Interview and Book Giveaway With Author Carole Brown!

Will their love survive the danger and personal issues that arise to hinder the path of true love?

Author Carole Brown joins us on the Mine today. She is a multi-published author who writes in different genres. Her newest book is the first in a romantic suspense series that takes place during World War II. Carole's giveaway will be the winner's choice of a copy of one of her books. So, leave a comment after the interview, and you'll automatically be entered to win! Now, on to the interview!

Hi Carole! I know you’d like to talk about your newest release, With Music in Their Hearts, but first let me ask what began your writing career. It’s different for so many writers, and I’d love to hear what got you started.

It seems I’ve always read and written! I remember reading something for Show and Tell at school and having the children clapping! I remember writing a journal of a caveman’s family in an  elementary school assignment. I remember spending study periods in high school writing poetry and short stories. I’ve written research articles and newspaper articles too, but my very “favorite-est” is fiction. I can’t picture myself without seeing “author” in that image. J

 I see you are a diverse writer, interested in serious as well as lighthearted contemporary themes. So it’s no surprise that such an adventurous writer is now writing a historical suspense series. What made you decide to do a story and series about spies in the World War Two era?

What a fun question with an easy answer! I adore this time period. I listened to my mother’s stories and poured over the pictures she showed me, and being the dreamer I was (and am) my imagination took a thought from an older friend, realized I could develop it into a WWII book, and went from there. I’m well into the second book of this series (A Flute in the Willows about the second sister, Josie), and it’s such a wonderful period to write about.

Did you have to do a lot of research for this book?

Oh, my, yes! On top of what I already knew (through my mother and a few other place), I researched spies and clothing, hats, volunteer places and work places for women, radio programs, shoes, language, shows and songs, just to name a few! But I love research and can get lost in it for hours.

I’ve never attempted to write suspense, as I find the idea of planning out a plot kind of daunting. Do you figure out your storyline ahead of time?

Not completely. I find mystery is much harder than suspense, in that you aren’t suppose to reveal the bad guy in mystery until the end, but in suspense the reader can know who he is all the way through the book. I like to sync the events together and try to make them flow evenly and make sense but still pack a wallop of suspense with whatever’s happening, cliff hangers and build up.

Are your characters usually based on elements of specific people, parts of yourself, a mixture of this, or simply inspiration?

Mostly inspiration. Even when I get an idea of a character from somewhere or someone, I like to take them and make them into the person I see. Actually, I don’t like to picture a real person in my books; it hinders my writing and my imagination to take or do with them what’s necessary. So though I may take a touch of this or that from someone, I always twist it into the character I see to make them fit what I need for the character to be.

Do your characters ever go in directions that surprise you?

A few times, yes. Sometimes I haven’t foreseen where the story will go and it always makes for mischief! Just kidding. You know, writers claim their characters have minds of their own. Lol

Do you have a favorite among your characters so far, one especially close to your heart, and if so, why?

No, I can’t pick one “child” and say, I love you most (unless I tell each of them, they are my favs! Which I’ve been known to do with both my sons. Lol)

Ÿ  I loved Caralynne and her spunkiness and will power to break free of the abuse she’d grown up in.

Ÿ  I loved Emma Jaine’s desire to care for her sisters and her father and to want deeply to have a man of her own.

Ÿ  I love Denton and Alex and their minor bickering and love of mysteries and their adventurous spirit.

As far as With Music in Their Hearts, I’d have to say, I love all my characters, good or bad. Is that awful, or what?

Though you write diverse stories, is there a common theme or thread that they share?

Each one has a different personal theme, but for an overall theme, I’d have to say it’s trusting God’s will for your life. No matter what you attempt, where you are headed, what you want, you can’t go wrong by believing and knowing that God will steer you right into the perfect place for YOU!

What kind of author do you want to be known as?

A suspense author who encourages the reader to look for another book. And another. And another. That’s the best recommendation! J

What would you like your readers to experience through your writing?

The power of trust in God.

