All About Strength discussion

Have a question? Go for it! :)

oooh let me see... uhm what inspired you to write Strength? and when will the sequel roughly be released? :)

*Rubs hands together* On it! :)

Strength started out as a bit of a daydream. For the longest time, I'd toyed with the idea of a unique, supernatural race. (Or three. *cough*) Then one night, for whatever reason, I couldn't stop thinking about the concept of balance. I started jotting down notes while listening to music, and "All I Know" (the 2005 Five for Fighting cover) came on. Oh my goodness. How you heard the lyrics to that song? Perfect! The romance element fell right into place.

As for the sequel, that depends on a few people...

I'm at 80,041 words right now. (About 10,000 more should do it.) Then, it'll be off to my critique partners and beta readers for a dozen rounds of revision. After that, I'll query/submit it to my publisher, and we'll all cross our fingers! I'm hoping for sometime this year. :)

Thanks, Nadia!

YES! I can't wait to read the second book! And that sounds like an awesome way to be inspired to write a book!:)

Nadia wrote: "YES! I can't wait to read the second book! And that sounds like an awesome way to be inspired to write a book!:)"

Thank you! ♥

Nadia wrote: "YES! I can't wait to read the second book! ..."

Same here. I can't wait to get my hands on the second one. I'm having Wallace withdrawals. LOL

Melissa wrote: "I can't wait to get my hands on the second one. I'm having Wallace withdrawals. LOL"

Weird. Wallace has been having Melissa withdrawals, too. ;)

Carrie wrote: Weird. Wallace has been having Melissa withdrawals, too. ;)"

Yikes! Better not tell Rena. :P

Melissa wrote: "Yikes! Better not tell Rena. :P"

Not if either one of us wants to live. LOL

I just cannot wait for the sequel . Carrie i just want to say that you are an amazing author and i'm just captivated by your writing . I feel like all the books these days have the same themes and story lines so it's just a bore to read . While i was reading Strength i never felt those feelings . I immediately fell in love with Wallace and Rena's relationship:)You did a fantastic job with Strength. Oh and before I forget, when you finish the sequel will you give readers Advanced Copies like you did with Strength ? I definitely know it will make my year if i get an ARC.


Thumbs up to you and continue to write more amazing books !

Reading all this praise is making me want this book more and more. :)

Oh, Abigail, your comment made me so happy! You have no idea how encouraging it is to hear things like that. :) I will have to query/submit the sequel to my publisher first, but if they accept it, I assume we'll do e-ARCs the same way. Thank you so much for your question, and if you think of anything else, please don't be afraid to ask.

And Brianna, I really hope it lives up to the kind words everyone is sharing! :)

*stands on chair and pumps fist while shouting*
"Se-quel! Se-quel! Se-quel!"
:D

Melissa wrote: "*stands on chair and pumps fist while shouting* "Se-quel! Se-quel! Se-quel! :D"

Thanks, Melissa! I hit a speed bump around 85k, but I'm getting there. :D

Hey Carrie , I just have a few more questions that i wanted to ask you :)
1 .When naming your characters, do you give any thought to the actual meaning?

2. Did you ever think you'd ever become an author?

3. How long did it take you to publish your first book, after you started trying?

4. How does it take you to write a book ?

Awesome! Let's see...

1 .When naming your characters, do you give any thought to the actual meaning?

Oh, absolutely. I love researching names. Here are some fun facts about Strength's characters, courtesy of 20,000 Names:

RENA: Latin form of French Renée, meaning "reborn."
(Let's just say, certain revelations make her feel like a new person later in the series.)

WALLACE: English surname transferred to forename use, from an ethnic byname, from Old French waleis, meaning "foreigner, stranger," especially Celtic or Roman.
(Pretty self-explanatory, right?)

NICHOLAS: English form of French Nicolas, meaning "victor of the people."
(Interesting, considering what he does most nights...)

AIDEN: Variant spelling of English Aidan, meaning "little fire."
(Perfect for a shy little redhead with a growing desire for something.)

GABRIELA: A Spanish feminine form of Gabriel (q.v.), meaning "hero of god." Also spelled Gabriella.
(This one was less about the actual meaning—noted above—and more about the play on words. Gabby = Talkative.)

2. Did you ever think you'd ever become an author?

Not at all. In fact, I just wrote about this for the Overcoming Adversity. I was all set for a career in marketing, but life had other plans. :)

3. How long did it take you to publish your first book, after you started trying?

I started querying Strength in February of 2012, and though I faced a slew of rejections saying NA wasn't a real category, I received an offer from Sapphire Star Publishing at the end of May. (What a blessing!) Now, we're only twenty-three days away from its release. :D

4. How long does it take you to write a book?

Strength spoiled me. I started the manuscript in January of 2011 and ended up cranking the whole thing out in three months! Of course, I spent the better part of the next year working with critique partners, revising, editing, working with beta readers, etc. I had to make the story shine before I could query agents and editors.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to give Book II the same undivided attention. (As is the case with most sequels.) Soon, though! Soon. I'm hoping to get an edited draft out to my critique partners before March. :D

Thank you for the questions, Abigail! If you come up with any more, please don't hesitate to ask. :)

I feel like such a stalker X_X. I keep on checking your website every week to see if there's any news about the sequel. But can you blame me ? Nope :P I seriously loved Strength :) So i'm sorry for asking this again , but is there any news on the sequel? I'm having serious Wallace withdrawals , lol .

Don't feel like a stalker! That is exactly what I needed to hear today. Thank you! :)

1. It reminded me to update my website, in case anyone else is curious.

2. It motivates me to work on the sequel as soon as I get home. (I'm doing a mini-signing at a book club this afternoon.)

Speaking of which, I am so close to finishing this draft! I know I've said that before, but we're talking a chapter or two now. (The A-Z Blog Challenge threw in a bit of a delay, but I'm getting back on track.) Whew!

All I can say is, things are about to get very complicated...

Hello. :) I've got a question.

How do you find music/songs that compliment both of the books you've written?

And do you write with the music playing?

Thanks.

Gerchia wrote: "Hello. :) I've got a question.

How do you find music/songs that compliment both of the books you've written?

And do you write with the music playing?

Thanks."

Hi, Gerchia!

I'm one of those people who have to have music playing all the time. It doesn't matter if I'm cleaning or writing--there has to be something on to fit the mood.

As such, I'm always on the lookout for new songs to add to my playlists--especially when I'm outlining. I add tons of music, play it while I'm writing, and then pare the list down before the book is released. That way, when I share, it's not completely overwhelming for people. ;)

Oh, and the only time I turn music off to write is when I'm really stuck. Then I bust out RainyMood!

Thanks for the question!