What inspired you to write this book?
"Love, Lies & Deceit" is about the CIA. Ever since I was a child, I have always been a fan of spy movies and television shows. It seemed like the logical thing for me to write about. Espionage is just so interesting.
Do you have a specific writing style?
I tend to write a lot of dialogue in my stories, which can be good or bad. When I read a novel, if there is a large about of narrative, I tend to skip over it. Some narrative is needed, but sometimes it can be overwhelming.
What is the name of your latest book? And how did you come up with the title?
"Love, Lies & Deceit" is my latest book and the title came from another piece I had written as a fun project. I really like the title and have had so many people tell me that is what drew them to the book.
What is "Love, Lies & Deceit" about?
It's about CIA Officer, Jason Reid who is arrested for treason. So, he turns to the one person who he trusts, Julie McBride, his rookie trainee and also the one person he was not supposed to fall in love with. How can she turn him away? She loves him, too. Together, they travel the United States and France to find who set Jason up and to prove his innocence. You can find a buy link for “Love, Lies & Deceit” on my web site at http://CarolPre.webs.com
What books have most influenced your life most?
I don't think there has been one book that has been an influence on my life. Since I was a child, I have always loved to read biographies. I remember going to the library and each time getting a couple of those short biographies on historical figures. Gosh, I remember reading about Kit Carson, Annie Oakley, and George Washington. I loved those books. In my adult years, I have admired the biographies written about regular people who have been thrust into the limelight, such as the Duchess Sarah Ferguson.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
I have so many authors that I admire. I think the one that stands out the most is Stephen King. I am not a fan of horror books and have only read a couple of his, but I bought and read his biography, "On Writing." I was truly inspired reading about his road to being a published author.
What books are you reading now?
Currently, I am reading "Hard Truth" by Nevada Barr. I am also hooked on James Patterson's Women's Murder Club series. I have the whole series and am waiting for #9 to come out in paperback.
What are your current projects?
The manuscript I just finished is another romantic suspense about a New York City magazine writer who comes to rural Indiana to research a story about a 30-year old mystery of a missing family. She meets the handsome local sheriff, who ends up rescuing her in more ways than one. I’m doing an edit of it right now and hope to get it out to a publisher soon.
Do you see writing as a career?
My goal is to make it my career, but I think that’s a long-term goal. I work full time in a day job right now and that takes up most of my time. My writing is usually confined to late at night or on weekends.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
I don’t think a writer ever thinks their book are perfect. I could edit it a hundred times and still probably find something I want to change. There are a couple spots in my book that I think I could have reworded to make it better, but the editor thought it was okay, so I’m fine with it.
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
I remember when I was elementary school age, I wrote a play, but my serious interest in writing came when I was in high school and took an Expository Writing class. It was all non-fiction type writing, but I loved it. I worked on the school newspaper for a couple years and was the Sports Editor for one year. I minored in English in college. I took every writing class they had, but unfortunately their emphasis was more on literature than writing. I became interested in writing fiction in 1999 and made my New Year’s Resolution for the millennium to write a full novel and I did that.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Two things, finding the time to write and then marketing the book after it’s released.
Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
I learn things from every book I write. If I am writing about a location where I have never visited, I have to do extensive research on the area and learn so much about that. With “Love, Lies & Deceit,” I had the help from my husband about espionage. He was a counter-intelligence agent in the Army and he was a big help. For instance, I would ask him about how to do an officer would do a dead-drop and he would explain it for me. He’s also an electronics technician and very helpful with the electronic portion of the story.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
When I begin writing, I was so ignorant about how to format a manuscript, write a query letter, and publisher guidelines. I joined some Internet writer’s lists and learn so much from the experience of those writers. I would also recommend joining and writers’ groups or organizations in your area to have other writers to talk to. The main thing is to become a sponge and soak in as much as you can.
Thank you for dropping by!
Thank you so much for hosting me here today. I have really enjoyed my time with you.
Carol Preflatish is an author of romantic suspense. Her newest work, "Love, Lies & Deceit" is available from Red Rose Publishing.
You can visit Carol's Web Site at http://CarolPre.webs.com
