Crimson Snow by Ina Carter

Please welcome Ina Carter author of Crimson Snow

Ina Carter will be awarding a $50 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Crimson Snow

by Ina Carter

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GENRE: Contemporary romance

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INTERVIEW:

1. What or who inspired you to start writing?

My first published work was a love poem I wrote when I was eleven. My sixth-grade teacher caught me scribbling verses in class and not paying attention to his lecture. He “confiscated” my notebook, and the next day told me I had a talent, based on the creative essays I wrote for his class and the poems in my journal. He encouraged me to submit my work to a young writer’s magazine, but I was too shy to give it a try. Behind my back, he submitted one of my poems, and to my shock, the magazine published it. It didn’t go well with my parents, who were strict and conservative, and didn’t think writing about my first crush was an age-appropriate subject. Even though I didn’t follow my dream when I was a teenager, for years, I collected ideas that I wanted to put on paper one day. I write in multiple genres, but to this day, romance is my favorite. To me Love is the strongest force in the Universe.

2. How did you come up with ideas for your books?

When I was in college studying Psychology, one of my professors gave us a very interesting assignment. He took the class to the airport and told us to pick two people from the crowd, and try to deduct from their body language, appearance, and behavior, what was their background, likely profession, and relationship to the person standing next to them. Then we had to approach them and see how correct were our observations. I found out that I had a talent for reading people. Throughout my life people-watching became a hobby, and even though I don’t bother my subjects for answers (because it’s creepy), I do like to make up stories about them in my head. Many of my book ideas are born from the fantasy world I created for an interesting real-life person who caught my attention and triggered my imagination.

3. What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?

I lived half my life on another continent, and I am bi-lingual. I like to immerse myself in the world I am writing about (unless it’s a fantasy), and when possible, I travel to the places I describe in my books. This year travel was impossible due to COVID, so for the book I am currently writing (follow up on Crimson Snow), I spent days “exploring” Moscow and Florida through virtual tours and street view “drives” on Google maps.

4. As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?

I have an upcoming paranormal romance book called “The Sodalis Prince,” which will be released in early 2021. I am also in the editing stages of the next book follow up on “Crimson Snow,” and the tentative title is “The roots of Love.” I also have a few works in progress from my romantic comedy series “In the Dark.”

5. If you could be one of the characters from any of your books, who would it be and why?

The books character to whom I relate the most is Melanie from my romantic comedy “Big Gray.” Like me, she is a bit nutty, clumsy, and quirky. She has a sarcastic sense of humor, and when it comes to love, she is an idealist, looking for someone who can match her own “crazy.” Basically, the story of my life. I met my husband when I was nineteen and in my freshman in college. We’ve been married for 25 wonderful years, and he is my “nutty soulmate.”

6. If you were the casting director for the film version of your novel, who would play your leading roles?

I wish Crimson Snow would be made into a movie one day. Even while writing it, I felt that the story had a cinematic feel because it wove the past and the present together. I broke some of the structure rules and included a lot of flashback moments from Lauren and Kevin’s childhood, which is more common for a screenplay than a novel.

I am a visual storyteller, and most of my ideas play like movies in my head, so I “cast” my films before I even start writing. The images of the two actors I visualize playing my characters’ roles are usually pinned to my computer background to use as an inspiration.

For Crimson Snowmy perfect “cast” had two different leads. At first, I visualized Lauren and Kevin being a bit older, considering both are more emotionally mature than kids their age. Initially, I pictured Kaya Scodelarioas Lauren, and Nicholas Hoult as Kevin.

Kaya Scodelario and Nicholas Hoult

After I watched a lot of Netflix shows that are aimed at a younger audience, my “cast” changed. There are so many great young actors, who are breakthrough stars and can definitely play the emotionally challenging roles of my two heroes. So, my new Kevin and Laurenare Hero Fiennes Tiffin and Katherine Langford. It doesn’t hurt that Katherine is not only an amazing actress but actually a great singer/songwriter, with a very beautiful distinct voice, just like Lauren in the book. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6Vt4Yy55os)

Hero Fiennes Tiffin and Katherine Langford.

7. Do you outline your books or just start writing?

For most of my books, I have a complete outline before I start writing. I run the whole story in my head, even dialog lines, and then I put it all on paper. The exception to the rule was Crimson Snow. This was the first novel I wrote without having a full plot outline. I simply started with an idea about two young kids and the evolution of their relationship. Everything that happened to Kevin and Lauren unfolded organically in the writing process and was entirely character-driven.  Maybe this is why the story has so many twists and turns because I had no idea what might happen in the next chapter.

8. Do you have any hobbies and does the knowledge you’ve gained from these carry over into your characters or the plot of your books?

It’s not really a hobby, but I have a second degree in graphic design, which I never put into any use until I decided to publish my novels. As an independent author the design skill saved me a lot of investment, because I created all my book covers, my promotional materials, and my website.

Also, my romantic comedy series are in part influenced by my kids, who are semi-professional comedians and perform with Improv companies like Second City Hollywood, and The Groundlingsin Los Angeles. My kids tell me I am the most boring person they know and don’t know how to tell a good joke, so writing a romantic comedy series was my way to prove them wrong. 😊

9. Do you have an all time favorite book?

My all-time favorite author is P.G. Wodehouse, and I’ve read all of the Jeevesand Bertie Wooster’adventures. I have a soft spot for the dry, sarcastic sense of humor in his books, and I also enjoy the historical satire of the early 20^th-century English society.

