This week, we welcome Carol Spradling of The Wild Rose Press. Her American revolutionary era book, Cost of Freedom will be released as an e-book on May 30 and in print on November 28 (ISBN 1-60154-241-0). She's stopped by to talk about her research, writing, and her exciting new novel.
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What genre(s) do you write? Why do you write the stories that you write?
I write historicals. For me, there is something very relaxed about the pace of this time. The characters aren't being pulled in as many directions as modern people. It also provides a chance for a reader to get a deeper prospective of the time and place.
What is the biggest misconception about being an author?
That everything flows in sequential order in a steady stream. I remember telling my sister about a story idea I had. She loved it but looked at me as though I could get the completed work to her by Monday. Writing is much more involved than the initial idea.
How do you write? Do your characters come to you first, or the plot, or the world of the story?
I'm what has been termed a 'chunk writer'. Although I have a basic idea of the plot, I don't use an outline or write in a straight line. My characters seem to pop up and take over at whim, and I wisely let them.
Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination?
A few of my characters are based on real people. One person that I based a character on in Cost of Freedom is thrilled to be included. Of course, he thinks the story is about him because of this. On occasion, my characters will also interact with historical figures. This is always fun.
Out of all the characters that you've written, who is your favorite and why?
Although he is a secondary character in Cost of Freedom, I really enjoy Harrison. He seems to be the one with it all together but as we will see in Bound by Honor, Harrison is a tortured soul on several levels.
What do you find most exciting or rewarding?
The most rewarding is to talk with someone who is equally excited about what I have written. I love it when they are passionate about the characters.
Who are your favorite authors?
The first author that I really enjoyed was Kathleen E. Woodiwiss. Recently passed away, she will be missed. I also enjoy Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. I have the pleasure of being on an online forum with several talented authors, including Diana and Joanna Bourne.
What would you want readers to take away from your books?
That history isn't boring. It doesn't matter what time you live in, other than superficial things, people are all the same.
Tell us about your latest writing project or published title.
Bound by Honor, the sequel to Cost of Freedom, is finished and with my editor. This story picks up where the first one left off and ends at the Boston Tea Party. Loyalties are put to the test on several levels, especially when Harrison must confront a past he had hoped would stay buried.
For Mercy's Sake is an historical romance and is about a woman whose husband dies in a fire. Left destitute, she marries her childhood friend and together they learn of her first husband's involvement with embezzlement, smuggling and attempted murder--hers.
What advice would you offer an upcoming author?
Before writing your scene, have it play out several times in your mind, using all of your senses. Decide whose point of view you are going to tell the scene from and then choose what outside influences will affect the way the character will see what happens.
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Thanks for stopping by, Carol! You can visit Carol at her website, her blog, and a blog devoted to Cost of Freedom, which profiles much of the history covered in her novels. Here is the link to her book trailer.
Leave a comment for Carol and be entered into a drawing for a copy of Cost of Freedom when it becomes available in May. Best of luck!
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In a Boston cemetery, Abigail Matthews overhears two Patriots plotting against her beloved England. She confides in her childhood friend William Jackson and is shocked to learn of his support and involvement with the Sons of Liberty.***
Alone one night and surrounded by an English patrol, Abigail shoots a British soldier. She is no longer seen as a Loyalist and tries to escape the watch. William finds her and brings her with him to Berkshire where they discover hostile Loyalists, unstable Indian alliances, and each other.
William sets out on one last assignment and is confronted by the man Abigail shot and a female gun smuggler. In the flash of a discharged gun barrel, William fights for more than freedom.
What genre(s) do you write? Why do you write the stories that you write?
I write historicals. For me, there is something very relaxed about the pace of this time. The characters aren't being pulled in as many directions as modern people. It also provides a chance for a reader to get a deeper prospective of the time and place.
What is the biggest misconception about being an author?
That everything flows in sequential order in a steady stream. I remember telling my sister about a story idea I had. She loved it but looked at me as though I could get the completed work to her by Monday. Writing is much more involved than the initial idea.
How do you write? Do your characters come to you first, or the plot, or the world of the story?
I'm what has been termed a 'chunk writer'. Although I have a basic idea of the plot, I don't use an outline or write in a straight line. My characters seem to pop up and take over at whim, and I wisely let them.
Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination?
A few of my characters are based on real people. One person that I based a character on in Cost of Freedom is thrilled to be included. Of course, he thinks the story is about him because of this. On occasion, my characters will also interact with historical figures. This is always fun.
Out of all the characters that you've written, who is your favorite and why?
Although he is a secondary character in Cost of Freedom, I really enjoy Harrison. He seems to be the one with it all together but as we will see in Bound by Honor, Harrison is a tortured soul on several levels.
What do you find most exciting or rewarding?
The most rewarding is to talk with someone who is equally excited about what I have written. I love it when they are passionate about the characters.
Who are your favorite authors?
The first author that I really enjoyed was Kathleen E. Woodiwiss. Recently passed away, she will be missed. I also enjoy Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. I have the pleasure of being on an online forum with several talented authors, including Diana and Joanna Bourne.
What would you want readers to take away from your books?
That history isn't boring. It doesn't matter what time you live in, other than superficial things, people are all the same.
Tell us about your latest writing project or published title.
Bound by Honor, the sequel to Cost of Freedom, is finished and with my editor. This story picks up where the first one left off and ends at the Boston Tea Party. Loyalties are put to the test on several levels, especially when Harrison must confront a past he had hoped would stay buried.
For Mercy's Sake is an historical romance and is about a woman whose husband dies in a fire. Left destitute, she marries her childhood friend and together they learn of her first husband's involvement with embezzlement, smuggling and attempted murder--hers.
What advice would you offer an upcoming author?
Before writing your scene, have it play out several times in your mind, using all of your senses. Decide whose point of view you are going to tell the scene from and then choose what outside influences will affect the way the character will see what happens.
***
Thanks for stopping by, Carol! You can visit Carol at her website, her blog, and a blog devoted to Cost of Freedom, which profiles much of the history covered in her novels. Here is the link to her book trailer.
Leave a comment for Carol and be entered into a drawing for a copy of Cost of Freedom when it becomes available in May. Best of luck!
