Author Robin Cain Joins Me In The Gazebo & She is having a Giveaway

Today I would like to welcome my guest,  Author Robin Cain.  We have found this lovely Gazebo overlooking this beautiful lake,  it's a warm sunny day and we are enjoying some tasty coffee as we sit down and chat,  while enjoying the view.

Welcome Robin,  thank you so much for chatting with me today.  I'm very excited to learn about your new book,  "When Dreams Bleed".  I'm always up for a good mystery/suspense,  and your book sounds wonderful.  Robin will also be giving away a copy of her book to one lucky commenter,  and an added bonus will be a $10 Itunes Gift Card for reposting this interview & giveaway.  Yay and thank you Robin. (see below for entry rules).

About When Dreams Bleed:

A software genius with a knack for business, Frank Campelletti's been living the dream his whole life. He's amassed money, success, and is now accumulating women, but someone out there thinks he's gone too far. 

Who is seeking revenge and why? His wife? His mistress? Or the shadow who's been following his every move? 

Just when he thinks he has anticipated his opponent's next move a tragic car accident leaves him paralyzed, his life's work is being stolen and his wife has disappeared. Just how far will someone go to teach him the correlation between deception and despair? 

WHEN DREAMS BLEED examines temptation and the ensuing consequences in a contemporary world. It's no secret that dreams come at a price, but what happens WHEN DREAMS BLEED?

Before we begin,  let me tell you a little about Robin - 

Robin Cain lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with her husband, daughter, three dogs, three horses and donkey. As a novelist and regular contributing writer for an online publication, she spends her days searching for the perfect words to amuse, enlighten and touch her readers. By reading her work, you’ve not only helped make her dreams come true, but others as well.

A percentage of the proceeds of this book will be donated to the American non-profit organization To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA), which aims to present hope and find help for people struggling with problems such as depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide.

A wonderful cause Robin.  Kudos!  Now let's get down to the nitty gritty,  shall we?

BK:  Have you always considered yourself a writer?  When did you start writing?
RC:  Writing is a passion and, like any creative endeavor, it just runs in one’s blood stream. I don’t think I considered myself a ‘real’ writer until I actually had the first copy of my book in my hands and could see a tangible product from my efforts.

My desire dates back to my school days when I use to write plays for the neighborhood kids to perform. While others played ball in the park, I was hashing out lines for my imaginary characters.

BK:  What inspired you to pen this novel?
RC:  The idea for this particular story originated from a headline in a local newspaper. A woman’s body had been found in a nearby lake and had gone unidentified for days. The sadness of that got me to wondering about what kind of life a woman would lead which would end up with her being an ‘unidentified body’. I mean, who doesn’t have someone that would notice her missing? It got my creative juices flowing and the story began almost backwards from there.

BK:  How did the title transpire?
RC:  WHEN DREAMS BLEED actually wasn’t the first title; for the longest time it was something else. I was nearly done with the first draft of the manuscript when I added the character of Billy Harwood (the violent pretty boy movie star). He added a new dark twist to the plot line and, singlehandedly, seemed to inspire tragedy among a great many of the other characters. That ongoing tragedy became the underlying thread which tied everyone together.

All these characters had so much going for them, so many dreams and so much opportunity, but greed, lust and revenge got the better of them. To me, it was as if all their dreams began to bleed. It was then when the title came to me.

 
BK:  What was your inspiration to write in this particular genre?  How do you keep it different from all the other novels in this area?
RC:  I didn’t choose the genre. I definitely chose me. The headline I read about the woman’s dead body being found simply fanned the flame of an idea and I ran with it. I had some background in working with a police department, I’d always had a penchant for murder/crime/police stories, and I’ve always had a love for the intricacies of human relationships.  It was just a perfect fit for me.

As for keeping it different from all the other novels in this area, I think anyone who reads the book will realize it is truly a little bit romance, a little bit suspense, and a little bit mystery. One of the hardest things regarding this book was typing it to one particular genre. There are some sexy love scenes, yet there is also a great deal of techie stuff, police work and forensics. It’s not your typical anything – which I think keeps it different.


