BAYOU BASH WITH ROBIN CAROLL

Hey Bloggers!

Welcome to this "limb" of Robin's blog tour!!!

I have the extreme pleasure of posting from Arkansas where I've spent the weekend with Robin Caroll.

Her family and friends put together a Bayou Bash to honor her for the release of her debut novel, Bayou Justice.

We traveled with Robin to Louisianna for her Bayou Bash and book signings at Shreveport Barnes and Noble, and Pierre Bossier Mall's Border Books.
I got to see the Bayou up close! I've never seen one before.

Great news.....Robin SOLD OUT OF BOOKS AT BOTH SIGNINGS!!! She sold close to 100 books in all!

I hope you enjoy her Bayou Bash and debut book signing pictures as well as her interview. (Posted below)

Robin’s Interview.
1. If your main characters from Bayou Justice could blurb you, the author, what would they say?
Coco: Robin can be demanding and stubborn, but at least she understands the area and the wildlife.
Luc: Robin is grounded spiritually and creative.
2. What is the best part of working with an editor? Seeing how someone else in the industry interacts with my characters, and getting her perspective.
3. What is it like to get reader feedback from non-writers? It’s gratifying to hear people discuss these characters I’ve lived with for so long, as if they’re real people.
4. Bayou Justice is book one in a series. Though each book can stand on its own, what links your stories together? Clearly, the Bayou setting. But also the strong family ties that are so popular in the Cajun culture.
5. Out of all the characters in your Bayou Series books, who has been the most challenging to write and why? Felicia in book three (Bayou Judgment, to be released from Steeple Hill Suspense in May 2008) because she is the least like my own personality. I had to use other inspiration to capture her traits and qualities.
6. On that note, where do you draw inspiration from for your characters and plots? For plots, from news, newspapers, and I ask a lot of “What if?” and I imagine the opposite. Meaning, I ask, “What if the opposite had happened?” Example: A court removing a child from foster care because of abuse, I would “What If” the court was removing the child from foster care when it was in the child’s best interest to stay? That’s how my mind works when I’m plotting. Characterization: I draw inspiration from aspects of people I know or have met, a little of myself, and by observation. I’m a huge people watcher. I love to study how people interact.
7. Speaking of reader feedback, what would be the highest compliment a reader could give you? That the story spoke to them or moved them in some way.
8. You recently had your first book signings, which were a HUGE success! (Robin sold completely out of books at both locations-Shreveport’s Barnes and Noble and at Borders! Wahoo!) What would you advise debut authors regarding coordinating their first book signing? Set it in an area where you have a lot of support such as the area surrounding the setting of your story, or your hometown, etc.
9. With a published book out now, people (aka bookstore owners, librarians, etc) will introduce you as “Robin Caroll, the author of Southern Mysteries of Suspense to Inspire your Heart.” What part of your identity prior to publication would you least like to lose? Meaning, if God Himself were to introduce you to a group of people or angels, what would you hope Him to say? “This is my daughter who is obedient.”
10. If aspiring authors could have seven tools crucial to publication, what would you say those are? Strong prayer life. A desire to learn. A good network of other writers. Strong critique partners. A vast reference book library. (Example: Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook). Determination. Perseverance.

Thanks for stopping by Robin's blog tour! Don't be shy....pull up a seat, post a comment and spend some time with this fabulous Romantic Suspense author.

Squirrel