Interview & Giveaway with Erin McCarthy

Books-n-Kisses is pleased to welcome Erin McCarthy for her first visit to the blog.  We are chatting about picking one book you must read before you die and her newest release TRUE.

Erin, can you please share with us a little about yourself

I’ve been a full time writer for almost ten years now (yay!) and have two almost grown kids, two cats, and a dog.  When I’m not writing, I love live music, martinis, traveling, and randomly moving furniture around in my house.  I love ice cream, beaches, and think fleece is the greatest thing ever invented.

Have you always wanted to be an author?

I wanted to be a writer in the first grade, when I won a writing contest.  But I was informed a career writing fiction was not practical, so I went to college to be a lawyer.  Yeah.  So not for me.

Are you a plotter or a punster or combo of both? And you explain the difference?

I’m a tweener… somewhere in between.  Plotters plan everything out for the entire book in advance of writing, right down to each individual scene, whereas pantsers create the story as they write.  I have an overall arch for the story figured out ahead of time and a good sense of the characters, with some scenes worked out.  But I don’t use post-its or charts and I don’t have everything figured out.  There are definitely surprises along the way.

What is your most interesting writing quirk?

I almost never work at my desk.  I write on the couch, the bed, at the kitchen island.  And I chair dance.  A lot.

Can you please tell us about your latest book(s)?

TRUE is my first new adult story.  Rory is socially awkward and is just looking to have the same sexual experiences as other girls, only she is not prepared for the feelings she winds up having for Tyler.

How did you come with the idea for this story?

I don’t know, honestly.  I brainstormed about five new adult ideas with a friend and this is the one that came alive and spoke to me.

Can you share with us your current work(s) in progress?

I am working on a second new adult book, which features the heroine from TRUE’s roommate, Jessica.  Rory and Jessica are total opposites, and while Jessica may have a ton of sexual experience, she has never let a guy into her heart—until now.

Who is the one author that you would love to meet someday and why?

I’ve been fortunate enough to meet so many fabulous authors!  I’m not sure who else I would chose except for Edgar Allan Poe, and unfortunately yes, I realize he’s dead.  But I am desperately curious to see what he was like in real life.  He would either scare the begeezus out of me or I would fall in love with him.

What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone that wants to get into writing?

Read everything you can in the genre you want to write in.  It sounds obvious but it is such an education, plus you need to love to read what you want to write.  Join a writer’s group, like RWA to meet other writers, and do lots of online research about the craft of writing.

Can you share with us something off your bucket list.

I always wanted to jump out of a plane and this summer I am planning to do that with a friend.  It’s possible I will have a heart attack on the way down, but the box will be ticked!

What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?

Right now I’m reading Behind the Beautiful Forevers, about life in a slum in Mumbai.  I am in a book club with my friends and it’s been awesome to be exposed to books I would never find on my own.

What is one book everyone should read before they die?

ONE book?!  That’s like picking a favorite child.  It can’t be done. J

What is your favorite time of year & why?

Summer, hands down.  I love the warm weather, I love dining outside, I love gardening.  Winter is too much work.

Who is your Celebrity crush?  And what would you do if you ever meet them?

Right now, I think that the guy who plays Agent Weston on The Following is adorable.  The actor’s name is Shawn Ashmore and if I met him, I would make him monstrously uncomfortable by touching his beard scruff.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Thanks for having me by!

Erin McCarthy is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 40 novels and novellas in the paranormal, contemporary romance, and young adult genres.  The author is a RITA award finalist and an American Library Association winner of the Reluctant Young Reader award.  She lives with her family inOhio.

Website | Twitter | Facebook |  Goodreads