Friday 11 January 2013

Author Interview - Patrick W. Carr


Author Patrick W. Carr

Patrick Carr was born on an Air Force base in West Germany at the height of the cold war. He has been told this was not his fault. As an Air Force brat, he experienced a change in locale every three years until his father retired to Tennessee. Patrick saw more of the world on his own through a varied and somewhat eclectic education and work history. He graduated from Georgia Tech in 1984 and has worked as a draftsman at a nuclear plant, did design work for the Air Force, worked for a printing company, and consulted as an engineer. Patrick’s day gig for the last five years has been teaching high school math in Nashville, TN. He currently makes his home in Nashville with his wonderfully patient wife, Mary, and four sons he thinks are amazing: Patrick, Connor, Daniel, and Ethan. Sometime in the future he would like to be a jazz pianist. Patrick thinks writing about himself in the third person is kind of weird.

Tell us a bit about your family. There are six of us. Mary and I have four amazing sons, Patrick, Connor, Daniel, and Ethan. They’re all musically talented which makes for wonderful get togethers. Patrick, Connor, and Ethan all paly jazz; Patrick and Connor on the piano and Ethan on the sax. Daniel plays cello. Two of the boys are in college and two in high school, though Daniel graduates this year. I work as a school teacher at an academic magnet here in Nashville where I teach Geometry. Mary works as the infection control nurse at Alive Hospice.

What is your least favorite quality about yourself? My tendency to look at the way things are going in our country and become fearful. Mary does a great job of reminding me how blessed we are.

What is your favorite quote, by whom, and why? “If you can fill the unforgiving minute with 60 seconds worth of distance run, then yours is the world and all that’s in it, and what’s more, you’ll be a man my son.” Rudyard Kipling. I love the way he captures the difficulties we face in this poem. There’s something incredibly poignant and noble in his writing. For a fantasy author it’s very motivational.

What are you most proud of accomplishing so far in your life? Getting married to an incredible woman and raising four sons. I get a lot of cred for them I don’t deserve, but I’m so proud of them and so happy to be along for the ride.

What is your favorite color? Blue

What is your favorite food? Pizza. We make homemade pizza every Friday and watch a movie. It’s one of my favorite family traditions.

How long have you been writing? I’ve been writing for about ten years, ever since the bug really hit after I wrote a story for my kids in which they were the main characters.

What genre are you most comfortable writing? Multi-point of view fantasy. There’s so much freedom because the genre can have everything in it: Fantasy, Detective, Romance, Adventure, you name it.

How did you come up with the title? I had a title, but figured out early on it wouldn’t work because it was a spoiler, so I cast about (get it?) for something a little better and finally came up with “A Cast of Stones.” It really appealed to me because it’s a play on words. Plus, I was able to use it for the epilogue in the first book which kind of brought everything full circle.

Who is your publisher? Bethany House. My journey to publication was a little backward. I found a publisher before I found an agent. I met with Dave Long, the chief acquisitions editor at Bethany, in Indianapolis at a writer’s conference. He invited me to submit a few chapters and about a year and a bunch of emails later, offered me a contract. That’s when I contacted Steve Laube, a great agent, and he was gracious enough to bring me on.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp? Yes. Everyone contains within themselves the seed for great evil or great nobility. And they contain these regardless of looks of circumstances.

When you wish to end your career, stop writing, and look back on your life, what thoughts would you like to have? That I told stories people enjoyed. I want to write books so that when people finish them they get the same feeling as if a friend just moved away. To me that’s the highest compliment a writer can receive.


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A Cast of Stones

An Epic Medieval Saga Fantasy Readers Will Love

In the backwater village of Callowford, Errol Stone's search for a drink is interrupted by a church messenger who arrives with urgent missives for the hermit priest in the hills. Desperate for coin, Errol volunteers to deliver them but soon finds himself hunted by deadly assassins. Forced to flee with the priest and a small band of travelers, Errol soon learns he's joined a quest that could change the fate of his kingdom.
Protected for millennia by the heirs of the first king, the kingdom's dynasty is near an end and a new king must be selected. As tension and danger mount, Errol must leave behind his drunkenness and grief, learn to fight, and come to know his God in order to survive a journey to discover his destiny.



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Blog Tour Giveaway
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Ends 1/31/13
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Books Sold - 6 Nov 2011 to 31 May 2012

Some of you have asked me for my total number of books sold to evaluate KDP Select so here it is. Bear in mind, that results will vary based on genre and author. Good luck and remember, Keep Moving Forward.

Total - 120,836

1. Excuse Me, My Brains Have Stepped Out
Amazon Kindle - 42,559
Paperback -
Smashwords -

2. Frequent Traveller
Amazon Kindle - 35277
Paperback -
Smashwords -

3. Dora's Essentials - Books, Blogs & Smiles 1
Amazon Kindle - 462
Smashwords -

4. Mirror Me Martha (Short Story)
Amazon Kindle - 281
Smashwords -

5. Drive On Hope (Short Story)
Amazon Kindle - 190
Smashwords -

6. Blog-A-Licious Directory 2012
Amazon Kindle - 1
Smashwords -

7. Pandora's Reading Room 1
Amazon Kindle -
Paperback - N/A

8. The Cat That Barked (Short Story)
Amazon Kindle -

9. Dora's Essentials - Examining Anxiety
Amazon Kindle -

10. Dora's Essentials - Books, Blogs & Smiles 2
Amazon Kindle -

11. Elevenses from Around the World
Amazon Kindle -

12. Genetically Modified Foods vs. Sustainability
Amazon Kindle -

Blog-A-Licius - Sherbet Blossom

SherbetBlossom

Blog-A-Licious

Dealightfully Frugal

Blog-A-Licious - The Few, The Proud, The Wife

Blog-A-Licious

My Soul Slippers

Blog-A-Licous - Textbook Mommy

Blog-A-Licious - Blue Frogs Legs

Blog-A-Licious - Pretty All True

Pretty All True

Blog-A-Licious - tbaoo

tbaoo

Blog-A-Licious

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Blog-A-Licious - The Invisible Art

Blog-A-Licious - Rediscovering Domesticity

Rediscovering Domesticity

Blog-A-Licious - Quiver Full

Blog-A-Licious - Cori's Big Mouth

Blog-A-Licious - Great Fun

Greatfun4kids

Blog-A-Licious - Busy Wife

Blog-A-Licious - Steps To Happiness

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Blog-A-Licious - Toby & Max


Blog-A-Licious - Amelie

Raising Amelie

Blog-A-Licious - Peas In A Pod

Blog-A-Licious - Riley

Blognostics - Poetry

BlogNostics

My Awards - September 2010

My Awards - September 2010
Awarded By Jo Frances

My Awards - May 2011

My Awards - May 2011
Awarded By Alejandro Guzman

My Awards - May 2011

My Awards - May 2011
Awarded by Kriti Mukherjee

My Awards - April 2011

My Awards - April 2011
Awarded By Roy Durham

My Awards - June 2011

My Awards - June 2011
Awarded By Sulekha Rawat

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