Book Goodies

Find great books, bargains and freebies!

  • Home
  • Authors: Tell Readers About Your Book
  • Advertising
    • Buy Home Page Features
    • Advertise Your Bargain Book
    • List Your Free eBook
    • Feature Your PermaFree Book
    • BookGoodies Multi-site Landing Pages And Book Buyer’s Guides
    • Author Advertising PrePay and Save!
  • Deals Newsletter
  • Featured Books
    • Buyer’s Guides
  • Book and Kindle Sleeves
  • Free Printable Bookmarks
  • Sites in the BookGoodies Network
  • Inspirational Thoughts and Affirmations
  • Free Books
  • PermaFree Books
  • Featured Free and Bargain Books
  • Bargain Books Under $3
  • Buyer’s Guides
  • Interviews With Authors
    • Podcasts with Authors
  • Authors Start Here
    • Authors: Tell Readers About Your Book
    • BookGoodies MEGA Submit Book Buyers Guide
    • Submit Your Interview
    • Feature Your Free Books
    • Feature Your Bargain Books
  • Giveaways from BookGoodies
You are here: Home / Interviews With Authors / Interview with Author – Carrie Cross @Carrie_Skylar

Interview with Author – Carrie Cross @Carrie_Skylar

By Book Goodies Leave a Comment

AuthorProfilePic
Author Bio:
Carrie Cross is an avid reader who fell in love with books as a little girl after reading Goodnight Moon. She wrote her first “book” at age four: Blackie the Little Black Dog and the Flying Washing Machine. Carrie discovered her love of mysteries reading Nancy Drew books and The Happy Hollisters series, and after writing THE MYSTERY OF SHADOW HILLS, she continues to look for clues in unexpected places to this day.

Carrie Cross’s influences include Judy Blume, Deb Caletti, Sarah Dessen, and Lee Child. In addition to writing Skylar Robbins mysteries and reading, Carrie loves to cook, hike at the beach, go boating, and travel.

What inspires you to write?
When I was six years old, my parents decided we needed to buy a bigger house. We looked at a creepy two-story in Santa Monica Canyon, and I played hide-and-seek with the little girl who lived there. There were closets and secret hiding places with doors that opened into other rooms. Later, I wondered, “What if there was a clue hidden in one of those closets?” And the idea for the Skylar Robbins mystery series was born.

Tell us about your writing process.
I like to play, “What if?”

What if I explored a creepy old house and found it had a hidden floor? What would I find when I got there? What if I used an ultraviolet light in the attic and found a secret message written on the wall in invisible ink? What would it say? What if I discovered a tunnel hiding under some leaves in my backyard? Where would it lead? I put my main character in that type of situation and let my imagination go wild.

For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I let independent Skylar Robbins use her brains and her guts to tell me what she wants to do next. There’s always a mystery to solve, and she’s equipped with a detective kit and feisty confidence, so I follow her lead.

What advice would you give other writers?
Never give up! It’s hard to get an agent or a publisher, and even if you do, the author is responsible for most of her own promotion. So don’t give up! Self-publishing is a great alternative to traditional.

How did you decide how to publish your books?
After many agent rejection letters, I got signed with Writers House, but they never sold my book. (This was an early draft of a different Skylar Robbins novel.) I used all the constructive criticism I got from my agent and those who rejected my book, and revised and revised. During this time I wrote The Mystery of Shadow Hills. I decided to try the self-publishing route and did that through CreateSpace. It was a great experience and I plan to publish my next book the same way.

What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I love to hold a book in my hands and am not a fan of e-readers, although I do own one. I think there will always be publishers and printed books, although more and more authors will probably choose to self-publish like I did.

What do you use?
Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers

What genres do you write?
middle grade fiction, mystery

What formats are your books in?
Both eBook and Print

Website(s)
Carrie Cross Home Page Link
Link To Carrie Cross Page On Amazon

Your Social Media Links
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18365192-skylar-robbins
https://www.facebook.com/teendetectiveskylar
https://twitter.com/Carrie_Skylar

Filed Under: Interviews With Authors Tagged With: fiction, Middle Grade, mystery, suspense


Free and Bargain Books delivered to your email daily, subscribe now to find great new books every day.

Are you looking for ebook deals? We have them! We also have free ebooks - check them out!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sign up for our Featured and Bargain Books Newsletter

Fiction

  • Fiction
  • Action & Adventure
  • Drama
  • Fantasy
  • Historical
  • Horror
  • Mystery/Suspense
  • Paranormal
  • Romance
  • Romance – Erotica
  • Science Fiction
  • Women’s Fiction
  • Fiction Audio Books

Nonfiction

  • Art/Photography/Coffee Table
  • Biographies & Memoirs
  • Body/Mind/Spirit
  • Business Books
  • Cooking and Food Books
  • Crafts and Hobbies
  • Educational/How-to
  • Essays
  • Faith and Religion
  • Gardening Books
  • Health & Fitness
  • Humor
  • Inspiration and Photography Books
  • Pet and Animal Books
  • Science and Math
  • Travel
  • Nonfiction Audio Books

More Good Stuff

  • Featured Books
  • Children and Young Adult Books
  • *Reading Room
    • Interviews With Authors
    • Audio Books
      • Nonfiction Audio Books
      • Fiction Audio Books
  • Spanish
  • Giveaways from BookGoodies
  • Readers: What Podcasts Do You Listen To?
  • Readers: What Devices do You Use to Read eBooks?
  • Readers: What Do You Like on an Author’s Website?

For Authors

  • Authors: Tell Readers About Your Book
  • Author Interview – Tell Us About Yourself
  • BookGoodies MEGA Submit Book Buyers Guide
  • Advertise Your Bargain Books
  • Advertise Your Free eBook
  • Advertise Your PermaFree Book
  • Universal Link Tool for Amazon Books
  • Subscribe to Our Newsletter
  • BookGoodies News

Copyright © 2023 BookGoodies Network