A True Special Edition Veteran...Caro Carson

A TEXAS RESCUE CHRISTMAS
Texas Rescue, book 2

Home for Christmas 

Trey Waterston has been on the outside looking in for so long he nearly forgot where home is. But when he has to go back to the ranch that is his Texas birthright, he expects it to be as difficult to navigate as everything else in his life. He does not expect to find a halfhearted search afoot for a missing heiress. Beautiful and innocent Rebecca Cargill has disappeared, and nightfall—and a snowstorm—is coming. If they don't find her, she could die. 

Not on my watch. Instinctively, and directed only by a photograph, Trey knows he is the only one who can help her. Maybe he can finally claim his legacy. But why is he suddenly so sure Rebecca is a part of it?

Read a little, Buy the book.

A LITTLE ABOUT CARO

Despite a no-nonsense background as a West Point graduate and U.S. Army officer, Caro Carson has always treasured the happily-ever-after of a good romance novel. After reading romances no matter where in the world the Army sent her, Caro began a career in the pharmaceutical industry. Little did she know the years she spent discussing science with physicians would provide excellent story material for her new career as a romance author. Now, Caro is delighted to be living her own happily-ever-after with her husband and two children in the great state of Florida, a location which has saved the coaster-loving theme park fanatic a fortune on plane tickets.

AND A LITTLE BIT MORE

ANGI: How often to you get lost in a story?

CARO: Every day.  Every single day, I’m either reading or writing.  One of the great benefits of being a published author is that I can legitimately say I’m working when I’m getting lost in a story.  The guilt factor is still there when I escape into a book—because I’ve got kids and a house and shouldn’t I really be doing laundry?—but I try to squash that guilt flat as a bug.  Being an author helps.  But even if you have no intention of writing, you should squash that guilt bug when you take time to read.  Reading is good for the soul.  It’s art. It’s essential to life.

ANGI: Can you tell us about a real-life hero you’ve met?

CARO:  I love you for giving me the chance to talk about two of the most memorable people I ever met. When I was a cadet at West Point, I volunteered to work backstage at the Eisenhower Hall Theater. Usually, this meant I gave up my precious few hours of leisure on a Saturday to set up the stage for concerts. It was fun to rig the lights for the Beach Boys or to stand by with costume changes for the dancers of 42^nd Street. The theater is as far from the military world as you can get, so I enjoyed the change of pace.

Now comes the part where I get rewarded for failing to report for duty on time:  I was late to the theater the night that Johnny Cash was in concert.  I hadn’t changed into combat boots and camouflage yet, and since I was still in the formal Dress Gray, the theater folks asked me if I would mind escorting Mr. and Mrs. Cash for the evening instead of hauling equipment. Being tardy to anything at West Point was usually treated as a crime, and in this case, crime paid!

Mr. and Mrs. Cash (cadets address everyone formally) were two of the most charismatic people I’ve ever met. This is not to be confused with flamboyant.  On the contrary, they were unassuming and humble, but they had an energy that made you glad to be standing with them.  They were more interested in everyone around them than they were in themselves.  I couldn’t believe that June Carter Cash was really so interested in me and my experience as a woman at West Point.  She wanted to talk with me. She made me feel like I was interesting and important. I couldn’t believe Johnny Cash (“It’s just Johnny; you don’t have to call me Mr. Cash”) wanted to know my opinion on whether or not he should include a certain song in his set.  He really wanted to know my opinion. What a wonderful way to live life, as if everyone around you is interesting and important! I only knew them for a day, but years later, I cried when they each passed away.
ANGI: I cried too, Caro. Johnny Cash is a memory I have with my father. He loved everything by THE MAN IN BLACK.

ANGI: What do you like about the hero of your book?

CARO:  Ah, this hero. He’s very special to me. Trey Waterson was destined for the NFL, but he suffered a head injury during a game ten years ago. This is no fairy tale when it comes to his injury—the brain damage is real, and it is permanent. After his injury, Trey never returned home, where everyone remembers him as a superstar. Through sheer willpower, he’s carved out an anonymous but successful life for himself, but he doesn’t recognize that he’s successful.  I like him because he’s a little bitter. He’s got walls around himself and defenses firmly in place.  That may not sound likable, but I think it is realistic.  I can identify with that!  The best part, of course, is that he becomes completely heroic and swoon-worthy when he saves the heroine. For her—for love—he comes out of his personal fortress.  I think he deserves every day of happiness he’s destined for by the last page of A Texas Rescue Christmas.

ANGI: Is there a playlist you’d recommend for reading your latest release?

