Please give a warm welcome to Celeste Carrara, author of Give Me Pleasure.
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you’re currently working on or promoting.
I am a stay at home mom to 2 awesome kids. Now that they are older (10 & 15), it’s my time to chase my dream. My husband and my children have been hugely supportive as I do that. What’s my dream? Honestly, I don’t have that dream of becoming rich off of my books. I don’t even need to see my books on a bookshelf to feel like I’ve made it. You know what I want? I want people to love my stories. I want fans that can’t wait for the next book to be released. I want people to relate to and fall in love with my characters. When I read a review that says all of that, that’s what makes me happy. That’s what reinforces that I am on the right path, chasing the right dream.
I’m currently promoting my book Give Me Pleasure. It is the 4th book in my Paranormal City series. Feel free to read them out of order or even pick one that looks interesting to you. Yes, it does help to read them all in order, but you don’t have to!
What genre is your book? Do you write in other genres as well?
My books are erotic paranormal romances, but I will be releasing an erotic romance in the coming months. No matter what I write, there always has to be explicit sex and romance! I can’t help it 😉
Do you have an agent and/or publisher or are you self-published? If self-published, do you use a professional editor? If traditionally published, who is your publisher?
I am self-published and I use a professional editor. Her name is Lindsay and she completes me lol. I don’t know what I would do without her. My stories would be one giant run on sentence if it wasn’t for her!
Do you use test readers? If so, how many?
Yes I do. I have 2 test (or beta) readers that I use. They are wonderful ladies who take time out of their busy schedules to read my work and do it all for nothing in return. Well, I do give them shout outs at the beginning of my books as payment lol.
What advice do you have for writer’s just starting out?
My advice to writers just starting out would be to write what you want to write. Don’t let genre rules dictate how your story goes.
What project are you currently working on?
Currently I am working on Give Me Your Love. It will be the 5th book in my Paranormal City series. This one is tough to write and has been kicking my butt, but it’s going to be a great book. The characters are some of my favorite supporting characters from my other books in the series.
Do you base your characters on people you know?
Yes I do! That’s bad, no? I can’t help it. I know some pretty interesting people in real life and their personality traits show themselves in my characters. I have talked about this in my blog, but in book 1 of my series, Give Me Forever, my main character Serena’s father Sebastian is my father. His personality and the relationship between the two are very similar to my relationship with my father. It was actually therapeutic to write their scenes.
Is there a message in your book(s) that you want readers to grasp?
Oh yes there is! Even though I write about vampires and witches, my characters go through real life struggles. At the core, my books are about relationships. The struggles one goes through when they have a difficult relationship with a parent. We can all relate to trying to find our own way in life, finding our own voice and place in this world. Everyone has their cross to bear in their lives. We love, we fight, we live, we die, we party, we cry, you get the point lol. My characters go through their share of strife, but in the end, they persevere. Just like we all do.
Who or what inspires you?
Music is my biggest inspiration. It has always been a huge part of my life, but when I started writing, I thought it would be a distraction. I was wrong! I almost always have music playing while I’m writing. I even created a playlist for each book and have it on my website! As for who inspires me? I would have to say, my husband and our children. They are my life and they inspire me everyday to be the best I can be.
What do you do when you’re not writing?
When I’m not writing I’m promoting myself. I’m all over social media! When I’m not doing that I am doing all the normal things moms do. Oh, I can’t forget that on my down time, or “me time” I like to plan our family vacations. Every year we go to Disney World because it is my happy place and I love it. 🙂
I have found the writer’s community to be very supportive and welcoming. Please share three writers that you recommend for us to check out.
You can find Celeste on her website, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, AllRomanceEbooks, and Goodreads.
Click on the cover below to buy Give Me Pleasure:
Thank you so much Blakely! I had a great time doing this interview!
Thanks so much for promoting on your end. I enjoyed it too.
Warm regards,
Blakely