I
first came across Carian Cole and her novel, STORM, via a Takeover on Facebook
held by Bella Jeanisse. I was completely won over by Storm and have pimped it
on my Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Groups, etc since then. I have not read the next
books in this series, Vandal & Lucas, mainly because I was into other
books. But, when I followed Carian on Amazon I found out she had a new release
and I had to have it.
Not
only is her new book, TALON, amazing… but, I now have the pleasure of
introducing the author to you. I am thrilled she agreed.
Welcome
Carian, and thank you for letting me interview you.
As
you know, I just read “TALON” and loved it. I was sad when it ended. When I
read a good book and I get involved with the characters I hate to say goodbye.
For
the benefit of my blog readers, here is the synopsis and my review…
SYNOPSIS
for TALON
DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL PARTNER:
Caring. Hard-working. A devoted family
man, loves kids. Clean cut, funny, smart, quiet, but a good communicator.
~ Asia Jenson
DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL PARTNER:
Independent. Tall, blonde, sexy.
Outgoing. Intelligent, neat. Unslutty. Confident. Loves to travel. Committed.
~ Talon Valentine
A SOCIAL EXPERIMENT.
The concept was scary but exciting...
Marry a total stranger.
Live together for six months.
Journal everything. (Feelings. Fights.
All of it.)
After six months, we each get $50K in
trade for our journals, whether we stay married or not. But the goal is to
commit to the experience and see if the relationship experts could put together
the perfect matches.
I have never been lucky in love. This
was my chance to find my soulmate.
I couldn’t wait to meet the man the
experts felt was perfect for me.
My hopes were immediately dashed when I
saw him at the altar.
Shit. I married my worst nightmare.
Right?!
“I
absolutely loved this book. Again, I was impressed by the style of writing of
Carian Cole and this book was the perfect companion for STORM - a book I also
loved.
Asia
(love the name) is a woman with a troubled past who seems unable to meet her
dream man. Talon is a rock star known for his "reputation" with
women, who is fed up with the usual one night stands and disappointments that
follow from them.
Both
are ready for a new start and become willing guinea pigs for a social
experiment. They agree to marry without meeting first... it's a modern
"arranged marriage" come science experiment. The idea is funny and
interesting. Trademark to the previous book I read, Storm, the attraction at
first is non-existent, but as they get to know each other sparks fly - sizzling
in some parts!
But,
the story, which has an unexpected twist, and writing is fantastic and I got
drawn into this world SO easily!
I
would personally LOVE to see the whole Ambers & Ashes series as a TV series
and hope someone takes note. It's time for a new kid on the block - move aside
vampires, open the doors to rock stars! As far as I know it has never been done
and I think its time for stereotypes to be cast aside.
Another
fantastic novel - a MUST read in my books. But, take note this is for 18+ only
due to the sexual nature and swearing! (I might add that even though I hate
swearing in this case it makes the main character, Talon, cute & funny at times
- weird, I know!)”
So,
on to the questions… what did you think of my review? Fair?
I absolutely loved your review!
Do
you base your characters on real people?
Usually yes, however, this book was
actually inspired by a relationship between two of my cats. Crazy, I know. But,
I’ll take creative inspiration from anywhere!
Who
was your favourite character in this book, Asia or Talon?
I loved them both, but Talon became my
favourite. I really fell in love with him as I was writing him. I love a sarcastic
bad boy with a hidden sweet vulnerable side.
I
love the humour in your novels. Both in STORM and in TALON the female MC is SO
funny in how she reacts when she first meets her man. I will never forget Evie
in Storm thinking he was a hobo! Is it important to you that people smile when
they read your books?
YES. I want readers to smile, and to
feel all the feels if possible. Reading has always been a sort of escape for me
-- to get lost in another world for a little while and that is ultimately what
I want for my readers.
Obviously,
you are tackling some prejudices in the way the female MC’s perceive their
ideal man. Do you think how a person dresses, chooses to express themselves,
defines them? Are you glad your books might help people overcome their ideas?
I’m very glad that my books may help
people overcome their initial judgment of those that have long hair, tattoo’s,
piercings, maybe dress a bit different, etc. I’ve personally always dated men
with long hair – starting in high school.
My father would immediately think
these guys were junkies, poor, bad news – you name it. He wanted me to date the
guys with short hair, clean cut, wearing nice clothes and not ripped up jeans
and work boots. However, I am happy to say that most of the guys I dated proved
my father wrong – they were nice guys that treated me good, had good jobs,
didn’t drink or use drugs, and had hearts of gold.
