Carol Cassada is an author of Romance. Her newest work "Westmore" is available from Createspace.
Carol Cassada is an author of Romance. Her newest work "Westmore" is available from Createspace.
What is the name of your latest book? And how did you come up with the title?
The name of the book is Westmore, the name comes from the fictional New England town it’s set in. I was playing around with names, mixing different words and Westmore just came to me.
What is this book about? And what genre is this book in?
It’s mostly a romance book with a soap opera appeal and the first in the series. The book revolves around three families; The Greens, The Braxtons, and The Reynolds. They experience love, heartache, and drama in their everyday lives. Towards the end of the book an accident happens which affects all the families.
Who is/are the main characters? And why did you choose them?
There are many characters in the book, but a few of them are more frontrunners than others. Charlotte is the matriarch of the Green family who vowed never to date again after the death of her husband, but changes her mind when Detective Jim Bryant comes to her rescue.
Scott Green and his sister Alicia front the rock band The Dark Souls. It’s always been Scott’s dream to became a big time musician and just as it looks like his ambitions are about to come true, tragedy strikes.
Andrew Braxton is a ruthless and powerful publishing tycoon who controls his family with an iron fist. Wife Elizabeth is fed up with his behavior and contemplates divorce. Son Wayne is looking to break away from the family business, yet Andrew’s plan to keep his son could end up spelling consequences for others.
Laura Reynolds and her daughter move home after a messy divorce. Once Laura’s happy in her new life, her ex unexpectedly shows up threatening to expose her secret.
What is the coolest or best part about your book? (Any Favorite scenes, the world-building etc..)
One of the things I love about the book is the diversity of the characters. You have the upper class Braxtons all prim and proper, enjoying the luxuries of life. Marie the spunky and down to earth sister-in-law of Andrew. Then there’s Scott and Alicia, a pair of tattooed rocker siblings, with a secret sensitive side. Melissa a young conservative girl, who happens to be Scott’s girlfriend. And Charlotte the caring mother.
Each character has a different personality which readers can relate to and enjoy.
Do you have a favorite character in the book? If so, why?
Two of my favorite characters are Charlotte and her daughter Alicia. Charlotte’s a caring mother who loves her children and tries to do what’s best for them, while looking for love a second time around. I modeled the character after my own mom because all she wants is for her children to be happy and follow their dreams, much like Charlotte.
Alicia is a tough rocker chick, yet readers will see she has a softer side. She’s someone whose afraid to take a chance of love because she’s been hurt in the past. In a lot of ways I consider myself like Alicia because she seems tough, yet she very sensitive and her feelings can easily be hurt, there’s one scene where her brother makes a comment which hurts her feelings and she excuses herself because she doesn’t want them to see her cry.
Is this book part of a series? If so? What can we expect in future books?
This is the first in the series, as I stated earlier an accident happens at the end of the novel and in the sequel all three families are affected and one of the characters faces repercussion for their role in causing the catastrophe.
Plus you can expect more drama and fighting in the Braxton household and the company. More characters coming to town and secrets being revealed. Also lots of romance between various characters.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
Before I published the book I was thinking about changing the ending. On the one hand I wanted to rewrite it and on the other my gut told me not to. So I left the ending just the way it was and I’m pretty happy with the way it turned out.
Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
One interesting thing I learned is how much of yourself is revealed in the characters. For instance I’ve always wondered what it’d be like to be a rock star and I can have the experience through Scott and Alicia, as I was writing their scenes I could picture myself in their place performing for a live audience.
Another important scene is when Wayne confronts his father about his wrongdoings, Wayne lets him have it. I’m the type of person who stays quiet and doesn’t say anything and I’ve wanted to tell someone off and by writing that scene it helped me unleash anger I’ve had towards people who’ve treated me badly.
Do you have a publisher? And if so, why did you choose them?
This time I chose to go with self-publishing. I wasn’t having any luck with publishers, I kept getting rejected, plus I hated waiting three months to hear a response. I’ve heard about self-publishing before, but didn’t know if it was something I’d be comfortable with. So I did research and made a pros and cons list, after much contemplation I decided to go with Createspace.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
I really can’t think of an author whose a mentor, because my writing’s so different.
What books are you reading now?
I like to read paranormal and supernatural books, mostly real life incidents, currently I’m reading Ghostly Lighthouses by Sheryl Monks.
What are the current writing projects that you are working on?
I’m currently working on the sequel to Westmore which I hope to have out by the end of the year. Then after that I’ll start on volume 3. In my spare time I do freelance work.
Do you write full time? If not, do you hope to do so one day?
I do write full time, this is my passion what I want to do my whole life. I can’t picture myself doing anything else.
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
During my teen years, I was going through a rough time and writing helped relax me. By writing I escaped to my own fantasy world. I loved writing so much that by the time I graduated high school I realized I wanted to be a writer. After graduating from Old Dominion University I started writing my first book Going Home Again which was released in February 2010.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
The writing business is hard. This time around it was especially tough since I went with self-publishing and had to do everything myself. You have to edit the manuscript, create a cover, set the sales channels, plus you have to do all the promotion yourself. Sure it’s hard, but if you’re really committed to writing, then you have to deal with the business aspects.
Do you have any advice for other writers seeking to get published for the first time?
The most important advice is don’t give up. Eventually you’re going to find the right publisher for your book and when it happens there’s no greater feeling in the world.
Thank You Carol for Dropping By!
