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Hello Ms Carter and welcome to Love Romances & More. We appreciate your time and look forward to learning more about you and your books. Ms Carter, will you please tell us a little about yourself outside of your writing? Well, Penny, I am married with three great kids. I am a bookkeeper by trade, but I am also a Photoshop artist and I love making digital slideshows for people. But writing is my first love. How long have you been writing? Since first grade—I still have the crayon. Just in case, you know, I can sell it on eBay someday! J Seriously, I took a creative writing class in 8th grade and just never stopped. I started with short, literary fiction, some articles, a few poems. What was the first book you had published? What did it feel like when you had your first book released? The first book was STARCROSSED HEARTS. Getting published for the first time is like nothing else. Many authors have likened it to giving birth. Pain and joy. Of course, I was on top of the world! Who is your greatest inspiration? As an author, I’d have to say Nora Roberts. I never tire of reading her books. When I was younger in this business, I used to “hate” her, I was so jealous of her success; but I had never read her work. Now, instead, I have studied her some and have the greatest respect for her. Do you have a format you follow when you write? Not really. I feel I am still evolving as a writer and have yet to have written two books in the same way. I am definitely getting better at it. Do you find it difficult to come up with names for your characters? Interesting question. No. It’s actually fun. I’m not above getting out the phone book. Once, I named all the characters in a story (last names) after the all the contractors working on my kitchen remodel!!! Readers can read a review for POINT SURRENDER here at Love Romances and More at this link: http://www.loveromancesandmore.com/reviews/Apr07/pointsurrender_penny.htm . Can you tell us a little bit about this book? Point Surrender is a romantic mystery with paranormal elements. While reluctantly working on the restoration of an abandoned lighthouse for her injured brother, Amy Winslow finds the journal of the last keeper, dead some forty years. Marine veterinarian Case McKenna, helping at the lighthouse while on vacation, isn't so sure the contents of the journal should be made public, but Amy is bound and determined to find out just what happened to the keeper and his missing family. Complicating matters are the secrets both Amy and Case harbor, baggage from their pasts they cannot completely shed. Helping to solve the mystery is a benign ghost or two... How long did it take you to write POINT SURRENDER? About 18 months, give or take. It’s hard because it’s one of those things you start and stop and put aside and resume. Did it take a long time to research? Did you spend a lot of time on the Oregon Coast while writing POINT SURRENDER? Very little, actually. I already had a pretty good working knowledge about lighthouses, since I’ve been a nut about them for many years. I did spend a few nights in a Washington State lighthouse while writing the ending. That was a great experience! This reader was very saddened by Brian’s coma. Where did you get the idea for this book? I can never quite explain where ideas come from. Point Surrender was one of those books where I didn’t know quite where it was going. The characters sort of led the way. Brian’s “accident” gave me a chance to show Amy’s great love for her brother, and pushed her to do things she normally would not have done, such as work on the decaying lighthouse. Any time you give characters a chance to grow, it’s a good thing. Sorry, Brian. What part of this book did you enjoy writing the most? Without making this a “spoiler” – I’ll just say the reading of the will was the most fun for me. Readers say it was one of the best scenes. I see your 2003 book A HERO'S PROMISE was the recipient of the Golden Wings Award from Wings ePress. What was your first thought when you found out you won that award? It was a huge rush and a sense of validation. AHP was a difficult book to write, especially since it is a sequel wherein a beloved character from the first book (STARCROSSED HEARTS) meets his demise. The readers really mourned his death. It was risky, but necessary. When will your new book, CAPE SEDUCTION, be released? No date yet—I have to finish it first! But bets are on Winter ’08 - ’09. Can you give us a quick synopsis of CAPE SEDUCTION? In 1949, up-and-coming starlet Darla Foster goes missing after the release of CAPE SEDUCTION, a tragic romance filmed in a California lighthouse. Now, sixty years later, the long abandoned lighthouse is causing trouble for its present-day owners. Has the sexy, eccentric actress returned to avenge her stolen life? Where can fans purchase their copy of CAPE SEDUCTION when it is released? Amazon is always a sure bet. Readers should check my website for updates! What is the nicest thing another author has said about you? What, someone said something nice? LOL. I guess I am just modest enough not to keep track of such things. But I will always recognize two of my great—and successful—author friends: Kate Douglas, (author of the WOLF TALES series for Kensington’s Aphrodisia line) has always been a terrific cheerleader for me, and Cheryl Norman, (RESTORE MY HEART, RUNNING SCARED, both from Medallion Press) helped with the critiquing of POINT SURRENDER in the early days. Thanks, ladies! What is your greatest dream? Aside from world peace? To see one of my stories become a feature or a cable-network movie. I always write my books with a screenplay in mind. If you could go anywhere to write your next book where would it be? Oh, good question! But hard decision. I’ve always been in love with Diane Lane’s little chateau in UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN. But I’d also like a cottage by the sea—within sight of a lighthouse, of course. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers? Just the usual: read lots, write more. Hone your skills even after you think you know it all. Stay true to yourself, and write what you love. Where can fans find you on the Internet to keep track of news of your books, already released and upcoming work? My website is a good start. Also, readers can (and should!) sign up for my newsletter, which always talks about new releases, lighthouses, contests, personal appearances, and other fun stuff. I do maintain a MySpace and a Blogspot as well: http://beacon-street.blogspot.com/
To sign up for my newsletter, drop me an email at annecarter@beaconstreetbooks.com!
Thank you so much, Ms Carter, for sharing a little bit of your life and talent with us here at Love Romances and More. We wish you the most success in your upcoming book and any future endeavors. Thank you for the lovely interview, Penny! So glad to hear from you again. I’ll let you know when CAPE SEDUCTION is available for review!
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