Which is your favorite childhood memory? How often do you visit Bristol, England?
My happiest childhood memory is of Christmas when I was a child. Came from a poor family and my mother ALWAYS made it magical. We would make our own Christmas decorations and hang them up. Even now it is STILL my favorite holiday. I guess I’m still a big kid at heart. Have not been back to England in over 10 years. My husbands family were all seniors when we got married and we spent 10 years looking after his mother Helen until she passed away at the age of 96 years old after a brief but brave battle with cancer. Hope to get back home some day soon.
Living in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania USA for past 15 years, do you set your stories based on the places near you?
Unfortunally my books are not set in Pittsburgh PA. They are set in England, the back streets of Paris and sunny California. But who knows future books may be set in Pittsburgh PA. Just watch this space.
Do you ever leave any hidden messages in your books and have any of your readers ever been able to find or decipher them?
No secret message left in my book. Just a rollercoaster of a ride read from start to finish
Being discouraged by your English teacher, what or who was your biggest inspiration to start writing?
My biggest influence /encouragement that got me back on track to pursue my dream of becoming a writer is my Mother Margaret. She always told me to “follow my dreams” and that is what I intend to do. I dedicated my book to my mother and also my husband Dominic who is so support.
What fears you had while publishing your 1st murder/mystery book Murderous Intentions in June 2018 on Amazon.com? How did you overcome those fears?
My fears of being published was “what if people HATED it”. But I was pleasantly surprised how much EVERYONE LOVED my book and keep asking me when the sequel “Revenge” will be available. I work a fulltime job and only have time to do this on the weekends. So hopefully it should be finished by this Spring. I overcame my fears by putting on my big girl pants and just rolling with it. I know from experience that there will be people who either LOVE it or hate it and that’s fine with me.
As a crime fiction writer, do you prefer making up your own worlds or writing stories in this world, but with some flair? Why did you choose this genre?
I LOVE being a crime fiction writer. And enjoy it being in the real world, but yes with some more dramatic flair. I choose the genre because I have always liked action adventure, crime fiction. I love to keep the reader guessing as what will happen next.
How did you come up with the character of Emma Fox ? Is she based on someone from your own life?
Emma Fox is a fictional character. I love how she grows as a character from this over indulged rich girl to a stronger woman who is tougher than she looks.
How was your experience of creating a glamorous world of modeling and inherited wealth, dark desires, and murderous intentions.? What inspired the story of your book,"Murderous Intentions?"
I think its always nice to read a book that you can escape from your everyday life and use your imagination to dive into this glamorous world which is nothing like your own life. And just dive into this adventure.
How did you come up with the title "Murderous Intentions"? How important do you think are the titles of a book?
I started writing my book 30 years ago back in England when I was in my 20’s. Life happened and it got thrown into a closet until. Many years later after marrying my husband Dominic and immigrating to Pittsburgh PA. Believe or not the hardest part of my book was the title. Trying to be original but also trying to keep it in the story. Then Murderous Intentions just came to me. I think that the book title very are important. You need something to catch the readers interest and I hope mine does this.
One thing that has changed after being an author. Do you miss anything?
Nothing has changed after become an author apart for the need to want to write even more. This is hard when I work a fulltime job in the city.
How do you feel about the shift of reading from physical books to digital ones? What would you advise the young writers?
I must admit I do like the feel of a paperback book in my hand, but also I like to read a book on kindle. I think that younger readers should have the opportunity to read at least one paperback in their life. And be able to understand who far books have evolved to the present day.
Writing and finishing a book can take an immense amount of discipline. How do you keep yourself motivated and keep the dreaded writer's block from attacking?
When you write a book it does take discipline and LOTS of concentration. I Do give myself a brake now and then and then I like to go back and start to read my book right from the beginning. This always keeps me motivated. I don’t have any problem with writers block. Inspiration always seems to come to me. Doesn’t matter where I am, just have to find paper to write it down before I forget it. Never had writers block.
Does a writer ever get holidays? What does Carol's Sunday look like?
As I’m a new author just starting out in this field, I do take holidays to recharge and relax and catch up on the day-to-day things that we all do in life. My Sundays have been very busy for the last few months. We are still in the process of updating our kitchen which takes time.
What are your plans for the future? Where do you see yourself as an author in 10 years’ time?
My future plans are to write even more books. It feels like my “calling” in life. And hopefully in 10 years time I would like to think that I would be somebody’s favorite author. Who know’s might be lucky enough to have my book made into a TV series.
How do you promote your work? Have you been aided by AllAuthor in the promotions, and would you recommend this platform to your friends?
I self promote my book through twitter, Facebook, Instagram and AllAuthor has been a great help to me and Yes I would recommend AllAuthor to friends.