I don’t think appearances
define a person, but it definitely gives us a glimpse of their personality,
individuality, and creativity.
I
have to ask because some of the scenes are pretty HOT. Many movies have sexual
scenes that are explicit and work for the plot, yet I never think anything of
it because you know by the rating it receives. Do you think books need to have
a warning? Are you careful who you promote your books too? I know there are
many books classed as YA, which sometimes cross the boundary and get away with
it.
Being a new author, I have to admit I
really didn’t think about putting a warning on my books. In hindsight, I think
I should probably add a disclaimer to each book to avoid any confusion. There
are such mixed reviews about what a reader perceives as romance and erotica.
I’ve had readers tell me that Storm didn’t have enough sex scenes, and others say
it had too much. It seems to vary per reader and every day is a learning
process! I certainly would not want my
book to offend anyone.
I
love the family aspect to Ashes & Ambers series – it remind me of classics
like Dynasty & Dallas – just a Rock & Roll version. I seriously think
it would be fantastic for TV. Have you considered submitting it anywhere? Will
we see your books on the screen?
Eek that would be an unbelievable dream
come true for me. I haven’t submitted my books anywhere for TV and honestly
wouldn’t even know where to start.
Without
sounding like a stalker, I have noticed that TALON is doing extremely well in
both the US and the UK! Congratulations. Even though most of your reviews are
amazing, some will always be disappointing. How do you deal with critical reviews?
Thank you!! I love stalkers! (Phew...)
I read all of my reviews and I have to admit
that I’m a sensitive person and bad reviews hurt. I am extremely grateful that
my good reviews far outnumber the bad, but those bad ones really dig deep. I
know that we can never please everyone, but of course we want to. I’m a pleaser
and a giver by nature, so I feel bad if someone doesn’t like my book. I’m
trying to develop a thicker skin because as long as I continue to write, I know
there will always be bad reviews. It comes with the territory. I try to at
least learn from every review – whether its good or bad, to help myself grow as
an author.
In fact, one of my very best beta readers came from leaving me a low
review. I respected her opinion and the points she made were all valid, and she
has become a valuable member of my team as well as a good friend.
I
don’t want to give anything away, but your plot was incredible. What gave you
the twist idea? Let’s try not to reveal any spoilers!
The twist in Talon was my first major
idea for the story. I was very intrigued with a young musician who had
everything he could ever want suddenly faced with a life altering issue that
could take everything away from him. Because I also like humor and ‘what if”
situations, the marriage experiment seemed like a great way to bring the
characters together in a unique way that gave me a lot of room for humor,
sexual tension, a true falling in love story, and also to explore how far a
person will take their commitment to someone.
What
is the most important thing you have learnt, as an author, since you published
your first book?
Not to rush. I learned I have to write
my books in my own time, without strict deadlines. Some authors do great under
the gun, but I am not one of them. I wish I was! I am a slow writer. I need to
put a lot of thought into my writing before I’m ready to let it go. So now, I
don’t give definite publish dates until I’m confident I’m ready to let the book
go out into the world. I know that lack of a date can frustrate readers, and I
feel bad for that, but I hope in the end the waiting is worth it for them.
 |
| I hope I inspire my children too :) |
Growing
up did anyone inspire you to write, either an author you read or someone in
your life?
My mom was an avid reader and
encouraged me to read a lot when I was young, and I fell in love with books. I
started writing at a very young age and my mother always supported my dream of
someday becoming a writer.
Sadly, my books were not published until after she
passed away. I wish I had taken the leap sooner in life to pursue publishing.
Where
we can find out about you and buy your books?
You can check out my web site at www.cariancole.com. I am also
very active on Facebook and welcome friend requests. I do a lot of giveaways
and I usually have some pretty cool swag. I donate a portion of my sales to pet
rescue, so you’ll see a lot of pet-related stuff on my social media pages, but
most of my readers seem to enjoy it.
Thank
you again for letting us find out more about you. Readers – buy the book! You
will not be disappointed.
Thank you so much for reading my
babies. It means the world to me!
It was an absolute pleasure
To all my family and friends...
I seem to have lost my "stay-at-home" mum status by going back to "work"... not sure how I feel about that now?!
Structure in life is helpful. Also, being in a "role" give you a sense of belonging. But, for all the writers out there... your work is brilliant and at times totally unappreciated - just like being a mum!
