Friday, May 16, 2008

Interview With Carol Webb


I’d like to welcome our guest today, Carol Webb. It’s a pleasure having one of our own authors to interview at Much Cheaper Than Therapy. Even we need therapy now and then, so grab some chocolate and a lounge chair.


I understand you have a new release out called The Long Road Home. Can you tell us a little bit about your fabulous new book?

It’s about a woman who became one of the top models in the country until a plane crash disfigures her leg and ruins her career. She also cuts all ties with her boyfriend, a famous photographer at the time. Fast forward three years later. The story opens when she is forced to travel across the country with Jake, her ex-boyfriend and his current girlfriend. Clarisse knows it’s going to be a disastrous trip, and it turns out she might be right.

The Long Road Home is a very interesting title. How did you arrive at that name?

Basically the majority of the book is during a road trip from New York to San Diego. Everything imaginable that can go wrong does, so it becomes one of the longest road trips Clarisse and John have ever experienced. But the title isn’t just about the physical trip. It also describes how long it takes Clarisse and John to realize how much they truly care for each other.

Did you have to do a lot of research for the book?

Not very much. Thank goodness. When I do research I tend to get lost in the facts and procrastinate on the actual writing. Not good if you have a deadline, or for that matter if you want to get a book done.

What character did you like writing about the most, and why?

I loved writing about Clarisse and her journey of self-discovery. In the beginning of the story, she’s been taught that her body and face are the ultimate prize. When she finds herself disfigured, she’s left floundering with a crushed self-esteem. Slowly she discovers that even though she is physically flawed in the industry’s eyes, she is very much a beautiful person.

If your book was made into a movie, what actor would you like to fill your hero’s shoes?

What a fun question, and a hard one! There’s so many actors I adore who have a stage presence and an intensity in their work. But if I have to pick, I think I would pick, Jim Caviezel in the Count of Monte Crisco. Richard Chamberlain also played with role very well. He was such a wounded character and deeply in love, and the intensity of his hatred, anguish and love for the heroine through the screen.

Do you have any authors that inspired you?

Without a doubt, Sandra Brown. I love her work. There’s also Dean Koontz. I used to read him and Leigh Nichols at the same time and be so impatience for their next books to come out. It actually came as a shock when I learned they were one and the same. I also adore a number of historical romance writers: Jude Deveraux, Julie Garwood, Lisa Kleypas, Amanda Quick, and… well, as you can see, I can go on and on.

What do we have to look forward next?

I have another short, contemporary romance coming out from The Wild Rose Press called Protecting Katie. It’s about a bitter custody battle between two men. Morgan has raised Katie as his own for eight years, but his ex-business partner and the biological father of Katie has come back to town and threatens to file for paternity. Morgan isn’t willing to give Katie up, not when he knows that Jeff’s unscrupulous character would be detrimental in raising a precocious child. The heroine, Kristen and Jeff’s girlfriend, gets caught in the middle of both men’s hatred for each other.

Thanks, Carol!

To celebrate her book release, Carol Webb is offering a free ebook of The Long Road Home to one lucky commenter on today's blog. She will be around most of the day today. I'm sure some of you have questions or comments for her, so please ask away...

Check out author’s website at http://www.carolwebb.net/

9 comments:

Eliza Knight said...

Your book sounds really good!

I love Dean Koontz, Jude Deveraux and Julie Garwood too!

Good luck with your release!

Jennifer Ashley/ Allyson James / Ashley Gardner said...

Cool Carol! Congratulations. I remember reading first drafts of The Long Road Home back when you first had the idea. I always liked it. Congrats on the release and may you have many more!

Sheryl Browne said...

Well, as I said, Carol, I think this is a heroine a lot of people will identify with, hoping that she can help us see past our own imperfections!

Good Luck!
xx

H.D. Thomson said...

Thanks, Eliza. I really enjoyed writing it and giving Clarisse and John a road full of problems. :)

H.D. Thomson said...

Hi, Jennifer. I had completely forgotten you had seen this waaaay back when. That's hilarious, and thanks for the congrats.

H.D. Thomson said...

Hi, Sheryl. I think all of us worry too much on our imperfections, which is a shame when everyone of us has so much to offer!

Oh, I love the name of your blog!

Shelley Mosley said...

This is so wonderful, Carol! I knew when I read the early drafts of your story that it was a winner. I'm so glad to finally see it in print!

Congratulations!
Shelley

H.D. Thomson said...

Thanks so much Shelley! You've helped me out so much over the years. :)

Unknown said...

Nice interview, Carol. Congratulations with the release of this book. I'm excited for you and wishing you lots of sales.