Caroline Clemmons is an Amazon bestselling author of historical and contemporary western romances whose books have garnered numerous awards. Her latest release is THE MOST UNSUITABLE COURTSHIP, book three of her popular Kincaid series. A frequent speaker at conferences and seminars, she has taught workshops on characterization, point of view, and layering a novel.
•When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?As long as I can remember, I’ve made up adventures. I’d never been to a library, though, until I was nine and lived in a small West Texas town. A bookmobile came to our school and I was enthralled with the variety of books available, especially Nancy Drew. That’s when I knew I wanted to write. That year, fourth grade, I had an amazing teacher who encouraged me to read a variety of books. But not until eighth and ninth grade did I actually write, and that was because of a journalism teacher. Because of her encouragement, I won several state awards and became editor of the school newspaper. Much later, my mother-in-law gave me a grocery bag of romance novels and told me that from my long letters, she knew I could write romance novels. I’d never dared try before, but my husband encouraged me.
•How long does it take you to write a book? If only life cooperates, three months. That seldom happens, so I can’t count on four books a year. This year I’ve written two full length novels and one novella. I moved, downsizing, and that played havoc with my writing (and still is). I also had foot surgery and a few other events that upset the calendar. I hope for a more peaceful and productive 2014.
•What is your work schedule like when you’re writing? My husband has taken over cooking and dishes and all but my laundry so I have more time to write. You see why I call him Hero! This frees me to write most of the day, some days as little as five or six hours and some as many as twelve or sixteen.
•What would you say is your interesting writing quirk? Not unusual for writers, but I see my characters and their actions as movies in my head. The first time they appear is usually the inciting incident, but has occasionally occurred later in the book—maybe chapter three or so.
•Where do you get your information or ideas for your books? A friend answers the idea question with, “I get my ideas from a small factory in Ohio.” ☺ I get mine from everywhere: a non-fiction book, a newspaper, news show, conversations, or my imagination. I’m so relieved because when I first began writing, I was afraid I’d run out of ideas. I realize now that I have more ideas than I can write, even if I live to be two hundred.
•What does your family think of your writing? They are very supportive, especially my husband. He also formats my books and uploads them to Create Space and online. Our eldest daughter helps with social media and editing. Our youngest is soon to be working with me also.
•How many books have you written? Do you have a favorite? I’ve published sixteen. My favorite is always the one I’m writing, and that’s currently a new Kincaid novel titled GABE.
•Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
Readers usually ask when the next Kincaid novel or the next Men of Stone Mountain novel will be out. Kincaid email outnumbers all other email.
•What book are you reading now? I just finished reading Susan Elia Macneal’s PRICESS ELIZABETH’S SPY and am about to dig into Mary Jo Putney’s story in the anthology MISTLETOE AND MISCHIEF. Before Macneal’s book, I had read the Christmas anthology, WISHING FOR A COWBOY by the new Prairie Rose Publishing launched by Cheryl Pierson and Livia J. Washburn Reasoner.
•What do you like to do when you’re not writing? Spend time with my husband and daughters, read, engage in family research, travel, and goof off. I spend a lot of time on family history. My brother and I have almost completed a book we’re compiling about our father’s Johnson line and lateral lines.
•If you couldn’t be an author, what would your ideal career be? I can’t imagine. I’d say journalist, because I enjoyed working as a newspaper reporter and featured columnist, but that’s still an author, isn’t it? Probably a bookkeeper. That’s what I did before I quit my day job to write full time. There’s security in bookkeeping because two plus two always equals four.
•How did you come up with your title(s)? Each title relates to the story. I am sorry I chose song titles for several novels because they are duplicated too often. Also, I regret starting the Kincaid series with such dreadfully long titles. That’s why the current one I’m writing is only one word, GABE, the name of the hero. From now on, I’m going with short titles. ☺
•How much of your books are realistic? I often make up the name of towns, but the geographic setting and any historical aspects are precise. I do love Texas history. All my books are set primarily in Texas except for one novella, LONG WAY HOME. Fortunately, I can travel or have traveled to all the places in my books. I have huge numbers of books on Texas history, Southwestern history, poisons, firearms, costumes, and all the aspects that go into my novels. Although I hope the reader doesn’t realize it, everything in the book is well researched. I hope readers don’t notice the details in a way that takes them out of the story, but absorb them as part of the whole picture.
•How do you market your book(s)? Picture me smacking my head against my desk. ☺ Marketing is the hardest part of an author’s life, in my opinion. I do everything I can think of: Facebook, Twitter, blog tours, post three times a week on my personal blog, I’m on three team blogs once a month, speak to groups, yada yada. Marketing consumes way too much time. All I ever wanted to do was write!
•What was the hardest part of writing your book? As I mentioned above, the marketing. As far as the actual writing, just keeping my seat in the chair and staying away from social media. Once I’m writing, I lose touch with reality. Love when that happens.
•Do you have any advice for aspiring authors? Quite a lot. 1. Hone your craft. 2. Find good critique partners—two or three are good numbers. Make sure they are trustworthy, knowledgeable in your genre and your weak areas, and that they offer constructive as well as honest critiques. 3. Don’t let anyone steal your dream. 4. Remember Winston Churchill’s words, “Never, never, never give up.”