I welcome bestselling author Caroline Fardig to my blog for an interesting interview:
Caroline welcome and thanks for the interview.
Question No 1: Please tell us, what is the book about? Give us in a short paragraph a summary of your book.
Answer: When bodies start piling up in the small town of Liberty, Lizzie Hart smells trouble and takes it upon herself to uncover the truth. Hindered only by her total ineptitude at sleuthing and a raging crush on the town’s most eligible bachelor, Blake Morgan, Lizzie spies, accuses, eavesdrops, and gossips her way through a parade of suspects.
Question No 2: Are any of the characters or situations used in your book based on real life experiences?
Answer: I use a lot of personal experience in my books. That said, I don’t have any personal experience in murder, but I use little everyday things all the time. Specifically, I have the same hate-hate relationship with my cat that Lizzie has with hers. I’ve worked at a funeral home before, so I’ve used some of my knowledge to write for the character of Becca, Lizzie’s cousin, who owns the local funeral home.
Question No 3: Please, describe your writing style. Do you create an outline first and write the book based on that, or do you start writing the first sentence that comes to mind and go on from there?
Answer: Before any actual “writing” starts, I hash out my main storyline in my head. Some might call it “daydreaming”, but I call it plot formation, and I usually do this with the help of some music. Music always helps me get the tone of a scene worked out, but once I start actually putting pen to paper (or more accurately, fingers to keyboard), I must have complete silence. Once I have my general idea solidified in my head, I make a synopsis, which for me is more like a timeline mapped out by day. I couldn’t write without one of those. Along with my synopsis, I also write down all the one-liners I’ve thought of while creating the plot. When I’m ready to commit to writing the book from start to finish, I sit down and do it. Most of the time (all of the time), once I start writing, the story takes on a life of its own, and goes off in a direction I didn’t expect, to get to the end I originally envisioned. That’s the fun of writing for me, and also the part that scares me to death.
Question No 4: Please, describe your writing environment.
Answer: Usually, I do all of my writing in my office, where I have a “megadesk”, a big “L” shape consisting of a credenza/desk against the wall plus another desk. I’ve got my thesaurus within arm’s reach, and my desk is generally littered with to-do lists, manuscripts to be edited, and coffee cups. However, I recently got a MacBook, so I am mobile now! In fact, I did a little writing outside on my deck last night.
Question No 5: Do you use a pen name and if so, why?
Answer: I don’t use a pen name. If I did, it surely wouldn’t be “Fardig”. The jokes are way too easy. I’ve heard them all—I used to be a teacher.
Question No 6: What kind of books/genres are your favourites?
Answer: Mysteries are my favorite (shocking, I know), but they have to be light-hearted. I don’t do the hard-boiled procedural thing. I really like chick-lit, too. Basically, if it’s funny, I’ll read it.
Question No 7: What current projects are you working on?
Answer: I am just now finishing some rewrites for my second book, That Old Black Magic, and I really want to get that out the door. My third book, Bad Medicine, is ready for editing. Right now, I’m ready to take a little detour into chick-lit/romance. I have about 3 ideas for books I’d like to write.
Question No 8: When did you start to write?
Answer: I started writing this book three years ago, and didn’t tell a soul about it. After about six months, I worked up the courage to give my first draft to one of my best friends. She read it and encouraged me to keep working on it and to try to get it published. I’ve been writing ever since.
Question No 9: What do you want readers to take away from your book? (What would you like your readers to grasp)?
Answer: I want people to have fun reading my books. I want them to be transported to another world, free of the problems and general boring-ness of real life. I want them to go on an adventure, fall in love, take down the bad guy, and tell off their enemies—things that most of us don’t do everyday.
Question No 10: Could you share with us, what was the emotional experience tied to writing?
Answer: It’s a thrill ride. I’m able to get inside other people’s heads (fictional people, but still), make people react exactly the way I want them to, say anything I want, and make people fall in love. I get to experience each character’s emotions as I’m writing their dialogue. On the days when I have to write break-up scenes or funerals, I’m a complete mess.
IT’S JUST A LITTLE CRUSH by Caroline Fardig is a
#1 Bestseller on Barnes & Noble’s Humor list!
Buy on Amazon:
Buy
on B&N:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/its-just-a-little-crush-caroline-fardig/1115238564?ean=2940148471011
Book Description
Publication Date: January
29, 2013
The sleepy town of Liberty
hasn’t seen murder in…well…ever. Residents are stunned when the body of a young
woman is found strangled, and reporters at the Liberty Chronicle are thrilled,
rather disturbingly, over the biggest news story to hit town this century.
Lizzie Hart has even bigger
problems. Lately, she can’t seem to concentrate on her job as copy editor at
the Chronicle with the new hunky investigative reporter, Blake Morgan,
swaggering around the office. How can a girl work when she’s using all of her
energy combating Blake-induced hot flashes and struggling to repress the giggly
inner schoolgirl that’s constantly rearing her dorky head? It’s a good thing
that Blake barely knows Lizzie exists.
After an odd string of events,
however, Lizzie begins to wonder if Blake is really as fabulous as she has
fantasized. When Lizzie and Blake find a co-worker dead, Blake’s personality
changes completely—and not in a good way. Even though the police rule the death
as an accident, Lizzie immediately suspects foul play and senses a connection
to the recent murder. She is determined to bring the killer to justice, but is
having some trouble getting her Nancy Drew on thanks to the pesky stalker she’s
picked up—Blake Morgan. Wait, didn’t she want him to follow her around and pay
attention to her? Not like this. Blake has turned from cool and smooth to cold
and downright scary, making Lizzie wonder if he should be next on her suspect
list.
About
the Author:
CAROLINE FARDIG was born and raised in a small town in
Indiana. Her working career has been rather eclectic thus far, with occupations
including schoolteacher, church organist, insurance agent, funeral parlor associate,
and stay-at-home mom. Finally realizing that she wants to be a writer when she
grows up, Caroline has completed her first novel, It’s Just a Little Crush, and
is currently hard at work churning out a second novel in the series. She still
lives in that same small town with an understanding husband, two sweet kids,
two energetic dogs, and one malevolent cat.
Social Media
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website:
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