Jun 16, 2011

{Interview & Giveaway} with Spellbound Author Cara Lynn Shultz




I had the pleasure of talking with author Cara Lynn Shultz over BEA week about her upcoming YA novel Spellbound. I had a great time chatting with Cara about her writing, Buffy, and how it feels to get her debut book published. I hope you all enjoy the interview as much as I did.
I absolutely enjoyed Spellbound, thanks to Netgalley for allowing many bloggers to read this fantastic book early.

Don't forget to check out my review of Spellbound: Review Here

A story full of magic, destiny, romance, and adventure, everyone should read this. I have also decided since I loved this book so much and I really want to spread the word, I will be giving away a copy once the book is released on June 28th.

Dont forget to pre-order/purchase your copy of Spellbound!
PURCHASE: Spellbound (Harlequin Teen)

Now for the Interview! Everyone welcome Cara Lynn Shultz.

SNR: Hi Cara welcome to Seeing Night Reviews! I'm so excited to have you on my blog today!

caralynnshultz: Hi Kristen! Hope the weather in Cali is better than NYC...very gloomy and overcast here.

SNR: As always it’s sunny and about 78 degrees, I actually envy colder weather. Are you going to be attending BEA?

caralynnshultz: Yes! I'll be there Tuesday for a signing at the Harlequin booth

SNR: I wish I lived closer to NY lol Cali feels so far. Maybe next year I can go. Is this going to be your first time attending BEA?

caralynnshultz: Yep, this is my first time :)

SNR: I hear it’s going to be huge this year; lots of bloggers are attending too. Are you excited or nervous?

caralynnshultz: Definitely excited! It's a different kind of writing for me ... I've been an entertainment journalist since I graduated from college, but there, I was telling someone else's stories.

SNR: Do you still write/edit for People.com? I saw that on your blog.

caralynnshultz: Yes, I'm a Senior Editor at PEOPLE.com. But before that I was at Teen People

SNR: I’m so jealous of everyone going BEA lol. I wish I could stop by the booth and say hi! Id love to see a print copy of Spellbound

caralynnshultz: Aw thank you! I went to a conference in Connecticut a few weeks ago and it was the first time I got to see an ARC

SNR: Wow that must be a great experience working for both of those very popular magazine and very busy.

caralynnshultz: I won't lie, it was awesome to see it. Teen People was fantastic. I started there as an intern when I was in college. I have a lot of good friends from that place. It was cool to be there during the whole teen pop boon, to really see that side of it

SNR: Working for the magazine industry did that help a lot when it came to writing and starting Spellbound?
  
caralynnshultz: It's such a different type of writing. I would come home and just put my headphones on and start writing.

SNR: What did you enjoy most about writing Spellbound?

caralynnshultz: I had a lot of fun with the characters. I don't write with an outline or anything, I just kind of start writing. Emma's a character I had for quite some time.

Actually, back when I was just starting out as a journalist after college, I would email my friend Vanessa stories when I was bored at work. Only back then, Emma was named Claire. And Brendan was named Alex. And the characters were out of college. Flash forward to 2008, and Vanessa is moving and finds printouts of all the stories I wrote her.

SNR: Why did you change their names? Though I like the names Emma and Brendan :)

caralynnshultz: I didn't like Claire anymore. It's a pretty name, but it just didn't fit. It was Emma and Alex for quite some time. But then I realized it was like that Kate Hudson movie. I couldn't find a name for Brendan, and then my mom suggested Brendan, which is honestly one of my favorite names.

So I did a find and replace. About 20 minutes before sending it to my agent for the first time, so Brendan almost wasn't Brendan. And the last names are nods to my favorite characters/authors. Conner is after Conor Larkin from Leon Uris's Trinity. And Salinger, that's after Catcher in the Rye
  
SNR: I see you have a lot of favorite authors; do you have any young adult authors or titles you enjoy?

caralynnshultz: Right now I'm obsessed with Kady Cross's The Girl in the Steel Corset. It's fantastic.

SNR: I have to very much agree, I loved it!

caralynnshultz: Finley is such a great character.

SNR: She really is! I read Spellbound after Girl in the Steal Corset. I read one great story after another.

caralynnshultz: Awww thank you!
  
I'm working on a sequel now.

SNR: Are their any little tidbits you can say about the sequel?

caralynnshultz: Hmm...It’s definitely going to focus more on magic elements. There will be lots more magic in the sequel as Emma comes into her powers.


SNR: Awesome! I'd like to see what else Emma can do and how her relationship develops with Brendan.

caralynnshultz: They're a lot of fun to write. Especially their dialogue, that's the most fun.

SNR: I really loved the tale behind the Crest of Aglaeon. What inspired the story behind Lord Archer and Lady Gloriana? I really enjoyed every scene with them :) Brendan and Emma just had a great chemistry.

caralynnshultz: I've always loved medieval tales and legends and anything with a bit of magic behind it.

Originally I had Brendan telling Emma the tale—when he puts it together—and a friend of mine read it and said she didn't quite buy it that Emma would just believe him.
  
So I realized Emma needed to come upon the legend in her own way. I rewrote it and just kind of got on a writing tearI stayed up all night and my husband wakes up at like 8 am and I'm still up writing.

SNR: I enjoyed reading how Emma discovers the legend and figured out what the crest represented.
  
Was a lot of coffee involved?

caralynnshultz: SO MUCH COFFEE

SNR: Did your husband get to read Spellbound first or help with brainstorming?

caralynnshultz: No, I didn't share it with anyone actually until I was about halfway through it. And then I only shared it with on friend (Cyndi). Then I shared it with other friends who are into YA, magical tales, etc. Basically, if you were my friend and watched Buffy or Charmed, I forced my book upon you.

