One of our favorite versatile authors is Erin McCarthy. She writes everything from Vampires to Hot Nascar drives and now New Adult. Even though we’ve had Erin on in the past it occurred to me we’ve never interviewed so we are correcting that and asking her the hard questions. We are also giving away a digital copy of her new book True. Just leave her a note telling her why you love her books. Open to US/Canada only.
TBRG: Welcome Erin back to our little neck of the internet.
EM: Thanks for having me!
TBRG: Ok first hard question…are you ready for it?
EM: Probably not, but let’s give it a shot. Lol.
TBRG: Do you have a pinterest board or tumblr page where we can all drool over the hotness that is your heroes?
EM: Yes, I just started a pinterest for my books and in particular for TRUE. Then I will be going back and adding all the Fast Track hotties. Pinterest.com/ermccarthy
TBRG: Seriously that is an important question.
EM: Absolutely! I also tend to post my muses on my Facebook fan page as well.
TBRG: Ok now for the real questions….Who has been the biggest influence on your writing?
EM: I don’t think one writer has been the biggest influence on my writing. I honestly think it’s a culmination of reading thousands of books by middle school and journaling every little thought I had (and making up a fair amount of diary entries) that somehow all meshed together. I always wanted to be a writer… right from the first grade on. The other biggest influence is my pure fascination with people. I can talk to anyone for hours on end and I find both conversation and people watching endlessly intriguing.
TBRG: What is the one thing your readers would be the most surprised to know about you?
EM: That I’m allergic to chocolate. That actually always freaks people out.
TBRG: Where is the one place you have always wanted to go, a place on your bucket list?
EM: I want to go to the Jane Austen festival in Bath, England. I want to wear a Regency gown and learn the dances and do all the sightseeing.
TBRG: What was the first romance book that you read?
EM: I’m not sure. I did find a picture of me in the fifth grade reading Flowers in the Attic. Hello. I think I was a little young for that. I read the YA romances voraciously, from 4th grade on, and then in high school probably my first adult contemporary romance as we know it was a Nora Roberts book that my mom had. I think the title was HOT ICE. It had suspense, they were in Madagascar, they snarked back and forth at each other. I didn’t know it was romance, but I was hooked.
TBRG: Who are some of your go to authors, and what are you reading right now?
EM: Right now I am reading The Sandalwood Tree, a novel set in India, for my book club. We paired it with a non-fiction title, Beyond the Beautiful Forevers about the slums in Mumbai. I love being in a book club because besides the wine drinking, it makes me remember to read! In romance, I tend to read historical and YA. I love Anne Stuart, Connie Brockway, Teresa Mederios, and I just discovered Pamela Clare.
TBRG: If you weren’t writing and keeping us in books (thanks for that by the way), what would you be doing?
EM: Well, I went to college with the intention of being a lawyer. Yeah, not so much. If this writing gig doesn’t work out, I’m basically screwed. 😛
TBRG: What is your guilty pleasure?
EM: Ice cream. The tin roof sundae with caramel sauce and Spanish peanuts.
TBRG: Who is on your playlist when you are writing? If you don’t listen to music do you have the TV on for background noise? What shows are they?
EM: I always listen to music when I write. The music changes depending on the characters. For Full Throttle, my next Fast Track, it was country. For True, it was indie music and classic rock.
TBRG: Where do your ideas/characters come from?
EM: When I figure out, I’ll let ya know. 😉
TBRG: Are you a planner or a fly by the seat author, or a combination of both?
EM: I’m a combo. I have a very good sense of the characters and what their conflict is. I know what the beginning of the story is and the general ark but I don’t know what every scene is going to be. Weaving those high points together is the fun part. If I knew everything I think I would be bored writing.
TBRG: What made you want to try your hand at New Adult?
EM: I’ve always wanted to write more YA and I’ve always wanted to write with deeper emotion, and my awesome editor knew that. So last summer we were having dinner in New York and she suggested that if I was interested in NA, I give it a shot because she thought my voice would be well suited for it. I’m so glad she nudged me!
TBRG: How did you come up with the idea for True?
EM: I can’t say exactly… it came out of a mad brainstorming session with my BFF Olivia Mayfield, who thankfully lives fifteen minutes away from me and writes NA for Kensington. We were at Panera (where we basically live), cracked out on their babymaking jazz music, and we spit out about eight story ideas. Somehow this one stuck.
TBRG: Tell us about the story.
EM: Rory is socially awkward and is just looking to have the same sexual experiences as other girls, only she is not prepared for the feelings she winds up having for bad boy Tyler, or the decisions she will have to make when their future together is threatened.
TBRG: What do you want us to know about Rory and Tyler?
EM: I think there is a little bit of Rory in most women at one point in their life… I think we’ve all felt socially awkward, left out, and I hope readers will identify with her. Tyler may look the part of the bad boy, but ultimately he is a guy who has risen above his circumstances to be a man, not a bad boy.
TBRG: Using 3-5 adjectives describe Rory and Tyler.
EM: Rory: Observant, intelligent, caring. Tyler: Loyal, realistic, strong.
TBRG: If Rory had to describe Tyler what would she say? And if Tyler had to describe Rory what would he say?
EM: What is one word Rory would use to describe Tyler? Noble. Because he does the right thing, or what he thinks is the right thing, every time.
What is one word Tyler would use to describe Rory? She’s so smart it’s amazing that she can still be so sweet.
TBRG: What are you working on now?
EM: I am working on a second new adult book, which features the heroine from TRUE’s roommate, Jessica. Rory and Jessica are total opposites, and while Jessica may have a ton of sexual experience, she has never let a guy into her heart—until now.
TBRG: We want to thank Erin for being her today and talking about herself and her new book True.
EM: Thanks! So glad to be able to drop by. 🙂
When Rory Macintosh’s roommates find out that their studious and shy friend has never been with a guy, they decide that, as an act of kindness they’ll help her lose her virginity by hiring confident, tattooed bad boy Tyler Mann to do the job…unbeknownst to Rory.
Tyler knows he’s not good enough for Rory. She’s smart, doctor smart, while he’s barely scraping by at his EMT program, hoping to pull his younger brothers out of the hell their druggy mother has left them in. But he can’t resist taking up her roommates on an opportunity to get to know her better. There’s something about her honesty that keeps him coming back when he knows he shouldn’t…
Torn between common sense and desire, the two find themselves caught up in a passionate relationship. But when Tyler’s broken family threatens to destroy his future, and hers, Rory will need to decide whether to cut her ties to his risky world or follow her heart, no matter what the cost
Erin McCarthy is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 40 novels and novellas in the paranormal, contemporary romance, and young adult genres. The author is a RITA award finalist and an American Library Association winner of the Reluctant Young Reader award. She lives with her family in Ohio.
Website: www.erinmccarthy.net/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/authorerin
Facebook: www.facebook.com/erinmccarthybooks
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7941.Erin_McCarthy
Fun interview. Haven’t read this author’s books before
Thanks for the fun interview ladies, I really enjoyed reading this. So far, I have loved all the books by Erin McCarthy that I have read. And it is very very good to know that you are allergic to chocolate Erin! See you in Berlin in 2,5 weeks 🙂
Being from a family of racers, I enjoyed the Fast Track series.
I would be devastated to be allergic to chocolate 🙁
I really loved Flat-Out Sexy with Elec. I think that was my favorite in the series. Can’t wait to read this NA book!