Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Book Spotlight & Giveaway~ In the Present Tense


Discover the world of author Carrie Pack's In the Present Tense. Don't forget to enter the giveaway at the end of the post for a chance to win some great prizes from the author. The contest will close on June 8th. The tour is sponsored by Pride Promotions.

Talking with author Carrie Pack....

What started your interest in writing?
I’ve been a voracious reader since I was a child. (I think a lot of writers start out that way.) For me, writing was the next logical step. I don’t think I ever had an “ah-ha moment” but I distinctly remember trying to write novels as a kid. But I didn’t have the storytelling ability. As I got older and was exposed to more genres, I kept thinking, “I want to do this.” It took growing up to realize the only thing that was stopping me from writing was me. So one day I just started writing for fun. 

If zombies attacked what kind of supplies would you want?
A machete, a baseball bat and some non-perishable food. And maybe some matches so I don’t always have to start a fire from scratch.

If you could sit down with any author dead or alive who would it be?
Jane Austen. I’d want to tell her how beloved her books are.

Do you keep a notebook near you for when new ideas pop into your head?
You know, I don’t. Occasionally I will use the Notes app on my phone, but I am horrible about jotting down ideas. I like to carve out chunks of time to write. It takes me a while to focus, so I like to have a stretch of quiet, uninterrupted solitude.

If you write a series do you reread your previous books before you begin the new one?
I haven’t written a series yet, but I’m sure I would have to go back and read previous books to get back into the characters’ heads/voices. I am thinking of writing a sequel to In the Present Tense, and I know I’d have to reread that to get in the headspace for it.

Is there anything you wish to say to your readers?
I hope they enjoy my books. There’s nothing more rewarding than sharing your creative ideas with others and having them get joy out of it.  

For readers who haven't tried your books yet, how do you think your editor or loyal readers would describe your books?
I like to explore themes that deal with characters finding themselves and learning to be true to that. Because I don’t tend to stick to one genre, I’ve done a lot of thinking about what compels me to write, and it’s the character’s journey. My characters always have something to learn about themselves and/or their loved ones. Who are they? What do they value? What kind of person do they want to be? How can you be true to yourself when the world is constantly asking you to conform to their expectations? That’s the stuff I’m interested in, so it’s what I write.

I’m always looking for book recommendations. What books have you been reading? Would you recommend them?
I just finished 44 Chapters About 4 Men: A Memoir by B.B. Easton and it was really fun. The writer has a unique style that I really enjoyed.

Another recent read that I would recommend to lovers of sci-fi romance is The Star Host by F.T. Lukens. It’s a YA novel that is reminiscent of series like Divergent and Star Wars but with its own flavor and nuance.

How often does your muse distract you from day to day minutiae?
Actually, it’s usually the other way around. The day-to-day distracts me from writing far too often. I need to get better at that. But when I get in “the zone,” I can write for long periods of time without getting distracted.  

What do readers have to look forward to in the future from you?
I’m currently working on a YA romance set during the ’90s feminist punk scene known as Riot Grrrl. It’s a time period that is close to my heart and there are a lot of parallels to issues that interest teen girls in 2016.

After that I want to revisit the characters from In the Present Tense for a possible sequel.  

Now let's check out Carrie Pack's In the Present Tense....


Publisher: Interlude Press
Cover Artist: CB Messer
Release Date: May 19, 2016

Miles Lawson goes to sleep dreaming of a future with his boyfriend Adam, but wakes to find he is married to Ana, an acquaintance from high school. When he learns he has been time traveling, Miles is consumed with finding a cure for his rare condition—and finding his first love. But will he be able to convince Adam he is telling the truth before it’s too late?

Pages or Words: 336 pages

Categories: Bisexual, Contemporary, Fiction, Gay Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction

Excerpt:
Miles sat there and tried to make out shapes and colors in the dark room as he searched his brain for a memory of anything.
Nothing looked familiar. His desk, his drum set, the sheets—all gone. Not one thing looked the way it had when he'd fallen asleep, and Ana certainly hadn't been in his bed.
He tried to replay the previous day's events, but everything seemed fuzzy, like a fogged bathroom mirror that he couldn't wipe clean.
Why was everything so fuzzy?
Last night... What happened last night?
Adam had come over and they were watching TV together, and Adam had given him a small stuffed giraffe because Miles was scared about having surgery. He reached for his left arm, expecting to find the cast that had been there for the last two months, but it wasn't there. His heart began to beat so loudly he glanced over at Ana to make sure she was still asleep.
Unable to determine what had happened to his cast, Miles resumed his tally of the previous evening's chain of events. At around ten-thirty, his mom said Adam had to leave because they had to get up early to go to the hospital. He had taken his pain meds and gone to sleep with the phantom of Adam's goodnight kiss on his cheek. He'd been happy.
He'd gotten a text from Ana earlier in the evening, but she was only wishing him luck with the surgery. She hadn't come over. In fact, as far as Miles knew, Ana had been several hours away in her dorm room.
So how had she gotten into his bedroom? And who had changed his sheets?
He threw off the covers and stood up, noticing he was only wearing a tight-fitting pair of boxer briefs instead of his usual basketball shorts.
He looked around the room for anything familiar, but it was still dark out, and all he could see were shadows and vague shapes. On the dresser opposite the bed, he found a few framed photos. Squinting to see without turning on a light, Miles studied the images carefully.
As his eyes focused, he recognized a couple of the photos. One was from last year's prom: Adam wearing that ridiculous corsage Miles had bought him, Ana being dipped by her date, David, as all four of them smiled widely in front of a cheesy faux tropical scene. One of the frames held a collage of photos of his and Ana's friends. He recognized Adam, Lucky, Antonio, Dahlia and Brienne. But the last one, the largest of all the photos, was of him and Ana—her in a flowing white dress and him in a black suit, both wearing broad smiles and flanked by Miles's parents and a woman Miles had only seen once: Julia Espinosa, Ana's mother.
A loud clatter echoed through the bedroom as the frame hit the edge of the dresser and fell to the hardwood floor. This wasn't his room, and he didn't remember that photo being taken.
"Go back to sleep," Ana mumbled, her voice muffled by the pillow.
"Ana," he whispered, risking her full anger, but unable to stop himself, "we're married."
"Thanks for the update. Now go back to sleep before I divorce your dumb ass."
He dropped to the floor on his knees, barely even noticing the sharp pain of bare skin hitting the hard surface.
Married. To Ana?
What the hell had happened?

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Tour Dates & Stops:


Meet the author:

Carrie Pack is the author of Designs On You and a part-time college professor who recently left her job in marketing to actively pursue her writing career. Carrie lives in Florida, which she fondly calls America’s Wang, with her husband and four cats.

Where to find the author:

Website:  www.carriepack.com

Rafflecopter Prize: Grand Prize: $25 Interlude Press Gift Card, 5 First Prizes: eCopy of In The Present Tense by Carrie Pack



2 comments:

Carrie Pack said...

Thank you for a great interview and thanks for hosting!

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