I’m very happy to have Carolyn Wren stop by again today for a visit. It seems like just yesterday I had her here with her book, [amazon_link id=”B00BAXHNCY” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The Scientist (The Protector Series #2)[/amazon_link]. Now she’s back for her latest book in the Protector Series The Actress. Carolyn was good enough to sit down and answer a few questions for me.
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1.  Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I am a former book keeper who decided, one day, to ignore numbers and start playing with words instead.  I had never written before and quickly found out how addictive it is.  Now I feel cheated if I don’t write every day, and have been known to take my laptop on planes, trains, and in automobiles in order to get down that chapter in my head.

2.  Are you a pantser or a plotter?

I plot in my head, to the point where it is word perfect.  However, when I type, I turn into a pantster, and that perfect scene tends to change dramatically once my fingers hit the keyboard.

3.  Can you tell us about the challenges you faced getting your first book published?

Self-confidence was the biggest challenge, or to be more accurate, lack of it.  I never even considered getting published, all my stories sat on a folder on my desktop, and provided lunchtime reading entertainment for my friends at work.  It was only when I won the 2012 RWA Emerald award and got to the finals of the 2012 Daphne Du Maurier awards that I finally found the courage to submit my work to a publisher.

4.  What was your favorite chapter to write and why?

The opening chapter of book 4 in the series -and the one I had great success with in contests-The Hostage, starts with a dramatic rescue scene.  To make it different, the captive is a big strong male, and his savior is a tiny woman.  I liked the idea of putting a twist on a hostage/rescuer situation and it remains my favorite chapter to date.

5.  Were all of your characters easy to write, or did some of them give you trouble? Any particular character you didn’t like at all?

Book 2 in the series, The Scientist, features a very outrageous, danger seeking agent called Simon Winters.  He is a flirt, cheeky, and completely over the top.  I was concerned people might hate him, but he seems to be a big favorite with readers.

6. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Write, write, write.  Even if you think what you’re doing is complete rubbish.  Write what you love, because you love it.  It’s all part of learning.  Join an organization like the RWA, because their support network is amazing.  Enter contests, let the judge’s feedback guide you into which direction you need to go.

Most importantly, enjoy it.  We all have to follow the rules and regulations of publishing. Have to get our heads around correct punctuation, and correct usage of point of view, once we get that far.

But for that initial draft? For that tantalizing story in your head that won’t go away? Just write.

7.  In researching your book what did you learn that surprised you? Or, alternatively, what thing did you research that you never thought you would (and considered deleting from your browsing history)?

My browser history would fascinate and confuse any therapist.  In one day, whilst working on 3 separate books of different genres, I researched the following…

How bright is a muzzle flash from a 9mm gun in a completely dark room.  How long does a stun gun render a person unconscious for.  What exactly happens in a fifteen century nunnery?  What was the largest battle in the Crusades.  How do you track an older style cell phone manufactured in the year 2005.  What were the midwife techniques in England in the 1950s.  Is it possible to exist for a long period of time in the Amazon Jungle without coming across any form of civilization?

And all of the answers were very interesting!

8.  Narrow down your novel. Why must we read it?  (besides the obvious, it’s awesome answer…because of course it is!)

This particular book, The Actress, follows the story of Bryce Black, and we have met Bryce in all of the books in the series so far.  He is a tech wizard, not your usual shoot-them-up secret agents.  He is quiet and witty and very cute.  The story takes a very interesting turn half way.  It goes from a fun contemporary story into something much darker.  And, we get a teasing cameo from Omega, the totally secretive, totally enigmatic agent, who will feature in book 4.

9.  Do you have any unique talents or hobbies?

I have synesthesia, so I see numbers as colors.  It makes remembering phone numbers very easy.

10. Which character speaks the loudest to you?

Jared Knight from Book 1, Diplomat’s Daughter, the first male character I ever wrote, still speaks clearly to me.  Not loudly, as Jared never shouts.  Maybe because he was the first fictional character I ever invented, and maybe because he features in all the books in the series.  I feel I always know exactly what he would say, or do, in any situation.

11.  Do you have another book coming out soon?

The Hostage, Book 4 is scheduled for a June release.  In 2013 I have a book coming out every two months.

12. How many books can we expect to see in your series? Is the number tentative or set?

There are seven books in The Protector series, and they were all written to tell a complete arc before I submitted them to Secret Cravings Publishing.  So yes, in this case, the number is set.

However I have a paranormal series I have been working on for some time, called The Stolen Ones Trilogy, and I strongly suspect it’s now turning into a four or possibly five books series, so I will have to find another name for it!

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BUY LINK:  http://store.secretcravingspublishing.com/index.php?main_page=book_info&cPath=4&products_id=569

The Protectors, Book 3

The Actress

A famous television actress trying to balance her fictional character and her real life. And an obsessed fan who cannot tell the difference.

The technical wizard of The Protectors agency…

Bryce Black can invent, build, or hack anything.  Preferring to leave the danger to his fellow operatives, Bryce is happiest at home designing gadgets, and pursuing his hobby of creating replica diamonds.  When offered an assignment to protect a fortune in real gems featured in a high rating television show, he accepts. Only to find himself falling for the beautiful lead actress.

Katrina Abbott is walking away from her acting career without regret.  The loss of privacy and invasion of her personal life have become overwhelming.  The handsome security advisor with his fascinating amber colored eyes has her contemplating a new life, far from the glaring spotlight. But first she needs to film the finale of her wildly popular drama series.

One female fan does not want the show to end, and has a very different view of what Katrina’s future should be.

 

Excerpt.

 

Taking the opportunity for a brief escape, Katrina headed towards catering, fiddling with the stubborn cap of the pill bottle. Turning a corner, she crashed into a solid male chest. The container flew from her hands and hit the floor, spilling its contents.

“I’m so sorry. I wasn’t paying attention.”

“It’s okay,” her victim said, pulling the wet t-shirt away from his skin. “It could have been worse. I almost made a cup of hot coffee.” He gestured to the empty cup of what had been filled with water rolling around on the floor.

Katrina looked up from the damp torso to see a handsome face. Black hair curled over his collar, and he had the most startling amber gold eyes. Realizing she was staring, Katrina covered her uncharacteristic rudeness by pointing to the photos in his other hand. “Would you like me to sign those?” The glance he gave her seemed puzzled. “I don’t mind. I do it all the time. Do you have a pen?” Almost plucking the pictures from his hand, she found herself studying a photograph of some sort of sophisticated wall safe and another of a diamond pendant.

“I thought they would be of me. They usually are. Did the tour group give you the wrong pictures?”

“I’m not with the tour group. I’m the security consultant, and I’m actually searching for George Hooper.”

“Oh, sorry. I’m used to people wanting to see me.” Oh God, did that sound conceited. “Not that I expect you to‒I mean.” Katrina put her hands on her hips. “You could have said something before I went on and on.”

A smile tilted his lips at the corner, exposing a deep dimple in his cheek that caught Katrina’s attention. His golden eyes lit with amused warmth. “In my defense, I was waiting for a suitable pause in conversation to interrupt. To be truthful, I was also seeking confirmation of your identity. In the photo I have, you appear to be dressed as a nun.”

“Crisis in a convent,” Katrina said automatically. “Season two, episode three, my character was undercover.”

“Aha, well that does explain the current lack of wimple.”