Interview with Author Carole McKee

My guest today is Carole McKee.  Hello!  Welcome to Writing in the Modern Age!  It’s such a pleasure to have you.

Can you tell us a little bit about your book? When did it come out? Where can we get it? 

My last book that I published was titled Consequences. It ended the “Choices” series. The idea was that choices lead to consequences, but actually, I wrote the book because readers who read the first three books didn’t want the series to end. Consequences ties up all the loose ends left unanswered in the first three books. It’s available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the CreateSpace bookstore as a paperback. It’s also available as an eBook on Amazon.

Is there anything that prompted your latest book? Something that inspired you?

Well, as I said, readers didn’t want the series to end. But it was actually my friend,  Trent Anderson that mentioned that it would be cool if somewhere along the line, it turned out that Nelson (the antagonist) had a son. I thought all of three seconds on that, and said “Yes! Perfect!” and I began to write “Consequences” naming the surprise child Trent, of course.

That's great!  So, when did you know you wanted to write?  Or has it always been a pastime of yours?

It has always been a pastime. When I was young, I spent a lot of time in my room, avoiding my brothers who cruelly tormented me all the time. I wrote lots of short stories and hid them so nobody would find them. To this day,  nobody has ever seen them. In school, my favorite class was always English, where I would get to write essays or short stories. I always loved writing papers in my classes. In my history and social studies classes, I got average grades until it was time to write a paper. Then I excelled. In college, when given the choice between a final exam and a paper, I always voted on the paper, much to the displeasure of my classmates. Writing is just something I do and have always done. What’s funny is most people thought I’d end up being an artist rather than a writer.

Do you have any favorite authors?

Oh yes. Sandra Brown is one of them. I also like Judith McNaught. I just discovered another one I like. Nancy Martin. She is a Pittsburgher like myself, and her books revolve around the city of Pittsburgh. I love that! But I also have quite a few Indie authors that I like. You’re one of them. Then there is Linda Lee Williams, Karl Wiggins, Jay Rankin, Mike Wells, and Amy Jarecki. I also like Heather Wardell. 

Me?  Oh, thank you, Carole!  How flattering!

So, I'm sure readers want to get a picture of how you write.  Do you write in a specific place?  Time of day?

I write at my computer desk in my home office, usually after I answer my daily emails. Early afternoon is my best time. That’s when there is nothing pressing for me to get done. Most of the time, when not at my desk, my mind is whirling and coming up with ideas to either add to the current book I’m working on, or for a new one.

Yeah, I know how that is.

Are there any words you'd like to impart to fellow writers?  Any advice? 

I’m really not an expert, but I do feel that it is important that when a writer writes anything, it should be proofed for spelling, word usage, and grammar. I read so many books, mostly by Indie authors, and it frustrates me to see errors on word usage. I’m talking about homonyms--there, their, they’re. Those types of words. Everybody should have a dictionary and a thesaurus beside them when they write. Those are my bibles when I write.

As far as encouragement, I say keep on writing. Don’t give up. I buy a lot of Indie books and I do reviews on most of them. I do it to offer support and encouragement. I think everybody should.

Thank you, Carole.  I agree.  Never give up!  After all, most of us write because we can't imagine doing anything else and if we give up, we're only hurting ourselves.

I'm sure readers are dying to hear more about your book.

Readers, here is the blurb for Consequences.

We all must take responsibility for our choices, and be prepared for the consequences. But what if the consequences affect someone else?

Trent is growing up and he desperately wants to know his father.  His mother doesn’t know what to tell him, since he was the product of a one night stand.  When Trent starts acting out and getting into trouble, his mother makes a promise to try to find the man who fathered him.  The search ends in a  life changing event, and many people are affected, including Lindy and Ricky DeCelli.

First there were choices to be made, and then came the consequences that lead to the next generation.

Here is an excerpt from the book.

“Mommy?” Trent addressed Lois as he worked on his third grade mathematics homework at the kitchen table.

“What, Honey.” She was sitting across from him, balancing her checkbook while he did his homework. They always did their work together after dinner at the kitchen table. She looked up and smiled at him and waited for his question.

“What’s a….bastard?”

Lois felt a flash of heat run through her body as her heart began to pound. This was not the question she was expecting. Swallowing hard, she stared at her son.

“Where did you hear that word?” Breathe, Lois, breathe!

“Franklin said he couldn’t invite me to his party because his dad said he didn’t want any bastards in his house….and that I was a bastard.”

Lois felt her cheeks burning as the anger erupted inside of her. Who would tell a child that? What kind of a demon would condemn a little boy for his parents’ faults? Oh God! I’m going to need therapy after this!

“Sweetheart, that is not a nice thing for Franklin’s father to say.” Oh, I am so going over there!

“But why did he say that about me?”

“He said that in error. He said it because your daddy doesn’t live with us. If your daddy could be here, he would be. I’m sure of it. And you can tell Franklin that.”

Lois’s veins were smoldering and were about to erupt into flames. The roar inside her head was deafening. This was not going to wait! She called her friend Jackie to come and stay with Trent for a few minutes. Jackie obliged and was there in fifteen minutes. She stared at Lois quizzically.

“I’ll tell you later when I get back. Want to make a pot of coffee?”

“Okay…this sounds serious.”

Lois just nodded and pulled the door shut behind her.

Great excerpt.  I was hooked.  Thank you for visiting us today, Carole!

Author Bio 

Carole McKee is originally from Pittsburgh, but has resided in Florida since 2002. Most of her contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels take place in the Western Pennsylvania area, the place she will always call home. Carole is a passionate writer, making readers feel the emotions of her characters. One reader exclaimed, "Carole McKee's books help cleanse the tear ducts!" Her first novel, Perfect brought out so much emotion that she got phone calls from people who were in tears when they finished the book. Another reader says that she laughs and then she cries with every one of McKee's books. 

Carole's writing career actually began in 1995 when she wrote a tribute to her beloved black Labrador Retriever when he passed away. The tribute was published in a veterinary magazine a few months after it was written. Although the stories were in her head, she didn't begin writing seriously until 2006 when she began writing Perfect. It was published in 2007. She entered Perfect in a contest and it won an 'honorable mention' which was just the encouragement she needed to seriously pursue a career as a writer. The first of the "Choices" series was published in 2008. Readers didn't want that series to end, so because of many readers asking for more of those same characters, she wrote Consequences, the fourth and last of the series. It was published in the Spring of 2013. It was time to end the series. "Choices" lead to "Consequences," eventually. In addition to these books, which are available in paperback and eBook formats, Carole also published these four eBooks:  Kisses from the Heart, Second Chances, Maddie’s Garden and Going Home. Coming soon is another series entitled “Testosterone Poisoning” featuring new characters, and new circumstances.

  

Links:

Blogs:  http://author-carole-mckee.blogspot.com/

http://what-carole-mckee-thinks.blogspot.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carole-Mckee-Author/218075198224440

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Perfect/153710188036065 

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/CaroleMcKee

Amazon Author Central:  http://www.amazon.com/Carole-McKee/e/B0082D3810/

Smashwords:  https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/CaroleMcKee   

 

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