I’m Cora Carmack, a twenty-something writer who likes to write about twenty-something characters. I’ve done a multitude of things in my life– boring jobs (like working retail), fun jobs (like working in a theater), stressful jobs (like teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). I enjoy placing my characters in the most awkward situations possible, and then trying to help them get a boyfriend out of it. Awkward people need love, too. My first book, LOSING IT, was a New York Times and USA Today Bestseller.
When I first started talking to Cara Carmack before and after the interview, it felt like I was talking to an old girlfriend. We chatted away about stuff and it felt so natural. It was during this interview I realized I was talking to a NY Times best selling author (OMG). I saw this woman on Nightline talking about her life after she published her first book. The countless book signings, the stories in her head, and I smiled to myself and felt very privileged to have had the opportunity to ask the questions I’ve always wanted to ask since I began reading her books and becoming a fan myself. Please note that this interview was done before Faking It came out, but today the author just announced her new novel that will be coming out: Keeping Her: A LOSING IT Novella (Garrick’s POV) – August 13th. Ohhh – sounds great!
Ok, now let’s start the interview.
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Faking It was released June 4th. What inspired you to write your first book Losing It?
I wanted to write a book about college that wasn’t quite as tragic as the other books in the market. I wanted a book closest to my own college experience. I wanted to laugh and make readers laugh.
This book is about a girl (Bliss) who feels like she is the last virgin in college and searches for the one night stand. How much is the book based on personal experience, or is this something based on someone else’s life?
To a certain extent, it was for someone to let them know they were not alone. Little details here and there like the party in the dorm were inspired by real events in my life but as a whole, it is likely fiction.
How did you know that this book was going to be one of the New York Times best-sellers?
Oh God, I had no idea. It was a complete shock to me when my agent called and told me, I screamed so loud.
If there was a part of the book that you would like to change, which part would that be?
I try not to think about things like that, which is also why I don’t re-read my books after they’re published. There are too many other sultry ideas in my head to worry about the past.
What kind of work did you do before this?
Well, I’ve been writing for a long time, but I wrote YA Fantasy, as far as jobs go. I worked in publishing, I’ve been a teacher, and a theater artist.
What kinds of problems, if any, did you have getting published?
Well, I actually didn’t try to traditionally publish Losing It. I self-published from the beginning. But I actually had a YA fantasy before that, that got me an agent but I didn’t feel any informality.
What book are you working on now?
I’m in edits for my third book, Finding It, about Kelsey who is a secondary character in Losing It. Actually, I’ve not announced this yet, but I have a novella called Keeping Her that is a sequel to Losing It; it’s from Garrick’s POV.
What would you like your fans to know about you?
That I am a huge nerd, and I love books as much as you all – let’s be friends: lol:
Andrea’s Book Blog believes in helping other people help themselves; are there any organizations or charity groups you support?
I’ll be donating a percentage of all proceeds to the charity, Planting Peace. They have a lot of great programs including a de-worming Mission, environmental programs, and anti-bullying crusades.
—–> Cora Carmack fans please support http://www.plantingpeace.org/
Thank you for answering questions on Andrea’s Book Blog.
You can follow Cara Carmack at:
http://coracarmack.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/CoraCarmackBooks
@coracarmack
Below is a exclusive quick interview of Cara Carmack
http://youtu.be/ukUc1ymgq84
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Keeping Her: A LOSING IT Novella
