About Carla Caruso:
Carla Caruso was born in Adelaide, Australia, and only ‘escaped’ for three years to work as a magazine journalist and stylist in Sydney. Previously, she was a gossip columnist and fashion editor at Adelaide’s daily newspaper, The Advertiser. She has since freelanced for titles including Woman’s Day and Shop Til You Drop. These days, she plays mum to twin boys Alessio and Sebastian with hubby James. A Pretty Mess is the first in her Astonvale rom-com mystery series. Visit www.carlacaruso.com.au for more!
What inspires you to write?
Life! The human condition! Humour! Tripping over in the middle of the road and being able to channel the humiliation into a book and laugh about it…! And relationships and love, of course!
Tell us about your writing process.
I have 1yo twin boys, so write during their naptimes and after dinner. As a freelance journalist before becoming a mum, I could easily squander half a day before I sat down to write. However, when you only have limited time, it’s amazing what you can get done in a few short hours. It means mini deadlines each day I can’t avoid and so much more productivity!
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
It is this weird thing where a plot and characters will take form in my head without the conscious me really getting a say on matters! Although, I kind of LIKE that it’s a strange process like that. What comes out is then a surprise to me, too.
What advice would you give other writers?
Keep improving your writing, don’t rush your books (though don’t wait for the muse to strike either), and write from the heart! Write every day also, if you can, no matter the word count. Keeps that writerly muscle flexed.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I guess I wanted to be published with one of the so-called Big Five publishers (in my case, Penguin) so I wouldn’t have to pay for things like editing, cover art and marketing, and I could just concentrate on the creative writing part… Although, there is a lot more author-triggered marketing involved than I realised when I first got started. Of course, there’s no point writing a book if no one knows about it.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
Positive! Although, standing out among an ocean of authors and books, since the advent of self-publishing and e-publishing, does seem difficult and overwhelming sometimes. I guess it does all come back to writing your best book, digging that bit deeper each day at your keyboard, and having your fingers crossed the rest will follow. It’s all guesswork, but it’s just usually when you’re about to give up in life that it all tends to happen…!
What genres do you write?: Romantic comedy, chick-lit, contemporary romance, mystery
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Carla Caruso Home Page Link
Link To Carla Caruso Page On Amazon
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