Authors Are Rockstars: Cara Lynn Shultz - Interview and Giveaway!

Authors Are Rockstars: Cara Lynn Shultz - Interview and Giveaway!
Thanks so much to Jamie at Two Chicks on Books, Rachel at Fitkshun, and Mindy at Magical Urban Fantasy Reads! Be sure to follow the rest of the tour. :) 
Why I think Cara is a ROCKSTAR:

So guys. Before I started blogging, I read this amazing book called Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz. And then I got this opportunity to host her in the 2nd Annual Authors are Rockstars and I knew I had to. See, for some reason, I have a had time connecting and really liking books about witches. I don't know why, but I certainly did not have this problem with Spellbound. I was immediately sucked in by the vivid setting, kick-ass heroine and swoon-worthy boy! As I said in my review, it is star-crossed lovers at its finest. And on top of that, Cara is so sweet and her writing is amazing. Gosh, I cannot fangirl enough about Cara and her books. Cara is most definitely my rockstar!

And here is my interview with Cara! Check out who Cara's rockstars are and what her advice is for aspiring authors! And whether she like Peeta or Gale better. :)

1.     When did you begin writing? Why did you decide to become a writer?

I used to spend my summers in Keansburg, N.J., when I was a kid, and I started writing short plays that my friend and I would then act out on my grandparents’ porch. I was about eight or so when we put on our biggest production, Stacey’s Ghost, where my main character’s sister dies —but comes back to warn her sister of impending danger. We had a very dramatic scene where Stacey dies (a.k.a., my friend’s little brother ran her over with his Big Wheel.) Obviously, we were very high tech.

Anyway, writing was always something I enjoyed, but I didn't realize I could make a career out of it until I was in college and began writing for the school paper. I ended up working as an entertainment journalist (with a focus on music) for the bulk of my career until I rediscovered my love of fiction writing.

2.     This is my favorite witch series, so I am curious as to what your inspiration for the Spellbound series was?

Thank you so much! I’ve always been interested in writing about the supernatural, and Brendan and Emma were characters that I’d had kicking around for quite some time. When I first graduated from college, I used to write short stories for a friend, who had a long commute from her job in midtown Manhattan to the Bronx. I’d write her little stories about two characters I invented, Claire and Alex, and she’d read them on the subway. Years later, she was cleaning out her closet and found a bunch of the stories in an old purse and gave them to me. It reminded me how much I missed writing and getting lost in a world I created. I started writing again, and once I started, I couldn’t stop. Claire and Alex were the first incarnation of Emma and Brendan.

3. What author do you consider to be YOUR rockstar?

This is a tough one: There are authors (like J.D. Salinger) whose books really shaped me, and then there are authors whom I've met in the past few years who are wonderful and total rock stars (like Julie Kagawa, Katie McGarry, Aimee Carter, Rachel Vincent, Amalie Howard — basically all the Harlequin Teen people).

4. I know sequels can be really hard to write, so what was the hardest part in writing the sequel to Spellbound, Spellcaster?

I wanted my characters to grow, but not lose what made them unique. Angelique plays a much bigger role in Spellcaster and there are a couple of chapters in her POV, so it was challenging to discover her voice. It had to be different from Emma's internal monologue, yet not so different that you wouldn't even believe they could be friends.

5. How do you begin to organize your writing process when you are starting a new project?

I have several false starts. Usually I have a scene in mind that I can’t wait to get to, and it takes me awhile to figure out the narrative that’s going to get me there. (For Spellbound, it was the date at Belvedere Castle.) With my new project, it's actually the final chapter of the first book.

6. Do any of the characters have traits that are similar to you or to people you know? Who is your favorite character to write?

There's a little of me in each of my characters. I'll put real-life situations in my books — I hung out on the rocks at Belvedere Castle when I was in high school, for example. And I used the building I grew up in as Angelique's apartment building. Emma's from Keansburg, where I spent my summers...I like to pay tribute to the people and places in my life that made an impact. (Most of my characters’ last names somehow pay tribute to family or friends: My best friend’s last name is Tedt. Considine is a big family name and my grandmother’s maiden name, and so on).

