If you haven’t read Cherry Blossom Capers, you’re in for a treat.
Please read this interview with two of the authors, Cara C. Putman, Gina Conroy, regarding what it was like to work together to write the four novellas State Secrets, Dying for Love, Buried Deception, and Coffee, Tea and Danger.
Leave a comment below with your email address for a chance to win a free copy. We must have 15 comments to have a contest. (US only)
Ladies, tell me how Cherry Blossom Capers was born?
Cara: Several years ago, Gina, Lynette, and I (Cara) were trying to come up with a novella idea. Then we got Gina involved and tried to think of an interesting locale that hadn’t been covered by a prior novella collection and Washington, D.C. came up. Since I had lived there, we picked my former neighborhood, and each took a different location and mystery. The key connector became this community where all of our heroines lived.
Did you know each other before writing together or did Barbour Books pick you ladies for this book?
Gina: I met Lynette Sowell about seven years ago at an ACFW conference as we stood outside agent Steve Laube’s door as newbies for an in depth critique. We bonded over our nervousness and our naïve hopefulness that Steve would recognize our brilliance and sign us on the spot. Needless to say, that didn’t happen. I met Cara when she joined the ACFW crit group I led and I got to see her grow from a new writer to someone who’s surpassed me with contracts. I didn’t know Frances until we formed this group.
What did your co-writing relationship look like?
Cara: We brainstormed extensively through email, finding our theme, location, and the fact that these would be romantic mysteries. Then we went to work on our synopsizes. After that we submitted the proposal and waited…a long time J Once we received the contract we rebrainstormed and then wrote. We read each others novellas and found a few more ways we could connect the stories like having the gals get together in each one to watch a classic movie. Small details that tied the stories even more closely together.
What were the pros and cons of writing this book together?
Gina: It was a fun and relatively painless process. We all bounced ideas off of each other and I can’t remember any real disagreements. The hardest part for me was not being under contract for other books and having all this energy and time to put towards this project, but realizing the other authors in our anthology might not be so focused on our project because they were writing other books. Still, they always took time to listen to my suggestions and answer my questions. They really were great to work with!
Did you feel like your writing styles blended together nicely or did they clash?
Cara: The styles really did blend well. Each story reflects who we are as individual writers, yet they melded together to form a cohesive collection of stories.
For the legal elements in these stories, was there a lot of research that went into them?
Cara: Because I’m an attorney, the legal elements didn’t require much research. I actually attended law school in Arlington, Va, and clerked for a federal judge in D.C. That was one reason I put my story in the legal community.
Did you learn anything from writing a co-authored book and what was it?
Gina: I really enjoyed the process of figuring out ways each of our characters could make cameo appearances in the other stories. And it’s one of the things the readers love about our stories. We had fun coming up with more ways to tie our novellas together and I think in the finally stages of edits before we submitted we added the fun connection of our characters getting together for classic movie nights.
Do you have any advice for other writers who may be asked to write a book with another author?
Gina: It’s important that you collaborate with others you respect in writing and work ethic. If something in your relationship outside of writing clashes, chances are it will clash in the writing as well and make it a miserable experience. I only know this from what I hear from anthology projects where the authors have had trouble with their partners, not from experience!
Cara: That’s great advice, Gina. It helped that I knew Gina well, and had worked with Lynette and Frances in other capacities over time. All these gals were great to work with and we had a lot of fun.
Did any of you experience writer’s block during the writing process and did the other authors offer encouragement or help of any kind?
Gina: I don’t think I experienced writer’s block, but I when I was incorporating their characters into my story I’d often ask, “What would Ciara wear? OR what little quirk did Jack have.” It think those little details helped the continuity of the characters and story.
I like the fact that the main characters were neighbors and that they helped each other out. There was a sense of community. Is there a message in this book that you want readers to grasp?
Gina: The theme of my novella, Buried Deception, is about surrendering to God and not trying to be self sufficient. Through Samantha and Nick’s story I show that we’re not meant to go through life alone and we need to ask for help. I think the fact that the four neighbors were always there for each other just strengthened the message.
