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Tuesday, October 22, 2013

FINDING IT BLOG TOUR by CORA CARMACK: SPOTLIGHT AND GIVEAWAY



Welcome to The Bookish Babe's stop on the Finding It Blog Tour!  I have author Cora Carmack here for an interview along with the tour giveaway. This event is hosted by InkSlinger PR.
 


Finding It (Losing It, #3)Series: Losing It #3
Category/Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Publisher: William Morrow & Company
Publication Date: 10/15/13




Sometimes you have to lose yourself to find where you truly belong...

Most girls would kill to spend months traveling around Europe after college graduation with no responsibility, no parents, and no-limit credit cards. Kelsey Summers is no exception. She's having the time of her life . . . or that's what she keeps telling herself.

It's a lonely business trying to find out who you are, especially when you're afraid you won't like what you discover. No amount of drinking or dancing can chase away Kelsey's loneliness, but maybe Jackson Hunt can. After a few chance meetings, he convinces her to take a journey of adventure instead of alcohol. With each new city and experience, Kelsey's mind becomes a little clearer and her heart a little less hers. Jackson helps her unravel her own dreams and desires. But the more she learns about herself, the more Kelsey realizes how little she knows about Jackson.





Finding It is the fourth book in the Losing It series (including the novella). How do you continue to keep the series fresh?
CC:  Well, I try to challenge myself with each book. I do something I’ve never done before or address an issue that’s unfamiliar to me or something along those lines. With Faking It, I tackled dual POV (among other things), and with Finding It I wrote a heroine who was drastically different from myself. Readers don’t like reading books that feel like the same regurgitated thing, nor do writers like writing those kinds of books. It’s typically the little things that can make a story fresh and stand out from others like it. For me, that usually comes down to the voice of the character. If each of my characters is unique, then I never have to worry about getting bored. It’s like living another life, really.


Do you control your characters, or do they ever surprise you by taking over the story?
CC:  I try my best to write organically. When I try to control my characters, that’s typically when I get stuck or do my worst work. In the beginning, I do a lot of thinking and brainstorming to figure out who my characters are and what they desire most. That desire dictates how they act in whatever situation I throw them into. Sometimes they react how I has suspected they would react. Sometimes they go completely off the map, and make me want to bang my head against various surfaces. But believe it or not… that’s the fun part of writing (once I get past the complaining).


Does Finding It have an overall message? If so, what do you hope readers take away from the story?
CC:  You know, I try to think less about a message and more about my ideal reader. I wrote Finding It for that person that’s trying to cover up fear and uncertainty with a smile. I wrote it for the person who feels broken because they seem to be the only person in the world who doesn’t know what they’re doing with their life. I wrote it for the person who’s ready to give up and lose themselves in the present by whatever means necessary (be it sex, alcohol, drugs, or pain), just so they don’t have to spend another minute thinking about a future that scares the shit out of them. The book is filled with messages, some small and some big. But mostly, I just want that girl or guy that I’ve described above to know that they’re not alone. I don’t like to call it “a message” because that implies that I have answers and actually know what I’m talking about. When truthfully, I’m often as lost and confused and scared as my characters. So rather than treating my book like a prescription for a certain problem, I want my book to play the role of a good friend.


Can you recommend a recent book you've read?
CC:  I’ve recently read and loved the Embrace series by Jessica Shirvington, Bad Things by R.K. Lilley, Isn’t She Lovely by Lauren Layne, and A Little Too Far by Lisa Desrochers.


Is there a particular book or author who's inspired you?
CC:  So many. Authors are my rockstars. I owe my career, my bookshelf, my personality, my childhood, and quite a few friends to the incomparable J.K. Rowling. I cannot even begin to put into words what effect Harry Potter had on my life. I’m also a massive fan of Libba Bray. When I was graduating high school and entering my own period of “New Adulthood,” I sent her a panic-ridden email disguised as a fan letter. She sent me a heart-felt and epic reply, and she’s pretty much been an idol of mine ever since.


Can you tell us about any current or future projects?
CC:  I would LOVE to. I have a new series releasing next year (the Rusk University series) beginning with All Lined Up. It’s from the POV of the daughter of a college football coach. I grew up as a coach’s daughter, so I know what it’s like to live in a world where guys hit on you just because they want an in with your dad, or on the reverse are terrified to even touch you because their intimidated by your dad.

