An Interview with Erin McCarthy

The Reading Cafe is happy to welcome Erin McCarthy  as our guest today. She is here to discuss her new book, True, (our review is below this post), which was just  released last week, and to tell us a little bit about herself.

Let’s welcome Erin.

 

 

Hi Erin and welcome to The Reading Café.  We would like to start with some background information.

TRC: Please tell us something about yourself?

Erin: I’ve been a full time writer for almost ten years now (yay!) and have two almost grown kids, two cats, and a dog.  When I’m not writing, I love live music, martinis, traveling, old houses and taking bellydance classes.

TRC: Have you always been interested in writing? 

Erin: Yes, since the first grade I have wanted to be a writer.  I won a ‘first novel’ contest that year and I was hooked.  But I put it aside in college to get a more practical degree, which I never used. That’s what you call irony, for sure.

TRC: What challenges have you faced getting your novels published? 

Erin: I wrote 9 books before I sold my first manuscript, so that was definitely a challenge.  But with each book, I honed my writing skills and got a lot of great advice from editors, so in the end, it was worth the wait. 

TRC: True is your latest release, can you please give us a brief description of this book?  Is this a standalone book, or is this part of a series?

Erin: TRUE is my first new adult story.  Rory is socially awkward and is just looking to have the same sexual experiences as other girls, only she is not prepared for the feelings she winds up having for Tyler.  There will be a second book, out in November 2013 with characters from TRUE. 

 Links to order True:
Amazon / Barnes & Noble  /  Kobo

TRC: In July you have your second book of your Impalers series, Fangs for Nothing.  Can you please tell us the premise of the Impalers series, and a brief description of Fangs for Nothing?  How many books are you planning for this series?

Erin: There’s just the two books in the series.  Kathy and I came up with the idea for the books when talking about how easy it would be to hide as a vampire in New Orleans, a city we both love.  Then I’m not even sure how we leaped from there to the movie the Hangover and blending the two, but it involved wine and lots of laughing.  Basically, the books show ‘the night after’ when a vampire band wakes up with no memory of the night before.  In the second book, the band members again lose their memory after Saxon’s wedding and wake up in a dominatrix dungeon. 

TRC: You also just released in March, Seeing is Believing in your Ohio’s Most Haunted Towns series. Can you please tell our members about the premise of this series, and how many books are you planning?

Erin: These books have a light paranormal element involving ghost’s in a fictional haunted town.  A Date With the Other Side was the first, then Heiress for Hire (which was just reissued with a new cover) and the latest installment, Seeing Is Believing.  This is it for this series, since the third book jumped fifteen years in time.

TRC: You write contemporary and paranormal romance, as well as YA.  Do you have a favorite genre?  Is there any other type of genre that interests you to try?

Erin: I like writing the emotional stuff more than the humor but I definitely like writing all of it or I wouldn’t do it. 😉 

TRC: Your YA book, The Coming Dark was self-published.  Will you continue to do more self-publishing of e-books?  Will there be another book after The Coming Dark?

Erin: I don’t see myself doing a follow up to The Coming Dark because I have no clue how I would cram writing it into my schedule.  This was a book I wrote several years ago and sold to a publisher and due to creative differences, I ended up self-publishing it instead.  So this was a bit of a one-off thing for me.

TRC: Can you please tell us what are you working on now? 

Erin: I am working on a second new adult book, which features the heroine from TRUE’s roommate, Jessica.  Rory and Jessica are total opposites, and while Jessica may have a ton of sexual experience, she has never let a guy into her heart—until now.  It will be released in November of this year.

TRC: Can you please tell us your writing process?  Do you have a favorite spot or specific time to write?

Erin: I write anywhere that isn’t a desk.  The couch, the bed, the coffeeshop… I tend to migrate all over as I’m working.  I write Monday through Friday and basically I get up, check email and social media, then write until lunch.  Work out, write until my son needs to be picked up.  I’m very disciplined and very boring. 

TRC: When you are not writing, what are some of your favorite things to do?

Erin: Oops, I jumped the gun and answered this in the first question.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food– pizza

Favorite Dessert- ice cream

Favorite TV show– At the moment, it’s The Following

Favorite Movie– I never get tired of watching Love, Actually. 

Dark or Milk Chocolate- Neither, I’m allergic to chocolate!

Favorite Literary Character (male & female) not your own: Mr. Darcy.  Dreamy sigh. 

TRC: Erin, thank you very much for taking the time to answer our questions.  The Reading Café wishes you good luck with your books, and we look forward to having you visit us again.

Erin: Thanks for having me!

Erin McCarthy is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 40 novels and novellas in the paranormal, contemporary romance, and young adult genres.  The author is a RITA award finalist and an American Library Association winner of the Reluctant Young Reader award.  She lives with her family in Ohio. 

Website: www.erinmccarthy.net/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/authorerin
Facebook: www.facebook.com/erinmccarthybooks
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7941.Erin_McCarthy