10. Have you started your next project? If so, can you share a little bit about your book?

My next project is called“The roots of love.”Many of my readers asked for a story about one of the secondary characters from “Crimson Snow” – Liam, so I had to write it. It’s another NA sport romance, but like the previous book, it has emotional depth and follows Liam’s own struggle with past trauma and dealing with the pressure of being a famous athlete. The book is in the editing stages, but I am still not sure about a release date.

11. What is your favorite reality show?

I am a reality show junkie and love all the singing competitions, even though I have zero singing talent, and I am tone deaf. 😊My favorite has to be “The Voice,” considering it inspired me to write a whole book series based on it.

12. Can you tell us a little bit about what it was like to write a series.

Almost all of my books eventually turn into series because when I get into a story, my big problem is always how to edit down my ideas. I also spend a lot of time developing my secondary characters, and at the end of the day, they need their own book. Crimson Snowwas supposed to be a standalone novel but based on my reader’s feedback, I wrote a second book as a continuation to the story. This sparked even more ideas, so I might expand on the series in the future.

BLURB:

The Greeks had seven words for LOVE. I felt all of them for ONE MAN…

My name is Lauren, and I was a stolen baby.

They found me in a trailer park in rural Texas when I was eight years old. My childhood wasn’t perfect, but then I had Kevin. He was my everything…

When they returned me to my biological parents, we were torn apart.

My new family desperately tried to fix me, make me forget him… My father kept me on a short leash and controlled every aspect of my life. The one thought keeping me afloat was to find Kevin, but he vanished without a trace.

I searched for him for twelve years, but the man I found was not the boy I lost. He is a college baseball star, tattooed, moody, and dark… And he hates me.

Can Kevin help me defeat my demons, or does he have too many of his own?

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NOTE: The book is on sale for $0.99.

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EXCERPT:

It was late spring, in my first year of elementary school. My half-brother Kevin and I were huddled behind the school gym – our usual hiding spot to eat our lunches.

“Why are you crying?” Kevin lifted my chin to look into my puffy, red eyes. I sniffled loudly, showing him the crumpled paper in my hand.

“My letters are all wrong. I try to make them straight, but then Mrs. Collins always uses the red pen over them and tells me mine were crooked. Then she puts the sticker with the sad kitten on the bottom. Vinnie says the sticker means you are stupid…Mama tells me it don’t matter, because I ain’t going to courage…”

“You mean college? Don’t listen to Ma, Julie – you ain’t going to be like her. You are smart. Give me that paper.” He grabbed it from my hand. Then he started ripping it to small bits and gathering the fragments in his left palm. And he was smiling.

“Do you like Christmas, Jules?” he grinned, his toothless smile a little warped. His green eyes lit up. They did remind me of the twinkling lights that Mr. Berg put on the window of the convenience store around Christmas time.

“I love Christmas. It’s my birthday!” I couldn’t help but grin, too. My birthday was two months away, and I’ve been trying to learn my numbers, so I could count the days. I already knew how to count to 100.

“You know what we don’t have on Christmas?” Kevin asked.

“Sometimes, we don’t get presents because we were no good…” My lifted spirits dampened, thinking of daddy’s scowl when he told me I made Santa mad.

“No, It’s not about the presents. We don’t have snow on Christmas. Not here in our part of Texas. Haven’t you seen on TV – everyone is jolly and singing around the Christmas trees, and it’s always snowing outside the window. I kept thinking it’s magic falling from the sky. Maybe God gives his Christmas blessing to us in every snowflake…. and …. maybe this is why we ain’t always happy, Jules… we don’t have the snow…”

Then, Kevin lifted his hand and threw up in the air the paper shreds. They twirled like real snowflakes. At least it’s how I saw them – fragile, almost transparent, with little blue and red strains of color. I was afraid to reach and touch them, telling myself I didn’t want them to melt. Afraid that maybe the magic would disappear… I was not sure I liked the red streaks marring the pure white snow. It was like God cried bloody tears for us. I was about to tell Kevin that, but he leapt and grabbed one snowflake before all of them landed on the yellowing grass at our feet. He held it in his palm. He came closer to me and hunkered down to look into my eyes. Then he opened his hand. “Look, Jules!” he whispered. As afraid as I was, I peeked at the “ice crystal” he was holding. There was a word on that “snowflake,” and it was in blue ink. The carefully written straight letters of the only one word I knew how to write well.  JULIE.

“How?” I looked at Kevin mesmerized.

“Magic, Jules. I told you!”

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Ina Carter has always been an avid reader. She discovered her love for writing at an early age when her first poem was published in a literary magazine at age twelve. As a lifetime collector of inspirational stories, Ina believes that love is the most powerful force in the Universe. She writes in multiple genres – romantic comedies, contemporary and paranormal. Ina lives in Southern California with her husband, two kids, and one very temperamental cat. You can find more about Ina and future book releases at www.InaCarter.com.

Twitter :@inacarterbooks

FB: https://www.facebook.com/ina.carter.3591

Amozon purchase link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088KQKNZJ

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Ina Carter will be awarding a $50 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

RAFFLECOPTER:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f3550