You can find Carol on the Web at:
www.carolcassada.net
Twitter @dramacjc
Carol Cassada is an author of Romance. Her newest work "Westmore" is available from Createspace.
What is the name of your latest book? And how did you come up with the title?
The name of the book is Westmore, the name comes from the fictional New England town it’s set in. I was playing around with names, mixing different words and Westmore just came to me.
What is this book about? And what genre is this book in?
It’s mostly a romance book with a soap opera appeal and the first in the series. The book revolves around three families; The Greens, The Braxtons, and The Reynolds. They experience love, heartache, and drama in their everyday lives. Towards the end of the book an accident happens which affects all the families.
Who is/are the main characters? And why did you choose them?
There are many characters in the book, but a few of them are more frontrunners than others. Charlotte is the matriarch of the Green family who vowed never to date again after the death of her husband, but changes her mind when Detective Jim Bryant comes to her rescue.
Scott Green and his sister Alicia front the rock band The Dark Souls. It’s always been Scott’s dream to became a big time musician and just as it looks like his ambitions are about to come true, tragedy strikes.
Andrew Braxton is a ruthless and powerful publishing tycoon who controls his family with an iron fist. Wife Elizabeth is fed up with his behavior and contemplates divorce. Son Wayne is looking to break away from the family business, yet Andrew’s plan to keep his son could end up spelling consequences for others.
Laura Reynolds and her daughter move home after a messy divorce. Once Laura’s happy in her new life, her ex unexpectedly shows up threatening to expose her secret.
What is the coolest or best part about your book? (Any Favorite scenes, the world-building etc..)
One of the things I love about the book is the diversity of the characters. You have the upper class Braxtons all prim and proper, enjoying the luxuries of life. Marie the spunky and down to earth sister-in-law of Andrew. Then there’s Scott and Alicia, a pair of tattooed rocker siblings, with a secret sensitive side. Melissa a young conservative girl, who happens to be Scott’s girlfriend. And Charlotte the caring mother.
Each character has a different personality which readers can relate to and enjoy.
Do you have a favorite character in the book? If so, why?
Two of my favorite characters are Charlotte and her daughter Alicia. Charlotte’s a caring mother who loves her children and tries to do what’s best for them, while looking for love a second time around. I modeled the character after my own mom because all she wants is for her children to be happy and follow their dreams, much like Charlotte.
Alicia is a tough rocker chick, yet readers will see she has a softer side. She’s someone whose afraid to take a chance of love because she’s been hurt in the past. In a lot of ways I consider myself like Alicia because she seems tough, yet she very sensitive and her feelings can easily be hurt, there’s one scene where her brother makes a comment which hurts her feelings and she excuses herself because she doesn’t want them to see her cry.
Is this book part of a series? If so? What can we expect in future books?
This is the first in the series, as I stated earlier an accident happens at the end of the novel and in the sequel all three families are affected and one of the characters faces repercussion for their role in causing the catastrophe.
Plus you can expect more drama and fighting in the Braxton household and the company. More characters coming to town and secrets being revealed. Also lots of romance between various characters.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
Before I published the book I was thinking about changing the ending. On the one hand I wanted to rewrite it and on the other my gut told me not to. So I left the ending just the way it was and I’m pretty happy with the way it turned out.
Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
One interesting thing I learned is how much of yourself is revealed in the characters. For instance I’ve always wondered what it’d be like to be a rock star and I can have the experience through Scott and Alicia, as I was writing their scenes I could picture myself in their place performing for a live audience.
Another important scene is when Wayne confronts his father about his wrongdoings, Wayne lets him have it. I’m the type of person who stays quiet and doesn’t say anything and I’ve wanted to tell someone off and by writing that scene it helped me unleash anger I’ve had towards people who’ve treated me badly.
Do you have a publisher? And if so, why did you choose them?
This time I chose to go with self-publishing. I wasn’t having any luck with publishers, I kept getting rejected, plus I hated waiting three months to hear a response. I’ve heard about self-publishing before, but didn’t know if it was something I’d be comfortable with. So I did research and made a pros and cons list, after much contemplation I decided to go with Createspace.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
I really can’t think of an author whose a mentor, because my writing’s so different.
What books are you reading now?
I like to read paranormal and supernatural books, mostly real life incidents, currently I’m reading Ghostly Lighthouses by Sheryl Monks.
What are the current writing projects that you are working on?
I’m currently working on the sequel to Westmore which I hope to have out by the end of the year. Then after that I’ll start on volume 3. In my spare time I do freelance work.
Do you write full time? If not, do you hope to do so one day?
I do write full time, this is my passion what I want to do my whole life. I can’t picture myself doing anything else.
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
During my teen years, I was going through a rough time and writing helped relax me. By writing I escaped to my own fantasy world. I loved writing so much that by the time I graduated high school I realized I wanted to be a writer. After graduating from Old Dominion University I started writing my first book Going Home Again which was released in February 2010.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
The writing business is hard. This time around it was especially tough since I went with self-publishing and had to do everything myself. You have to edit the manuscript, create a cover, set the sales channels, plus you have to do all the promotion yourself. Sure it’s hard, but if you’re really committed to writing, then you have to deal with the business aspects.
Do you have any advice for other writers seeking to get published for the first time?
The most important advice is don’t give up. Eventually you’re going to find the right publisher for your book and when it happens there’s no greater feeling in the world.
Thank You Carol for Dropping By!
You can find Carol on the Web at:
www.carolcassada.net
Twitter @dramacjc
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