I’d like to welcome Author Ute Carbone to 'In the Spotlight' this morning. Ute’s an aspiring Romance Novelist who had many dreams of what she wanted to be when she grew up from, fanciful- ballerina, trapeze artist, world class ski racer, doctor, oceanographer to bookstore owner. So now we’re going to find out what brought her to write.
Welcome Ute, thank you for joining us this fine day. Please tell us what life is like in your corner of the world.
Hi Duaine and Cathy. Thanks for having me on your blog. And for the chocolate. There is chocolate, right?
The weather has been wonderful in my little corner of New England, sunny and warm with temperatures in the seventies (that’s degrees Fahrenheit!) The garden tomatoes are ripe. Yum!
Sorry, maybe next time I’ll have to offer the chocolate the most I can do at present is a stupid diet bar. . . Okay, no on the diet bar, so let’s get started, Tell us about you, who is Ute Carbone.
I'm a novelist and sometimes poet who lives in Southern New Hampshire. I’ve been married to the same great guy for a lot of years. We have two grown sons. I love hiking, skiing, and generally communing with nature. I'm a big fan of chocolate, theater, and really good stories.
I write women’s literary fiction, romantic comedy, and just a bit of romance. I have two books currently available: a women’s literary novel, Blueberry Truth, and a romantic comedy, The P-town Queen, My time travel romance novella, The Whisper of Time, is due to be released in later in 2012. Two more romantic comedies are due for release in 2013: Afterglow, in January and Searching for Superman in June. And my short story trilogy, I’ll be Seeing You, will be released in summer 2013.
Sometimes the hardest part about being a writer is getting support from the family, what does your family think about your writing? Have they read your books?
They’ve always been very supportive. They do read my stuff! Well, sometimes anyway.
If you were a superhero, what would be your name and superpower?
Stiletto. She has six inch heels and knows how to use them. She’s my alter ego. I stagger about if I have to wear heels, which is (luckily) not very often.
What interview question have you never been asked that you’re dying to answer? Answer it now.
Hmm, I love music, so maybe a question about that? I listen to a lot of music as I write and have playlists for my books. I have pretty eclectic tastes, but my favorites are rockers like Springsteen, Petty, and Billy Joel. I love singer-songwriters.
It's always interesting to know what authors read. Who is you favorite author?
It’s hard to pick one favorite. My faves often change over time. Right now, I’d have to say Alice Hoffman and Elizabeth Berg are high on my list.
With so many other directions you wanted to go in, at what point in your life did the little light go on that told you, you wanted to be an author? I'm a novelist and sometimes poet who lives in Southern New Hampshire. I’ve been married to the same great guy for a lot of years. We have two grown sons. I love hiking, skiing, and generally communing with nature. I'm a big fan of chocolate, theater, and really good stories.
I write women’s literary fiction, romantic comedy, and just a bit of romance. I have two books currently available: a women’s literary novel, Blueberry Truth, and a romantic comedy, The P-town Queen, My time travel romance novella, The Whisper of Time, is due to be released in later in 2012. Two more romantic comedies are due for release in 2013: Afterglow, in January and Searching for Superman in June. And my short story trilogy, I’ll be Seeing You, will be released in summer 2013.
Sometimes the hardest part about being a writer is getting support from the family, what does your family think about your writing? Have they read your books?
They’ve always been very supportive. They do read my stuff! Well, sometimes anyway.
If you were a superhero, what would be your name and superpower?
Stiletto. She has six inch heels and knows how to use them. She’s my alter ego. I stagger about if I have to wear heels, which is (luckily) not very often.
What interview question have you never been asked that you’re dying to answer? Answer it now.
Hmm, I love music, so maybe a question about that? I listen to a lot of music as I write and have playlists for my books. I have pretty eclectic tastes, but my favorites are rockers like Springsteen, Petty, and Billy Joel. I love singer-songwriters.
It's always interesting to know what authors read. Who is you favorite author?
It’s hard to pick one favorite. My faves often change over time. Right now, I’d have to say Alice Hoffman and Elizabeth Berg are high on my list.
I was a biology major in school, then sweitched to education. I taught Special Education for about eight years. Then I was a stay-at-home mom. When my kids got to be school age, I started writing poetry and over time got more and more serious about writing.
Can you have it all as an author?
I hope so! I like that writing (and reading) can take you just about anywhere.
What aspect of the writing process do you enjoy the most? What part of the process do you dread?
I love creating characters. I like, too, when the writing surprises me—after a while the story takes on a life of its own and I love that aspect of discovery. I’m not too fond of promo. I’m not the world’s greatest salesperson, so selling myself and my work is hard for me.
Tell us a little about your books? Please give us a little preview. Tempt us.
How much time do you have? LOL.
I have two novels currently available. Blueberry Truth is literary women’s fiction. It’s the story of a teacher who fosters a troubled little girl. The P-Town Queen is romantic comedy. It’s about a guy who’s running from the mob and pretends to be gay as a cover-up. The heroine in the story is a shark researcher who hires him. And of course, they’re attracted to each other but she thinks he’s gay and he’s pretending to be gay and there in lies the rub.
I also have a few things in the works. A Time-Travel novella, called The Whisper of Time, will be out later this year. It’s about a young veterinarian who buys a farm sight unseen and ends up going back in time forty years to find the hero she’s destined for. My next romantic comedy, Afterglow, is coming out in January. The heroine is a fifty-something woman who’s getting divorced and gets her life back on track with a little help from her friend, her kids and the handsome young doctor she falls for. Another romantic comedy, Searching for Superman, is out next June. The heroine works in theater that’s in danger of being torn down. The hero, of course, helps save the theater and proves he’s the guy she’s been looking for all along. Then I also have a short story trilogy coming out next July—three stories of three generations of women and the men they love.
And that’s just what’s getting published! I also have…no, I fear I’ve lost you. So I’ll stop. For now!
If you could change anything about yourself to match a secondary character in one of your books, who would it be and why?
Interesting guestion! Maybe because I was recently working on edits, I’m thinking about Eva, the heroine’s best friend in Afterglow. She’s one of those slightly brash, take charge kind of people. She’s bold and outspoken. I could use a touch more Evaness in myself!
What can readers expect in the coming months? What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m doing a short story for an anthology about weddings. And I’m working on another romantic comedy. The Champagne Authors are also working up a short story anthology, so I’ve begun thinking about a story for them.
Where can we find you on the web?
Thank you Ute, it’s been a pleasure.
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