Cara: Ciara has to be willing to let go of her past pains to move into a new relationship with an old flame. I think many of us can relate to having an issue that we just can’t seem to walk away from even when we want to do just that. So I hope readers will gain the courage to turn over those past areas of pain to God and walk into the future He has for them.
Thanks so much for having us, Sherri.
You ladies are totally welcome! It was my pleasure to have you on my blog. I enjoyed the book so much, I just had to share a little bit about it with my readers.
For more information on Cherry Blossom Capers, visit the blog that’s dedicated to the book.
I would love to win a copy of this book. I loved reading the interviews and how everything came together. Sounds like a great working team! I am looking forward to reading all four novellas, State Secrets, Dying for Love, Buried Deception, and Coffee, Tea and Danger.
Blessings!
Judy
sweetpea.judy(at)yahoo(dot)com
Thanks for the interview! I’m always looking for different authors to read and I appreciate the opportunity to win books! My email is: skwilson5904@gmail.com
I so have wanted to read this book!! I am an avid reader and need something new to read. please enter me
julie
mrslippo@hotmail.com
I would very much love to read this new book!!! I loved the blog interview and it seems each passing day I am learning something new.
mrslippo@hotmail.com
julie
Julie, you won! I’m sending you an email so I can get your address.
I would love to win a copy of this book. It amazes me how two authors can write one story!! Thanks,
Ladette
ladette[at]live[dot]com
Sounds fun! I would like to read! My e-mail is included in the required details to post this comment! 🙂
It always amazes me how all of you can keep everything strait and turn all the information into an amazing story for us readers to enjoy! Thanks ladies!
jennydtipton[at]gmail[dot]com
It amazes me as well!! There’s a point I think when God definitely takes over because sometimes things just line up when you know you’re not that smart to make it all come together on your own!!
I really enjoyed the interview! The books sound really good! Thanks for the chance to win!
Enjoyed interview ladies. I already have this book on my wish list and can’t wait to read. All of these ladies are great authors so book has to be great.
Thanks for the opportunity to enter giveaway.
Writing the novellas was a really fun experience. And recreating one of my favorite homes was even better.
Since I grew up in the DC area, I was already intrigued by this collection, but now I can’t wait to read it! Thank you for the interview.
DC is an awesome place to live. I loved every minute of my time there…well other than 9/11.
These sound like interesting books to read. The authors seemed to like working with each other, and it would most likely make the books a better read!
I would love to read Cherry Blossom Cpers…sounds sooo interesting…hopefully I well win……babyruthmac16@yahoo.com
thank you for the interview !*~ I would like to win Cherry Blossom Capers. When my children were small we played the “And Then…” story game, adding to the spoken story when the teller pointed to you. It was a lot of fun and creative.
lanehillhouse[at]centurylink[dot]net
I’d love a copy of this book! Thank you for the interview and for offering this contest.
Nancee
quiltcat26@sbcglobal.net
My curiosity was immediately piqued re your book, having been born and raised in the D.C. area along with family members having worked
there, but your interview has made this a ‘must have-must read’ book! Thanks much for the interesting interview, the book and an opportunity to win one.
It was a fun process and story to write!! Hope you all enjoy it!
Thanks so much for the giveaway!! Great interview, sounds like you make a great team and really enjoyed the experience 🙂 Is it too late to be entered? Best wishes to the other entrants, blessings!!
I so enjoyed being a part of this collection. Lynette, Gina, and Cara were a great team to work with and I had so much fun writing Coffee, Tea and Danger. Thanks Sherri for this grea tblog interview.
Thank you so much for stopping by the blog. I enjoyed your book and wanted to share it with my readers.
I think it’s great that people are finding ways to incorporate other important cities into novels (other than Manhattan!). DC is a lovely city, and I’m sure the legal aspect works well there.
The interview with the authors was very refreshing and so interesting. I would feel very honored to receive a copy of this novel and thank you so much for your gift of giving and sharing with others.
Bobbe
oceanpearl@q.com