs. Maybe even subscribe to mine (not necessary for the contest.) Good Luck and happy reading!!
SJ: Thank you Carole for spending time with us. We want to hear about Eve’s Amulet and writing. I’ve always been fascinated with the entire concept of time travel and enjoy seeing it used in a romance. Eve’s Amulet sounds like such an intriguing idea. What was the inspiration for Eve’s Amulet? Can you tell us a little bit of how the idea evolved?
Carole: Eve’s Amulet was completely inspired. I literally did this: I placed my hands on the keyboard and prayed for a new story to come in. Within moments ideas flew into my head, and I couldn’t type them fast enough. I didn’t do any initial research, just trusted my gut instinct and kept writing. Eve’s Amulet-Book 1 was written in a weekend. (However, it took me more time to research the data and edit.)
SJ: Amazing. Your protagonist, Mandy certainly has a dilemma on her hands. I get the impression that she is a very strong woman. Will we see more of her in future books? How did the idea evolve for a series versus just one book?
Carole: Mandy is strong, but at first doesn’t see herself this way. You will see Mandy and all the heroines of each of the 5 books unite in the last book of the series, where lots of surprises will take place. It became an idea for a series with the amulet that had six sides, which meant 6 time-travel stories. Women are empowered through my characters, but there are different ways we connect to that inner source of strength, thus the need for more characters with different situations and symbiotic relationships to experience it.
Eve's Amulet by Carole Avila.
Carole: What I love the most is eventually sharing my written creation that impacts others in a positive manner, if at the very least to entertain and relieve someone’s stress for a while.
The least has to be marketing and promoting. I’d rather spend days alone at the top of a mountain rewriting the same page than to spend hours finding ways to get my name out. With that said, I love the one-on-one interaction with readers and other authors—but marketing and promotion is about mass engagement, and that is “work” to me, unlike the joy I find in writing.
Carole: I was 3 years old and read “Go, dog. Go!” by P.D. Eastman. It was my first book—and a romance at that. (Two dogs drive off into the sunset in a convertible together!) I wondered what was beyond the horizon where a road ended, and my imagination would allow me to create fascinating possibilities.
Carole: Actually, it would be two things that I think are equally important.
1.) When I asked Ray Bradbury the same question, he told me, “Write.” But first, I had to move beyond a lot of fear based excuses. So, write without fear of what others may think and keep your integrity intact by sticking with your truth.
2.) Be open to constructive criticism. There’s no room for ego in creating an exceptional work that you want to share with an audience. (I’m talking about letting go of that false pride ego, not the healthy kind that gives one confidence.)
Carole: I can no more recommend a favorite book than I can a favorite film, food, or song. There are just too many fabulous works out there. Some at the top include: John Steinbeck novels, Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta novels, the Harry Potter series, and of course, Ray Bradbury. These are wonderful authors with great books that kept me interested and/or entertained. (I love good literary fiction and autobiographies but can never remember the names of the works, probably because they’re generally not in a series.)
Carole: Thank you for asking, SJ. Book 2 of Eve’s Amulet is still being written. Death House, my young adult horror story will be out next year. I’m writing my nonfiction work, The Long Term Effects of Sexual Abuse, based on my life coaching work and personal experience, and once it’s finished I will go back to conducting workshops for abuse survivors. I have several books that are being edited, including a literary piece, a contemporary romance, and a few literary short stories. I've also started a new blog devoted to coaching abuse survivors.
You’re an inspiration to others, Carole. Have no doubt. Thank you so much for your time and allowing me to take some time out of your busy schedule and interview you about your time-travel romance, Eve’s Amulet, Book 1.I hope you all enjoyed this interview as much as I did. It’s been a pleasure spending time with everyone.
While we’re on the subject, here for you is a Synopsis for Eve’s Amulet Book 1:
Mandy Ruhe receives a sacred amulet from a mysterious woman she’s never met, and is suddenly swept back in time to Texas 1845, where romance goes hand in hand with gunrunning. Mandy finds herself inside the body of Carmena Luebber, owner of the Holiday Ranch. Until she can return to her own time, Mandy must assume Carmena’s role and is caught up in the lives of the people who work for Carmena—their struggles, hopes, and dreams. Torn between two men in love with the woman she portrays, Mandy finds herself hoping that true love can triumph over time. Trapped in the past, she must find a way back to her own life—before she messes up the future for everyone!
Remember to check out Carole Avila’s blog at: http://caroleavilablog.wordpress.com. Carole’s brand new blog dedicated to healing from abuse called “Healing Through Awareness & Self-expression” can be found at http://htase.wordpress.com.
Captain Charles Sanders rose above insanely gorgeous. He could turn the head of a mannequin, the classic image of a steroid muscle man on the front cover of a paperback romance, an easy six-feet-four—maybe five—inches tall.
I swallowed. “Captain. It’s absolutely wonderful to see you.” And it was.
Carlos, out of the captain’s line of sight, rolled his eyes heavenward. I stumbled past the chairs behind my desk.
“Thank you, Carmena.” The captain’s masculine voice wrapped invisible arms around me. “And may I say that it’s always wonderful to see you?” He glided across the room with the heat of a professional tango dancer. He took my hands and placed a long, slow kiss on the back of each one. “I’m so glad you have recovered from that unfortunate circumstance.”
“Carlos,” I kept my toothy grin on the officer, “I’ve changed my mind about our last discussion. Perhaps you can attend to that other matter we were just dealing with.”
“And what matter would that be, Carmena?” Carlos asked. He stood like a permanent fixture with his arms crossed.
I waved my hand. “Whatever. Just take care of it.”
“I don’t understand, Carmena,” Carlos said. “We were just discussing your poor condition after the lieutenant’s attack.”
“Is it true?” the captain asked, deep concern evident in his tone, and he held my hands tighter. “Are you unwell, Carmena?”
“Oh, no. I’m feeling much better now.”
“Why don’t we sit down?” Charles said. He took my arm, and I felt a girlish flutter in my solar plexus. We sat down on the leather settee, and Carlos seated himself on the matching chair directly across from us.
“Carlos, is there something else you need?”
“Yes, actually. We need to finish the conversation we were having moments before the captain arrived in which you told me how fatigued you still felt since the attack.”
Alarm washed across the captain’s handsome face. “Please, Carmena. You mustn’t try to be brave for me.” The captain unwittingly joined the enemy’s side in the verbal tussle I was having with Carlos, and he abruptly stood. “Perhaps I can return another day.”
I practically jumped on top of him and dragged him back down. “But I’m much better today!” I turned to Carlos and gave him a ferocious stink eye. “Aren’t I looking much better, Carlos?”
“Well…” He rubbed his chin. “Now that you mention it, you do look a little pale.”
Until next time, I wish you all health and happiness. May all your dreams come true for you. Stay safe. Be happy. Smile. Be kind to one another. Show compassion for all, especially for those without a voice.
Cheers!
S.J. Francis
S.J. Francis
In Shattered Lies: "It's All About Family." Coming in 2015 from Black Opal Books.
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