My favorite characters to write: In Spellbound and Spellcaster, I loved writing Emma. For my new project, it's my heroine, and another character who, let's just say we don't know if he's a hero or a bad guy.

7. What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Have faith in yourself, and do not let anyone dissuade you from writing. When I was in high school, I desperately wanted to be on the school paper, but apparently I wasn’t a good enough writer, and was rejected. I kept writing in my spare time, though — I wrote short stories; I wrote in my diary; I wrote silly comics for a friend and we passed them back in forth in Latin class, which I hated. Flash forward to college, and I was elected as Editor-in-Chief of the Fordham Observer. You can’t let anyone’s opinion define you.

8. What other writing projects do you have up your sleeve next for us? 

I’m wrapping up edits right now on Dark World, the first book in a new trilogy. It’s paranormal/supernatural YA, set in the same world as Spellbound and Spellcaster but with different characters.

This or That:

1.     Peeta or Gale? 

     Peeta! I can’t cosign on some of Gale's behavior.  

2.     Ron or Harry?

      I’m going to have to go with Mr. Potter on this one. No offense to the Weasleys.

3.     Physical book or e-copy?

    Ebooks are  great when you’re traveling. The last time I went on a proper vacation, I read ten books in a week— and that would have been a packing nightmare had I not had a Kindle. That said, there’s nothing that compares to the feel of paper underneath your fingers and that satisfying crinkly swoosh when you turn the page. Plus, you can’t exactly ask an author to sign your e-reader.

4.     Pen and paper or computer? 

Computer. My handwriting is so horrible. I even use the Notes app on my iPhone for grocery lists. 

5.     Cliffhanger or tie up all everything neatly?

A comprehensive story that leaves you wanting more. (I know, total cop-out answer.)

6.     Rocker or nerd? 

I think you can be both.

7. Beach or mountains? 

Beach!

8. Cookies or brownies?

I’m inclined to say both, but then I remember that I’ve got three kinds of cookies at my apartment right now, and no brownies. So…cookies.

Make sure to enter the giveaway for 1 copy of either Spellcaster or Spellbound for 1 lucky winner from the publisher and 1 copy of either Spellcaster or Spellbound for 1 lucky winner from me. The publisher winner is only US/Canada and my winner is going to be international. So enter away! Winners will get 2 days to reply.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What's a girl to do when meeting The One means she's cursed to die a horrible death?

Life hasn't been easy on sixteen-year-old Emma Connor, so a new start in New York may be just the change she needs. But the posh Upper East Side prep school she has to attend? Not so much. Friendly faces are few and far between, except for one that she's irresistibly drawn to Brendan Salinger, the guy with the rock-star good looks and the richest kid in school, who might just be her very own white knight.

But even when Brendan inexplicably turns cold, Emma can't stop staring. Ever since she laid eyes on him, strange things have been happening. Streetlamps go out wherever she walks, and Emma's been having the oddest dreams: visions of herself in past lives— visions that warn her to stay away from Brendan. Or else.

After breaking a centuries-old romantic curse, Emma Connor is (almost) glad to get back to normal problems. Although...it's not easy dealing with the jealous cliques and gossip that rule her exclusive Upper East Side prep, even for a seventeen-year-old newbie witch. Having the most-wanted boy in school as her eternal soul mate sure helps ease the pain, especially since wealthy, rocker-hot Brendan Salinger is very good at staying irresistibly close...

But something dark and hungry is using Emma's and Brendan's deepest fears to reveal damaging secrets and destroy their trust in each other. And Emma's crash course in überspells may not be enough to keep them safe...or to stop an inhuman force bent on making their unsuspected power its own.

About the Author:

Cara Lynn Shultz’s love of supernatural writing began when she was 7 and wrote a play about ghosts, which she and her friends acted out on her grandparents’ porch. Since then, her work has appeared in Teen People, Alternative Press, Stuff, InStyle, Us Weekly, The Guardian UK and countless posts on Facebook and Twitter. She is a proud graduate of Fordham University and is currently a senior editor at PEOPLE.com. Cara lives in her native New York City with her husband, tuxedo cat and 8 million other people.  Spellbound is her first novel.

Find Cara at:

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Goodreads