SNR: Aww I miss Buffy and Charmed.

caralynnshultz: I'm a huge Buffy/Charmed fan.
  
SNR: You and Angel fan or Spike Fan?

caralynnshultz: Angel...although I liked Spike, the Buffy and Angel storyline was just so amazing.
  
"I kissed him, then I killed him."

SNR: I know... such an angst romance that I couldn’t get enough. I liked both guys I don’t know who I would choose.

caralynnshultz: I really loved it. It's on Logo. I think Angel and Buffy are such a tragic love ... but such a real love. Spike is sexy, dangerous, funny ... but it's always all about Angel.

SNR: I agree, they were my first paranormal couple that I loved. Spike cracked me up and I loved how he was her enemy for forever and then love interest.

caralynnshultz: Spike was such a great character.

SNR: Spellbound has been circulating around the blogs and being reviewed. What has surprised you most about publishing your first book? How has the experience been so far?

caralynnshultz: It's SO different from writing for a magazine...as I said, there I was telling someone else's story. Here, it's MY story, so it's a little nerve-wracking in a way. But the experience has been great. Harlequin Teen is awesome.

SNR: What got you connected with Harlequin? I really enjoy all the books they publish.

caralynnshultz: My agent put us in touch. They've been fantastic.

SNR: How has your experience been with the book reviews/Bloggers that have been reading Spellbound? We love promoting books that we've enjoyed.

caralynnshultz: So far everyone's been really nice, I'm looking forward to meeting as many as possible at BEA.

SNR: Oh I’m sure there are going to be lots! I know the twitter craze has started already with those who are already there. I hope you have fun! You should tweet about it so I can be more jealous of those who are there lol

caralynnshultz: I'm definitely going to Tweet my fingers off

SNR: I appreciate you taking the time and having this interview with me :)

caralynnshultz: Sure, thanks so much for the support!

SNR: I look forward to getting Spellbound in June and spreading the word.

caralynnshultz: Thanks so much, I really appreciate it! And I'm so glad you liked it!

Thank you so much for stopping by Seeing Night Reviews Cara I can't wait for the release of Spellbound on June 28th. Everyone should pre-order or purchase Spellbound today! Spellbound (Harlequin Teen) on Amazon

NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY!
Rules:
US & Canada Only Sorry.
Fill out the Form Below
Must be a GFC follower



22 comments:

  1. I believe we make our of destiny and if we want something really, really bad, we can somehow make it happen. I do believe in destiny, but no fate is set in stone, we can try our best to alter it a little bit and escape the horrible death. And if not? Well, even one moment of true love is better than the whole life without it!

    :) Thanks for the chance, Kristen! Great interview!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I don't believe in destiny or fate. We make our own future no matter what others believe. But if someone said I was destined to die, I would make sure, with all my power, that that would never happen.

    ReplyDelete
  3. That's quite a loaded question. I know that I'd fight against the curse. I'd find away around it or die trying.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I believe certain events are supposed to happen but the end game is up to you, I would totally fight for love =)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow.. that's tough!! I'm pretty sure I'd try to find a way around it. It's better to love even for a little while :o)

    Mickey @ imabookshark.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. For a person who is in love with being in love, especially when it comes to being with the right person, or in this case "the one", I know I would definitely fight to change the so-called curse. You never know what you can do until you try.

    Thank you so much!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I would fight so bloody hard to change my fate! I wouldn't give up trying, either, until there was no other choice left. Just my opinion:)

    jwitt33 at live dot com

    ReplyDelete
  8. i'd fight because its my destiny

    ReplyDelete
  9. Yes, I would fight. There is always hope

    ReplyDelete
  10. Meeting the one means I've got to die... can I post pone meeting the one until my kids are out of high school? I could wait another ten years if that's the only option. If there's a good chance I'm going to have to die to be with him I'd still want to but I'd want to wait until my other obligations had been fulfilled first.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Of course I would fight! There is no way I would give up on something like that.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm married to the love of my life and I wouldn't give that up for anything. Even if it meant having to die a horrible death.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Woo hoo! Thanks for this awesome giveaway! I'm really excited to read this book! It's been on my radar for awhile! :D

    ReplyDelete
  14. I would definitely fight to chance my destiny. I wouldn't want to give up on THE ONE!!! >:D

    ReplyDelete
  15. I have been following this tour and it has really been fun. Thank you for the wonderful interview and great giveaway opportunity.

    ReplyDelete
  16. OOPs forgot to answer the question - got so busy gushing :) I would definitely fight to change my destiny,what else is worth fighting for.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Well, I know that I would fight/do anything for my husband. So I guess I would say yes.

    ReplyDelete
  18. If I would die a peaceful, and painless death, I wouldn't mind at all. But a horrible one? OF COURSE I WOULD FIGHT.
    This question reminds me of a manga, Full Moon Wo Sagashite. I'm getting off-topic. Anyways, I'd do almost anything to not die. Life should be cherished, and I do believe there are some things that should be destined to be. However, it's my choice to be destined or not to be destined. Well. To me, it is. (:

    THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE GIVEAWAY! (:

    chocolatestarpie(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  19. I dont know what I would do but I would fight! With every fiber of my being because if hes the ONE then it is worth it all! ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Yes, I would fight to change it. Love is stronger than fate and together you would be stronger, more able to overcome anything, even a bad destiny.

    ReplyDelete