India Black Returns with Carol K. Carr

I interviewed Carol K. Carr when her debut novel, India Black, about the unconventional adventures of a witty Victorian madam, first released - when GLIAS was a brand-new blog. I wanted to see what she's been up to since, and she has some great new releases in the works! The novella India Black and the Rajah's Ruby will release digitally on December 31, and India's third full-length adventure, India Black and the Shadows of Anarchy, will release in February 2013. Here's our latest interview.

Simone - Our last interview was before your first release. How have things changed since then?

Carol - Getting the first book published is such a speculative effort that when it happens you tend to think you've finally made it, you've reached the summit.  Then you realize you're only half way up the mountain.  I'd compare it to being drafted by the NFL.  You think you've achieved your dream.  And then you learn that you have to keep practicing and play hard every Sunday or the dream is over.  So my attitude has changed and I have adopted a professional approach to writing.  I crunch out my 2,000 words five days a week, even if I don't feel like it.  I work hard at marketing my books by reaching out to bloggers and readers.  I spend countless hours reviewing and revising.  I meet my deadlines.  It's no longer a fun hobby.  It's work (although it's work you can do in your pajamas and you don't have to put up with an irritating boss).      

Simone - What is in your fridge right now?

Carol - You'd be hard-pressed to put together a meal out of my fridge at the moment.  We have about two dozen bottles of marinades, chutney, condiments and salad dressings.  One bottle of tonic.  Bottled water.  One beer.  A half-empty bottle of wine (that's rare-we usually finish it if we open it).  Olives, dill pickles, and a really good English cheddar.  And some green onions which we forgot to use and should be thrown away.  I guess we'll be dining out tonight.

Simone - What is your favorite deadline food? (Yes, it's the holiday season and I have food on the brain!)

Carol - It varies.  This year I was finishing India #4 around Thanksgiving, which is when Sam's Club brings out the peanut brittle.  I'm too embarrassed to tell you how many containers of that have been in my pantry in the last two months.

Simone - Who should play India Black in a movie?

Carol - I'd choose one of two British actresses.  Hayley Atwell looks like India as I envision her and is great at playing bad girls.  But I think I'd go with Emily Blunt, who has terrific comedic timing and a real attitude.  

Simone - The embarrassing manuscript no one has ever seen (every writer has one) - what was it about?

Carol - Someone is threatening the life of the Bob Smith (I've blocked this from my mind-I can't even remember the character's name), the arrogant and overbearing CEO of a Fortune 500 company.  Is the culprit the smarmy chief financial officer, who wants to replace Smith?  Or the former employee Smith humiliated and fired?  Or Smith's wife, who has tired of his crude behavior and found love in the arms of the golf pro at the country club? 

The fact that I was once  an Executive Vice President of a Fortune 500 company and was privy to all the office politics going on behind the scenes might, just might, have had something to do with the choice of topic.  In retrospect, in worked better as therapy than a novel.  

Simone - What's next for you?

Carol - I've just finished India #4, which completes my contract with Berkley Prime Crime.  I'll be waiting to see if they're interested in continuing the series.  In the meantime, I'm putting the finishing touches on a mystery involving a young female deputy, and outlining a thriller with a female martial artist as the protagonist.  I also need to produce one more short story about India, which will be published by Berkley in digital form.  But I'm not doing anything at all until January.  Time for a break, and some peanut brittle.

Thanks, Carol! I can relate to the peanut brittle - on my last deadline I nearly lived on chocolate pudding cups. Readers, what is your go-to stress food?

Happy holidays everyone - to all of our readers, our wonderful guests this year, and to my fellow GLIAS writers!

Simone

Carol K. Carr

MEET CAROL K. CART AND HER UNUSUAL HEROINE



I love an unusual heroine, and Carol K. Carr's India Black fits the bill. What could be better than a Victorian madam solving crime?

Welcome to Carol K. Carr whose debut novel, India Black, has just been released!

When Sir Archibald Latham of the War Office dies from a heart attack while visiting her brothel, Madam India Black is unexpectedly thrust into a deadly game between Russian and British agents who are seeking the military secrets Latham carried. Blackmailed into recovering the missing documents by the British spy known as French, India finds herself dodging Russian agents—and the attraction she starts to feel for her handsome conspirator.

Simone: Your book features a very unique heroine. Tell us a little about her, and what inspired her?

Carol: I was a big fan of the Harry Flashman series, written by George Macdonald Fraser, which featured a cowardly, hard-drinking womanizer as the protagonist. I wanted to do a female counterpart to Flashman (though not as exaggerated a character -he's hilarious but despicable), and the character of India came to mind. I wanted a heroine who was tough, adventurous, and street smart. India has a heart of brass. If she does have kind and nurturing feelings, she does her best to stifle them. She's not afraid to take on the conventions and authorities of her day. But, I wanted her to be likeable enough that readers would root for her when she lands in the soup, as she frequently does, so she's also acerbic, funny and occasionally gives way to her feelings (much to her surprise and chagrin).

Simone: Who are some of your favorite heroines?

Carol: Trixie Belden, Miss Marple, Amelia Peabody, Mary Russell and Baroness Troutbeck.

Simone: You write mysteries. Do you know "who done it" before you started, or is it a surprise?

Carol: I am completely without spontenaity when it comes to plotting. I write out a very well-defined outline and stick to it. I know there are authors who can blithely start writing without any idea who the murderer will be, but that would make me crazy. I'd spend more time rocking back and forth in my chair muttering, "what next, what next?" than actually writing.

Simone: What is the most interesting or unusual thing you learned while researching this book?

Carol: It's probably that ridiculous feud between Gladstone and Disraeli over furniture and a robe. When Gladstone took over the role of Chancellor of the Exchequer from Disraeli, he was supposed to pay Disraeli for the furniture in the office. Because the two men hated each other, Gladstone refused to pay, and in turn Disraeli refused to give Gladstone the Chancellor's official robe. Who knew these two were so petty?

Simone: If you could go back into India's time - the Victorian era - who would you most like to invite to your dinner party?

Carol: I love this question! I'll limit myself to four, or we could be here all day. Benjamin Disraeli (brilliant and snarky), Sir Richard Francis Burton (great tales of exploration, and some bizarre sexual interests that should make for lively conversation), Oscar Wilde (need I explain why?), and Herbert Kitchener (because he's so mysterious).

Simone: Which book to you return to most frequently to "get lost" in?

Carol: I don't have just one favorite. I may start with the first book in a series that I love (like the Amelia Peabody series, or Martha Grimes's Richard Jury series) and read several of those in order. That's my idea of reading "comfort food."

Simone: Where is your favorite place to read?

Carol: In the study in my big wingback chair, or in bed, or waiting to get my oil changed. I can read anywhere, and do.

Simone: Tell us what's next for you?

Carol: I've written a second India Black novel, tentatively entitled India Black and the Widow of Windsor. My editor has approved it, and so we'll be moving on to the copyediting stage next. I don't have a publication date for the book yet, although I think it will be sometime in 2012. At the moment, I'm working on an outline for the third in the series.
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to introduce myself and India to you and your readers. If you want to know more about either of us, you can visit our website at http://www.carolkcarr.com/.

Thanks Carol! Now, since I had to look up a few of Carol's favorite heroines - and I added a few reading ideas to my pile - I'll ask one of my favorite questions. Books, TV, movies, even real life - who is your favorite heroine?