Thursday, January 13, 2011

Free For All Friday - Meet Author Carolyn Matkowsky/Cara Marsi!!

Please welcome another one of my Wild Rose Press sisters, Carolyn/Cara! I'm a huge fan of Romantic Suspense, no matter what other sub-genre the author might add. If you love RS too, take the time to check out the links to Carolyn's books!

Now, let's take a minute and get to know Carolyn better! :) 


1- Tell us about your road to publication: Was it a fast track or a gravel road filled with potholes?  How long have you been writing?
I don't write in only one genre. A Catered Affair is a traditional romance. Logan's Redemption, published in 2007 from The Wild Rose Press and now available exclusively on Amazon Kindle and B&N Nook, is a sensual romantic suspense. Murder, Mi Amore, available now from The Wild Rose Press, is a sensual romantic suspense novella. Cursed Mates, available now from Noble Romance Publishing, is a dark, sensual paranormal romance. However, the genres may be different, but all my stories have the same theme: second chances, and ultimately redemption. I've also discovered a love of writing short stories. In the past year I've sold nine short romance stories to the confession magazines-True Love, True Romance, True Confessions and True Experience. When I was at my lowest, ready to give up writing, I sold my first "Trues." My short stories have kept me in the game. I love writing them. 
Oh, yes, I couldn't do without my critique partners. I'm a writer who needs critique. My first critique group was wonderful. They taught me so much and were responsible for my selling my first book. We split up but remain friends. But having no critique group is better than having a bad group that either tears you down or doesn't help you improve. My second critique group was more of a social thing, no help at all. That group ended on a bad note. There are five us in my current group. One of my critique partners has published over twenty books with Harlequin. Another partner has over ten books with several large publishers. One, while still unpublished in book length, is a newspaper columnist. And the other, a medical doctor, is still unpublished but is very talented and I have no doubt you'll soon be reading her books. They've helped make my stories better, even if I sometimes chafe at their critiques. I believe in critique groups as long as you have a group that supports you but challenges you to write better. 
  
I've recently completed a sweet novella, but it still needs a lot of revisions. This past December I had two books released within days of each other-Murder, Mi Amore and Cursed Mates. I've been very busy promoting them. Each book is different, yet with similarities. I love each of them in a different way, much as a parent loves each child in a different way. Murder, Mi Amore is set in Rome and tells the story of an innocent American tourist, Lexie, caught up in intrigue involving jewel thieves, terrorists and a mysterious hunky Italian named Dominic. Cursed Mates is set in an eerie village in Maine. My heroine, Kyla, is an elite were-hunter with a scarred past. My hero, Nick, is a former duke and reluctant werewolf for 500 years. Their love is forbidden. She's duty-bound to kill him. But they have to join forces to fight an even greater evil.
Thanks so much for being my guest today, Carolyn! I wish you many more successes in your writing:)

8 comments:

  1. Great interview, Cara! I have to admit that I fall in love with my heroes, too. :)

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  2. Great post. I read your "Murder Mi Amore" and loved it. I'll be looking forward to reading more of your work. I agree with your remarks concering critique groups. Some are great; some aren't. The best are the ones that help you grow as a writer.

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  3. Lovely interview, Cara! I have Murder, Mi Amore in my reading queue. I also agree about crit groups. I got a lot out of an online crit group, but the dynamics of the group changed and I left when it was no longer helpful. I have a fantastic crit partner now and wouldn't trade her for a whole slew groups. Facing up to criticism is an important part of making yourself a better writer.

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  4. Jennifer, thank you for having me today.

    Sarah, thank you for posting. I think we all tend to fall in love with our heroes, which is why our heroines fall in love with them.

    Vonnie, thank you. I'm so glad you liked Murder, Mi Amore. I appreciate your kind remarks.

    Kat, thanks for posting. I hope you like Murder, Mi Amore.

    Talking about critique groups-I just got back from an afternoon session with my group. We usually meet on Wednesday evenings, but our doctor member had this afternoon off so we met today. They gave me some good advice on the sweet novella.

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  5. Hi, Cara! Great interview. I have a stellar crit partner who really gets me and I trust her implicitly. Any other critters or groups haven't been a good fit for me. I don't think I'll look for anything unless/until my CP gives me the boot! ;c)

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  6. Sarah, thanks for posting. You're very lucky to have a good CP. I'm happy now with the CG I have, especially after that one bad experience. A good CG or CP can make all the difference.

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  7. Hi Cara, Good to meet you here at Jennifer's blog. Like you, I have an easier time writing my hero's feelings than my heroine's.

    Your books sound intriguing. I look forward to reading them. Best of luck!!!

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  8. Hi Cara, you have to love your heroes - if you don't who will?

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