BK:  How difficult was plot and character development?
RC:  Hmmm…difficult question to answer. I think with any kind of suspense/mystery genre, plot is always a whole lot trickier than, say, romance or something paranormal in that the writer has to hide the clues and engage the reader to the end; ‘fool’ them in a way. Much of what I wrote I had to do in sort of a backwards method, so that it made sense in a linear fashion. In this case, plot was more time consuming than character development.  For me, I could ‘see’ my characters, so it was just all about describing them to the reader.

BK:  Do you read a lot in this genre?  Who is your favorite author?
RC:  Well, I’ve read Sue Grafton’s entire alphabet and most, if not all, of Michael Connelly’s work, so yes, I do gravitate towards crime-based, detective stories. That’s not to say I don’t love women’s fiction, all wrapped up in human relationship drama – like Jodi Picoult’s work (which I think is often brilliant). I’d like to think that WHEN DREAMS BLEED combines a little bit of both genres.
  
BK:  Did you run into any road blocks during your writing?  How did you handle them?
RC:  What is writing without road blocks? There were the occasional days when I wasn’t sure where the story was going or what a character was going to do next, but nothing in particular stands out as a major road block as far as the writing goes. My road block came in the road to publication.

 I had spent so much of my time devoted to getting this book written that when the first agent rejections came during my query process, I was devastated. When months started to pass waiting for either agents to initially respond to me or to get back to me on partials they had requested, I reached a point where I felt like life was just passing me by. Not only that, but my characters were getting very impatient for their 15 minutes of fame! I made the decision to form my own publishing company and get my book out there. Likely not the choice some would make, but it worked for me and the urgency I felt at the time.

Funny story: Months after my book came out, I got an email (from an agent I had written nearly 8 months prior) requesting a partial. All I have to say to that is life is just too short.

BK:  Are you currently working on any projects?
RC:  I am currently working on two different manuscripts. One would fall in the genre of women’s fiction and one is looking like a follow-up to WHEN DREAMS BLEED. Stay tuned….

BK:  Any upcoming events you'd like to share?
RC:  The Scottsdale Public Library is hosting an event for the public involving local authors whose books are in the library system. I will be participating in that Meet & Greet this November.

BK:  What advice can you give to new aspiring writers/authors?
RC:  Two of the most important things I’ve learned along the way:
1) Don’t edit your creativity. Just let it flow and worry about the editing later.
2) Not everyone is going to like what you write, so don’t write for them. Write to please the critic inside yourself. He/She will be the toughest one of all.


Just for a little fun....

BK:  What is one thing your readers may be surprised to know about you?
RC:  See the answer to number 4 below…

BK:  What do you like to do when you're not writing?
RC:  I really like to read other people’s writing. I think there is something just fascinating about the different ways people express themselves and translate sights, sounds, smells and feelings into something other people can interpret and visualize. The ability to do that well – in my opinion – is an incredible talent and tremendously inspiring.

BK:  What is your favorite food and/or restaurant?
RC:   I love to eat out. I don’t get to do it as often as I’d like, but when I do, regardless of cuisine type, it makes me happy – particularly when it involves an inspired chef.

BK:  What is the craziest thing you have ever done in your life?
RC:  Oh my…the truth is a really long story, but the facts remain: I threw my panties out the back of a moving convertible one summer’s night on a busy street in Scottsdale. What can I say? It was really hot out…

BK:  That is too funny.  I'm sure we have all done something a little crazy at some point in our lives lol,  but hey if it was hot haha.

Thank you so much for joining us today Robin.  When Dreams Bleed is going to be a fantastic read and it has been added to my TBR.  I am wishing you much success and will definitely be following your success.  Please stop back in anytime to keep us updated.

Robin's Giveaway Rules:

One Lucky Commenter will win a copy of "When Dreams Bleed".

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In addition to her book giveaway - by sharing this post you will also be entered to win a $10 Itunes Gift Card.

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You can visit Robin online to learn more about her and her book at Robin Cain

You can purchase When Dreams Bleed for a signed copy here.