Ÿ The magic of belief that God is real.

Ÿ Satisfaction that the book ended in just the way it should have.

Ÿ A desire for more books.

What are you writing now, and what are your future writing plans?

I’m finishing up the second book in my Denton and Alex Davies mystery series (first book: Hog Insane). This next book is titled: Bat Crazy and takes the married couple to a newly discovered cavern in New Mexico. And what on earth do vampire bats have to do with it?

I’m also working hard to finish the second book in my WWII Spies series called, A Flute in the Willows. Josephine (Josie) the rebellious one of the three sisters, ran away to get married in With Music in Their Hearts, and now she and her estranged husband, Jerry Patterson, must work together to prevent a foreign spy from destroying them both.

And I always have others I’m working on:

Ÿ  Caleb’s Destiny, a late 1800s historical suspense (a fun stand alone)

Ÿ  Third book in the Denton and Alex Davies series, Daffy’s Duck

Ÿ  And several others that are either being written or edited or plotted!

Never enough time!

Wow, no wonder you don't have enough time, with all those stories in your head! I'm looking forward to meeting all your characters.  Carole, thanks for visiting the Diamond Mine and sharing with us!

Now here's a short description of With Music in Their Hearts:

Angry at being rejected for military service, Minister Tyrell Walker accepts the call to serve as a civilian spy within his own country. Across the river from Cincinnati, Ohio, a spy working for a foreign country is stealing secret plans for newly developed ammunition to be used in the war. According to his FBI cousin, this spy favors pink stationery giving strong indications that a woman is involved.

He’s instructed to obtain a room in the Rayner Boarding House run by the lovely, spunky red-haired Emma Jaine Rayner. Sparks of jealousy and love fly between them immediately even as they battle suspicions that one or the other is not on the up and up.

While Tyrell searches for the murdering spy who reaches even into the boarding home, Emma Jaine struggles with an annoying renter, a worried father (who could be involved in this spy thing), and two younger sisters who are very different but just as strong willed as she is.

As Tyrell works to keep his double life a secret and locate the traitor, he refuses to believe that Emma Jaine could be involved even when he sees a red-haired woman in the arms of another man. Could the handsome and svelte banker who’s also determined to win Emma Jaine’s hand for marriage, be the dangerous man he’s looking for? Is the trouble-making renter who hassles Emma Jaine serving as a flunky? Worse, is Papa Rayner so worried about his finances and keeping his girls in the style they’re used to, that he’ll stoop to espionage?

Now here's a short bio about Carole and her books:

Brown not only has her award winning (RWA International Digital Awards finalist in Inspiration, Laurel Award finalist, Selah finalist; Genesis semi-finalist) debut novel, The Redemption of Caralynne Hayman, available for purchase now, but a companion book called West Virginia Scrapbook: From the Life of Caralynne Hayman, filled with tidbits of information about West Virginia, quotes, recipes from West Virginia and from Caralynne’s life, pictures and discussion questions for the novel.

November, 2013, the first book in her mystery series, Hog Insane, released. It’s a fun, lighthearted novel introducing the characters, Denton and Alex Davies. Look for the second book, Bat Crazy, late 2014 winter.

Released November 1, 2014, is the first book in a new WWII romantic suspense series: With Music In Their Hearts. Three red-headed sisters. Three spies. Three stories.

Besides being a member and active participant of many writing groups, Carole Brown enjoys mentoring beginning writers. She loves to weave suspense and tough topics into her books, along with a touch of romance and whimsy, and is always on the lookout for outstanding titles and catchy ideas. She and her husband reside in SE Ohio but have ministered and counseled nationally and internationally. Together, they enjoy their grandsons, traveling, gardening, good food, the simple life, and did she mention their grandsons?

Connect with her here:

Personal blog: http://sunnebnkwrtr.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CaroleBrown.author

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/browncarole212

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/sunnywrtr/boards/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5237997-carole-brown

Remember to leave a comment for a chance to win one of Carole's books!