The other day I gave a little insight to the book STRENGTH, which was just released this month.

Get yours now...

The lovely Carrie

Hi Carrie, I’m so excited to be the final pit stop for your blog tour.
Thank you for having me over, Nicole! I'm excited to be here. :)

Speaking of blog tour…can I ask you a couple of marketing questions before we get to the juicy stuff, because you really seem to be good at that kind of thing? Do you have any pointers for a writer that may be (hopefully) launching a debut book soon?

Absolutely! Here are a few launch tips:

1. Stay organized, and write everything down—even if you think you'll remember it. Once the madness sets in, your brain will turn to mush.

2. I'm not exaggerating about the first point. Your brain really will turn to mush.

3. Post your schedule and create an early buzz. Try to incorporate branded graphics, if possible.

4. Incentivize. What's in it for the people who follow and participate in your launch and/or tour? It's nice to have some kind of giveaway going on.

5. Thank everyone who helps out, even if it takes a while to get to them all. You know you're grateful, but it's important they feel acknowledged and appreciated.

6. Have fun and try to enjoy the moment! :)

Those are GREAT tips! You have a fantastic website. Do you think an online presence is critical in the success of a debut book? What forms of social media do you enjoy, or think give you the most bang for your buck marketing wise?

Thank you! I wouldn't say an online presence is critical to the success of a debut novel, but I do believe it helps. We live in a world that revolves around instant gratification. Readers turn to the Internet to find new books, share their opinions, connect with other readers, etc. It's important that we adapt and stay accessible.

Some of my favorite virtual haunts are: Twitter, Goodreads, Facebook, and Pinterest. Oh, and of course the blogosphere!

I know you’re currently working on STRENGTH’S sequel. Will the paranormal aspect get stronger/heavier? Do we still have Rena and Wallace as our protag’s?

Absolutely. I started this series with the concept of three supernatural races, and we've only discovered one. *grins* Yes, Rena and Wallace will be the protagonists. I have a couple of novellas planned to give the secondary characters their fifteen minutes of fame, though.

(Like Cole.)

YAY for more Cole. :) What are your favorite genres to read?

Ah! That's so hard. I'd probably have to go with paranormal romance, suspense, contemporary romance, science fiction, and fantasy.

I thought it was great that Wallace was open about his faith. So often in fiction it’s the good girl dragging the bad boy to church, so this was refreshing. Was it important to you to include the religious aspect, or does it play a roll later on?

Wallace is one of the most complex characters I've ever written. I never planned for him to be religious, and I certainly don't write preachy novels, but I felt like he would seek a means of atonement for what happened seven years ago. Campus Fellowship became a safe place for him—a place where he could take refuge in something greater than himself (and his bloodline). When he shared that with Rena, he opened himself up to her for the first time.

That, and I love to mess with people's preconceived notions. ;)

Moving forward, Wallace's faith will be more subtle. I mean, we'll see some characters from Campus Fellowship again, but I don't anticipate any scenes involving a church service. The tie-ins will involve questions of morality, especially as the war escalates...

I love this answer because so often if religion or faith is added, we think it needs to be a 'thing'. If someone goes to soccer practice...it doesn't have to be a 'thing' but people go to church just like everything else in their life. I think it's healthy for young people to see it in normal settings without it being a lesson, so to speak. Is that making sense? I loved that it was just part of his life, and the "needing something bigger than himself/atonment" makes perfect sense to me.

Tell me about the guy on the cover. *swoon* Have you met him? Dish please…

I wish, Nicole! LOL Here are the three things I know about him:

1. He modeled for some of Yuri Arcurs' photos—which is how I came to license the image.

2. His name is Rodrigo.

3. He is a sexy beast of a man. YES HE IS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Where do you hope you will be as an author in 5 years?

I really, really want to make some type of bestselling list in the next five years. I think that's a great indicator of whether or not people are connecting with stories and telling their friends.

Of course, if that doesn't happen, I won't be too disappointed. It's not the most realistic goal. ;)

My guilty pleasures are historical romance novels and chocolate…preferably simultaneously. Can you share one or two of your favorite guilty pleasures?

1. Firefly. If someone makes the mistake of bringing it up in front of me, the DVDs magically appear in my hands, and I sprint toward the TV. Don't hate me Carrie, I've never even HEARD of this till now!!! *ducks*

2. Guild Wars 2. Whenever I get stuck on a scene, I indulge in a little dragon slaying.

(I just realized both of my guilty pleasures are super geeky. Haha!) Totally acceptable! :)

And finally, since I am near the end of the tour, let’s reflect for a moment. Anything you would do different next time? What was the best part of releasing your debut! ;)

Next time, I probably won't hold an open call for tour stops. I stretched myself a little too thin, and some people didn't even bother to post after they signed up. (Yikes!) I think asking/scheduling one or two bloggers per day will be more than enough. :)

Oh, the best part was definitely celebrating with family, friends, and readers. Writing can be such an isolated, solitary endeavor. It's nice to finally have something to share with everyone!

Make sure you get your copy of strength soon! :) And find more about Carrie below. :)

About the Author:

Carrie daydreamed her way through college—until they thrust a marketing degree into her hands, slapped a summa cum laude seal on the corner, and booted her out into a less-than-stellar job market. Instead of panicking at the prospect of unemployment, she used her Midwestern logic to steer into the skid and point her life in the direction she really wanted to go: writing out those daydreams.