Interview/Giveaway with Carrie Lofty

Today we get to have the talented Carrie Lofty here to talk about her Victorian series she has with Pocket. Welcome to the blog Carrie!

Lexi:  It feels like ages since I first read Flawless, fell in love with the Christie family, and put you on my authors to watch list. Now book two, Starlight, will be released this June and your novella, A Little More Scandal, was just released May 29th. Does it feel like it has been a long wait for book two and your novella to be released?

Carrie:  Not really! I’ve been keeping very busy. Between the holidays, revisions and proofreading on both the novella and Starlight, and setting up promotional opportunities, the day when Flawless hit the shelves seems like only a few blinks ago. I love keeping up that pace, even if it means too many meals of fish sticks and tater tots for my family!

Lexi:  When we first were introduced to William in Flawless he has passed away and left a will for his children. The version of him you get from Vivienne, Alexander, Gareth and Gwyneth is very different from the version you get in A Little More Scandal. Did you have fun writing about this imposing father figure in his younger days?

Carrie:  I was instantly drawn to the idea that our parents don’t really “exist” before our births. Of course that’s not the case, but I didn’t realize it completely until having children of my own. They will never know the person I was when I fell in love with my husband. The same applied to thinking about William Christie. From Viv’s perspective, and as you’ll read in Starlight, from Alex’s perspective, William is a flawless individual. Who isn’t? It was nice to tell “his side” of the story, to balance the impressions each of his children carry with them through their adventures. 

Lexi:  I enjoy reading about your characters in different stages of their lives. They change just as we do with circumstances. If someone were to use your life as the basis for a fictional book what, part would you want them to focus on? A young girl dreaming of a cowboy coming to take her away? The young collegiate who falls for a foreign guy? 

Carrie:  Those would make for very different books, wouldn’t they? Both of those versions of me remain valid and special. I can’t choose, because that would mean valuing one part of me more than the others. Does that make sense? I remember optimism, excitement, hope, restlessness, and anxiety during both, just for different reasons. There are times I’d rather not be chronicled, which were times when I had fewer dreams and a less driven sense of purpose. They wouldn’t make for very good stories. Falling for a foreign guy, though… That’s gotta be half the romances out there!

Lexi:  You write more than The Christies series. You write historical, post-apocalyptic, contemporary erotic, and anything else? Do you have a favorite, or does the favorite change like bowls of ice cream? (as in, your favorite kind of ice cream is whatever kind is sitting in the bowl in front of you).

Carrie: Believe it or not, I never saw myself writing anything but historical's. I have a masters in history and studied it for decades. The opportunity to write with partners, however, has really opened my mind—not just to what variety romance can offer, but what I’m capable of writing. I thought I was “only” a historical writer. Turns out that writing is writing, and romance is romance! Now, Nightfall, co-written as Ellen Connor, has won an RT Reviewers’ Choice award for best futuristic romance, and it’s been nominated for a RITA™. So exciting, and such a validation. 

In addition, under the name Katie Porter, I co-write erotic contemporary romances with Lorelie Brown. The first three of our “Vegas Top Guns” series will debut with Samhain in July, August, and September, starting with Double Down. Expanding into a new genre is incredibly exciting. Lorelie and I have been friends and critique partners for six years, so writing with her is as easy as breathing. 

You can tell my vague response that I’ll definitely eat whatever ice cream you put in front of me!

Lexi:  I am a historical romance junkie, so my favorite vote goes for The Christies series. Sadly there are a limited number of siblings, will the series end with the youngest’s story? 

Carrie:  That looks to be how it will conclude, yes. The concept of the four siblings learning the contents of their father’s will rather limits it to just those four romances. Rest assured, however, that I remain a history junkie at heart. There will never be a time when I’m not writing historical romance. The ideas will not leave me be!

Speaking of which, don’t forget that I get to poke at new boundaries later this summer with the release of His Very Own Girl, a historical romance set in World War II. It’s not women’s fiction. It’s not literary fiction. It’s a genuine romance, complete with sexy times and a happy ending! Look for it September 4^th as a Pocket Star digital original novel. I cannot wait to see how readers respond!

Lexi:  No matter what you write it will be fun to read, your writing style ensures that. So thanks for taking the time to stop by the blog Carrie! Now I will just have to keep my fingers crossed that we will not have to wait too long for the rest of the series! 

Carrie:  Thanks so much, Lexi, for inviting me to stop by. I really appreciate your enthusiasm for my work and your marvelous questions.  Such a pleasure!

About Carrie Lofty:

Born in California, raised in the Midwest, Carrie Lofty met her English husband while studying abroad—the best souvenir! Since earning her master’s in history, she’s become a devoted mother, movie buff, weightlifter, and professional writer. After starting her career with Kensington and Carina Press, Carrie now writes historical and paranormal romances for Pocket. 
In 2011, FLAWLESS was praised in The Chicago Tribune as a “splendidly original” Victorian era romance that “will dazzle readers with its multilayered characters, passion-rich plot, and unique setting.” Co-writing as Ellen Connor, Carrie’s RITA™ nominated NIGHTFALL, from the “Dark Age Dawning” triolgy, won RT’s Reviewers’ Choice Best Futuristic Romance of 2011. 
Carrie has since embarked on a new co-writing project under the name Katie Porter. She and long-time critique partner, Lorelie Brown, anticipate the summer release of their “Vegas Top Guns” series of erotic romances from Samhain.

Websites: Carrie Lofty - Ellen Connor - Katie Porter

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~*GIVEAWAY*~

Crystal has a spanking new copy of Starlight to give away to one US/Canadian reader today! To enter, just leave a comment or question for Carrie and then fill out the rafflecopter below! Additional entries are available but not required, good luck. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway