Today I have a special guest
on A Writer’s Life. Carra Copelin is one of my three critique partners and a
long-time friend. I’m so happy to have her here to talk about herself and her
wonderful new release, CODE OF HONOR. You can see by her friendly smile and pleasant expression that she is a lovely person. Trust me, she is as nice as she appears. Don't you enjoy reading a book more when you know the author is a nice person? I certainly do.
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| Carra Copelin, Award Winning Author |
Carra: Thank you, Caroline
for having me today. I'm so excited to be here and to meet your readers.
Caroline: Tell us where you
grew up and something of your early life.
Carra: My parents moved the
family to Arlington (Texas) from Dallas when I was in the second grade. Dad
wanted to raise my brother and me in a small town atmosphere. Boy would he be
surprised at the size of Arlington today. I spent a large part of my time in
choir then worked in high school via the ICT program, but I wasn't a fan of
school, and would never've been considered a bookworm or jock.
The DH and I still live in
Arlington, have a daughter and son and three wonderful grandchildren.
Caroline: Who are your
favorite authors and favorite genres?
Carra: I tend to read mostly
romance and romantic suspense in both contemporary and historical. My standby
authors are Linda Lael Miller, Barbara Bretton, Sandra Brown, Caroline Clemmons
, Lori Foster, and Geri Foster. Periodically though, I'll read action
or straight mystery, like Agatha Christie or Mary Higgins Clark.
Caroline: Wow, thanks for
including me with those authors. And Geri Foster is another of our critique partners. What’s your favorite way to relax and
recharge?
Carra: I'm a TV/movie
watcher, but on weekends I enjoy watching NASCAR, football and golf. I play
Bridge and in winter love to crochet.
Caroline: I used to play bridge several times a month. Do you have a
favorite quote that sums up how you feel about life?
Carra: "Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting 'Holy crap! What a ride!'"
Caroline: Great quote. How
long have you been writing?
Carra: I began this part of
my journey in 1995. Just yesterday, right?
Caroline: Sure, only a day or
two ago. Where do you prefer to write? Do you need quiet, music, solitude?
Carra: I have a laptop which
I love, since I can write anywhere. This past year, though, I found sitting at
my desk seemed to be the most consistently productive. For my feet and legs, I
move every couple of hours to another chair in the office.
Caroline: I do better at my
desk than with my laptop. Are you a plotter or a panzer?
Carra: After trying every
other author's way to get the story on the page, I finally realized I'm a
pantser. Yes, little ol' ADD me. I have wasted too many years trying to make
myself adhere to a strict plotting regimen. I'm envious of my friends who see
their whole story, write it out in a full outline and just have to add dialogue.
I realized while listening to
guest speaker, Lilliana Hart, last year at a chapter meeting, that by golly,
I'm a card carrying pantser. I sit down at the computer, close my eyes,
visualize the scene I want to write, add characters, and watch the action happen
much like a movie or TV show. Once I get it typed in, I edit the stuffin' out
of it before I send it to my critique partners. (Cue lead-in to next question.
)
Caroline: Your system
definitely works for you because your book is wonderful. Do you use real events or persons in your stories or as an
inspiration for stories?
Carra: A lot of times I try
to incorporate real life, but the story ends up coming from my imagination.
There are two novellas I'm working on stem from Texas history with a touch of
my family's Texas beginnings.
Caroline: I'm eager to read those stories. Do you set daily
writing goals? Word count? Number of chapters? Do you get a chance to write
every day?
Carra: I do write every day,
but generally don't set goals. I know me and if I didn't make that goal I'd be
disappointed in myself. There are enough opportunities out there to get beat
up, I sure don't need to do it to myself. This past year, I've had
one chapter completed for each critique meeting, and while that's been good for
me, I'm amping up my output for this next book. I'm excited about writing and I
want to finish this next book more quickly.
Caroline: Good news for
readers, Carra. Can’t wait to read the next book. What do you hope your writing
brings to readers?
Carra: I really hope the
reader experiences enjoyment while reading my stories. I don't want to get too
deep or teach lessons. Some mystery, some action, but mostly romance. I write
what I like.
Caroline: What long-term
plans do you have for your career?
Carra: I hope to put more
stories out there that readers will enjoy. I'm getting a later start than some
authors, so maybe that gives me more incentive to write faster.
Caroline: Would you like to
tell us what you’re working on now?
Carra: I currently have three
projects. First is the second book in the Texas Code Series, CODE OF CONSCIENCE, which takes place in El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico.
It involves cartels, undercover agents, and romance. The next are two
historical romance novellas chronicling the Benning and McTiernan clans after
they come from Ireland to Texas in 1875. Those titles are, KATIE AND THE IRISH TEXAN,
and MATELYN AND THE TEXAS RANGER.
Caroline: What advice would
you give to unpublished authors?
Carra: Write. Every day.
Surround yourself with other writers by joining a local writing chapter and
critique group. This may sound cliché, but it is KEY.
Originally, I joined RWA and
my local chapter, found a good supportive critique group for several years. We
broke up when two of our members moved away, then life happened and, due to my
job's demands, I stopped writing. I didn't write consistently for eleven years.
One day, fairly suddenly, I
found myself in early retirement. Good things began to happen. I joined my local chapter,
Yellow Rose RWA, found a new supportive and nurturing critique group and the
rest, as they say, is history.
Caroline: I’m so happy you
are actively writing again. Share a fun fact readers wouldn’t know about you.
Carra: I'm a member of the
Daughters of the Republic of Texas by my ancestor, Amon McCommas.
Caroline: For those not from
the Dallas/Fort Worth area, Amon McCommas was a Dallas pioneer and has a major
street named in his honor. Share something about you that would surprise or shock
readers.
Carra: Six or seven years
ago, my brother and I rode on his Honda Gold Wing to Topeka, Kansas to visit
family. We had fun and I found out things about my younger brother that I never
knew – some of them might show up in future stories.
Caroline: I am learning
things about you, too, today. I know the answer, but will ask for our readers--is your book a series? If so, how long? Family
saga, other?
Carra: CODE OF HONOR is book one in the Texas Code Series. Right now there are stories for
seven foster siblings plus plans for 6 novellas to fill in the historical
end.
Caroline: Can you give
readers a blurb about CODE OF HONOR?
Carra: Graeme McAlister has
returned home to Texas to discover why his foster brother overdosed on morphine
and crashed the company jet. The idea makes no sense, but the NTSB and
coroner's reports both confirm suicide. Graeme's determined to unearth the
truth and return to Washington, D.C. but, when he sees his brother's widow,
will he be able to handle the biggest revelation of all?
A widow at the age of
twenty-eight, Maggie Benning, resolves to establish a successful and
independent life for herself and her five-year-old son, Andy. Her initial goal
is getting back her RN job at the hospital ER where she was accused of stealing
the drugs that killed her husband ten months ago. She's reconstructing her
shattered life when Graeme McAlister comes back to McTiernan, Texas and stirs
up old memories and feelings she thought long buried. Can she overcome past
hurt and loss of trust to accept the possibility of a new love in her life?
Caroline: How about an
excerpt from CODE OF HONOR?
Carra: Here it is:
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| Maggie Benning |
Maggie took her place behind the scarred, antique oak bar. She tied a worn bleached-white apron over her jeans, gathered the empty glasses and bottles and swiped a bar towel over the sticky remnants of beer and mixed drinks spilled earlier in the afternoon.
She looked across the bar, through layers of swirled smoke, to the handful of customers sitting at tables surrounding the dance floor. Businessmen and good old boys exchanged stories from their day while enjoying the frigid indoor temperature, band members set up their equipment, and a few cowboys played pool off to the right.
Two men sat in a shadowed back corner, their heads angled close in deep conversation. It was too dark to see their faces, but they appeared almost angry at times, each taking his turn stabbing the tabletop with an index finger to make his point. Maggie wondered what their story was. Were they discussing a major transaction, ranchers making a deal or enemies settling a score?