I’m also tackling something a little different with this book (as I always like to do). So far, my books (and most of the New Adult category) have been focused on characters embracing new freedoms and having a new start. But I’ve known plenty of college students who didn’t get that freedom or new start because they went to college in their hometown. So in this first book, I’m asking, “When you strip away the freedoms and the fresh start, how is college any different from high school?” I think it’s an important question because I think there are a lot of people out there who will be able to identify with Dallas, the main character. How do you become an adult when you’re stuck in the atmosphere of your childhood? I’m really looking forward to sharing her story with the world.




The Losing It Series
Losing It (Losing It, #1)Keeping Her (Losing It, #1.5)Faking It (Losing It, #2)Finding It (Losing It, #3)

(click on cover for GoodReads page)

 
 
 
Purchase Keeping Her:
(I receive no compensation for purchases.)
 
Amazon  |   Barnes & Noble    
 
 
Giveaway
 



Finding It Blog Tour Schedule

October 13th
K-Books-Author Interview
October 14th
October 15th
October 16th
I Heart Big Books-Character Interview (Jackson Hunt)
BookGoonie-Review Only
Rumpled Sheets Blog-Review Only
October 17th
The Book HookUp-Author Interview
Jenuine Cupcakes-Review Only
October 18th
Stuck in Books-Excerpt
Putting Pen to Page-Review Only
Book Loving Mom-Review Only
October 19th
Mean Girls Luv Books-Review Only
WhollyBooks-Review Only
Martini Times-Guest Post
October 20th
The Story Siren-Author Interview
Live Read and Breathe-Review Only
October 21st
I Read Indie-Dream Cast
A Book Lover’s Review-Review Only
Stuck in YA Books-Review Only
October 22nd
Whirlwind Books-This and That
SMI Book Club-Review Only
October 23rd
Scandalicious Book Reviews-Review Only
The Bookish Babe-Author Interview
Books Over Boys-Excerpt
October 24th
October 25th
Love Between the Sheets-Review Only
Love N. Books-Review Only
October 26th
October 27th
 






About the author:
Cora CarmackCora Carmack is a twenty-something writer who likes to write about twenty-something characters. She's done a multitude of things in her life-- boring jobs (like working retail), Fun jobs (like working in a theatre), stressful jobs (like teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). She enjoys placing her characters in the most awkward situations possible, and then trying to help them get a boyfriend out of it. Awkward people need love, too. Her first book, LOSING IT, is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller.

Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  GoodReads








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17 comments:

  1. I seriously need to start with this series as everyone seem to love it. I really like your interview and I must say that the next author's series sounds really appealing to me. Great post Andrea :)

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  2. I cannot wait to start this series! It is going to be one of my first "me" reads when I get through review books!

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  3. I'm going to be reading Finding It this week!

    That's a great story about Libba Bray. A response like that can be so inspirational.

    I also had a chance to meet Cora at BEA and she was SO nice!

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  4. I am so behind with this series. I have the first and second book but haven't had time to read it. Thanks for sharing!

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  5. Great interview. I really enjoyed this book. Jackson Hunt is my favorite male character than Cora has written so far.

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  6. Lovely interview! Cora's books do sound very good; I probably need to read one soon. :)

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  7. Wow! Amazing Interview! I love Cora Carmack's storytelling, and am excited she has a new series in the works. I like how she said that she likes to try something completely new with each book she write's. Thanks for sharing!

    Lindy@ A Bookish Escape

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  8. I think it's always fun to see what are authors reading.:) I'm excited for your next book - it sounds interesting. Thank you for giveaway.

    Glass @ Way Too Hot Books

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  9. I didn't like this one as much as the previous books, but I'm still a huge fan. These books are so fun, and I can't wait to read her new series! Great interview...I'm a huge fan of Libba Bray, too! :D

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  10. I read book 1 and sadly, it wasn't for me. However I read her "success story" in the publishing world and I'm really impressed and inspired by this girl. Talk about being at the right place at the right time!

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  11. Her next few books sound very exciting :D I have not read this series yet, book looking forward to eventually picking it up.

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  12. Fantastic interview, Andrea! I love Cora's answer to your question about sending a message in Finding It. Wow, that just really resonated with me. Thanks for asking such thoughtful questions...and thanks, Cora, for the candid responses. :)

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  13. I'm looking forward to reading the Losing It Series, this interview brought them to my attention and sold me!

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  14. Great interview. I love the way she looks at writing. I definitely love that each story tackles different things. Thanks for sharing this babe!!

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  15. Fab interview, I have this on my nook and cannot wait to dive into this weekend!

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  16. I seriously need to catch up with this series! I loved Losing It! Wonderful interview, ladies and thanks for the giveaway! :)

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