CARO:  I don’t have a playlist, but I do create a Pandora radio station for each book I write. For A Texas Rescue Christmas, I listened to holiday music, of course! I finished this book in June, writing on my back porch at night. I live in Florida, where it cools all the way down to 85 degrees after dark.  Yet I was listening to Christmas music and writing about frostbite in an ice storm.  I did actually put on a sweater.  If I did my job well, you’ll want a sweater, too, when you read the book.

ANGI: Fairy Tale or Action Adventure?

CARO: Good one, Angi!  I’m going to say fairy tale, because I’ve got plenty of reality, thank you very much. I want to escape into a different world.  However, some of my favorite movies are action/adventures like “Die Hard” and “Under Siege.”  Why? Because they are fairy tales, too.  The good guy wins.  Amazing friendships with unlikely characters are formed. Superhuman feats are performed by ordinary people.  Bruce Willis and Steven Segal are fairy tale characters in the best possible way.

ANGI: What is your biggest vice?

CARO: Wine. I love wine.  It’s a great cruelty that wine officially counts as “empty calories.”  Why can’t it be chock full of vitamins and minerals?  Why isn’t it the one thing you are allowed to have unlimited quantities of when you are on a diet? But nooooo….crunchy raw vegetables had to steal that show.  Darn it.

ANGI: How is it working with hot guys and sexy women all day?

CARO: I change my screen saver on my laptop with each new book I write. It’s a little embarrassing to explain to the kids why Mommy has some hot, hunky, not-Daddy guy on her computer screen.  My husband, the delightful “Cupcake Carson,” however, gets bonus points for being understanding. In fact, just two nights ago, I was feeling stuck on my current manuscript. “I can’t see the hero clearly,” I complained. Cupcake said, “Well, you should go Google hot blonde men.”  I admit, that stopped me for a second.  My husband told me to go Google hot guys?  Then I burst out laughing.  He’s definitely got this married-to-a-romance-novelist thing down!

ANGI’S GOTTA ASK: Hey, yesterday was Veteran’s Day. Thanks so much for serving our country, Caro. Do you have a special story about your time at West Point?

CARO’s GOTTA ANSWER: I guess I jumped the gun on this one with my Johnny Cash story.  That was definitely a high point during my four years at West Point.  There were, of course, very low lows as well. The Lords of Discipline vibe was very real there. I was in one of the early classes to have any women at all, so there was a lot of prejudice to face on that front in addition to the traditional hazing.  Looking back, I’d say it was the best of times and the worst of times—which frankly, it is meant to be. The bonds formed with classmates are truly for life. It’s family.

After graduation, I served in the Military Police Corps in the U.S. Army.  It was a privilege.  There’s no other way to look at the time I spent with my soldiers. I appreciate the respect for the military which a “thank you” demonstrates, but in my case, I always have to humbly pass the thanks on to those who served and didn’t live to tell the tale. God bless them.

FIND CARO CARSON, I DID

Website    Facebook   Twitter  @TheCaroCarson    Goodreads

PREVIOUS RELEASES by CARO

If you love Trey Waterson in a A Texas Rescue Christmas, you’ll enjoy his brother’s story in Not Just A Cowboy.  Did you notice the emergency room doc and his nurse in A Texas Rescue Christmas? You can enjoy their romance in Doctor, Soldier, Daddy.  In fact, all of the Doctors MacDowell make cameos in A Texas Rescue Christmas! 

NOT JUST A COWBOY

Harlequin Special Edition

Read a little, buy the book

ENCHANTED BY AN EMERALD
Jewel Box Anthology
READ a little, BUY the set 

DOCTOR, SOLDIER, DADDY

Harlequin Special Edition

Read a little, buy the book

UP NEXT for CARO

The next Texas Rescue romance is FOLLOWING DOCTOR’S ORDERS in May from Harlequin Special Edition.  She is an emergency room physician with a very good reason to choose to remain unattached and childless.  This suits the hero just fine—he’s a playboy paramedic who understands the demands of an emergency responders career.  Then…you guessed it…a preschooler is dumped on his doorstep. Life never happens the way you expect it to!

CARO is giving away an autographed copy of A Texas Rescue Christmas. North America Readers only.

Note: COMMENTERS are encouraged to leave a contact email address to speed the prize notification process. Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only unless specifically mentioned in the post. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. Winners of drawings are responsible for checking this site in a timely manner. If prizes are not claimed in a timely manner, the author may not have a prize available. Get Lost In A Story cannot be responsible for an author's failure to mail the listed prize. GLIAS does not automatically pass email addresses to guest authors unless the commenter publicly posts their email address.

ANGI'S back Wednesday with

LIZ TALLEY

UP NEXT ON GLIAS:  Kim Sanders

~Angi Morgan

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or @GetLostInAStory  #GetLostStories

CARO WANTS TO KNOW about your brush with fame. Who did you meet that either exceeded your expectations….or turned out to NOT be hero material?