Before her imagination could run any other direction, Harry walked up with a stack of clean towels. He placed them on a shelf behind the bar then stood between her and her curiosity, effectively blocking her view.
__________
Jaw clenched
and tense as a bull rider waiting for the gate to spring open, Graeme stared at
the drink in his hand as his older brother took verbal swings at his character.
"Now that you're back, do you have the balls to stay, or are you going to
turn tail and disappear again?" With that final sarcastic shot, he finally
shut-up.
Graeme pushed upright in his chair to loosen the kinks from his back and
shoulders. Every muscle screamed a protest at being bunched in a knot.
Elliott's words stung like the slap of Andrew's hand the first time Graeme had
openly defied an order. He supposed, in all fairness, his brother had a right
to ask the question. Whether one was born a Benning or raised as one, family
meant everything. And, while he hadn't had a choice on whether to go or stay,
he hadn't been available when the family had needed him.
While Graeme didn't have an answer yet, he damn sure had a few questions of his
own for Dallas County's Assistant District Attorney.
Graeme took a swig from his longneck as Elliott mirrored his actions. They
were, he thought, like two grade school opponents sizing each other up on the
playground at recess. Graeme swiped at the condensation on the beer bottle
while deciding where to begin.
"So Wyatt never contacted you, at any time, before the crash? You had no
idea he was in trouble?"
"No. Not a clue." Elliott shifted in his chair, repositioned his
beer. His foster brother made it apparent that he was unaccustomed to being
questioned. Either that or there was something else he wasn't saying.
"What?"
"Nothing . . ." Elliott swiped at a water puddle under the bottle.
"It's nothing."
"Look, if we're going to get to the bottom of this, we have to level with
one another. What were you going to say?"
"You know Wyatt. He was never like the rest of us. He didn't act out,
never bucked the system. He always kept things bottled up."
"Yeah, that goody two-shoes act used to piss me off. We could never
wheedle anything out of him." Graeme shook his head and grinned.
"Well, it was the same thing this time, except…"
"Elliott," Graeme ground out his brother's name, huffed out a sigh in
exasperation. "Stop dragging this out. What?"
"Maggie came to the office about a month prior to the accident. She asked
me for the name of a good divorce attorney."
That news ripped through Graeme like a shot.
After digesting it for a minute, he asked, "Did you give her
one?"
"Yeah, I did."
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| Graeme McAllister |
Graeme leaned toward the table, rested his forearms against the edge. "Did
she go? Did she file?"
"No." Elliott picked up his bottle, drained its contents then
answered sadly, "Whether or not she intended to, I don't know, because the
next time I saw her, Wyatt was dead. Soon after the funeral, she moved in with
that ditzy friend of hers like she didn't want anything to do with the
family."
"Is that when you decided to charge her with theft of the morphine Wyatt
likely overdosed with? When she was alone and vulnerable?"
Elliott scowled. "D.A. Harrison was relatively new in his job and still
trying to impress the good people of Dallas County."
Snorting in disgust, Graeme ground out, "And he did it at Maggie's
expense."
"Yeah, but not without cause. The drugs disappeared from the hospital's
inventory and the investigators narrowed the time down to Maggie's shift."
"What did she have to say about that?"
"She denied stealing the drugs, of course."
"You don't really think she did, do you?"
"I don't want to, but . . . hell, I don't know," Elliott said with a
sigh. "You knew her better when we were growing up. Do you think she's
capable?"
Graeme pushed his chair away from the table. "I think I should talk to
Maggie to get her side of the story."
Elliott leaned back in his own chair, sported a grin, and glanced past him.
"Somehow I don't think you'll have to go far."
Caroline: Where can readers
find your book?
Carra: CODE OF HONOR can be found on
Amazon for Kindle ebook and print
at, http://tinyurl.com/muln4r9
and will soon be available on Smashwords and other online sites.
Caroline: How can readers
learn more about you?
Carra: Thanks everyone for visiting today. I hope you enjoyed the
interview and that you'll leave comments. I would love to hear from you!
Carra
Caroline: You read it here. Carra wants to have your comments and
questions.
Thanks for stopping by!
