Today I have the pleasure of hosting fellow ACFW member, Robin Caroll to talk about her newest release,
Deliver Us From Evil. The book has had great reviews and created quite a bi
t of buzz so I’m excited to read it for myself. I haven’t received my copy, but as soon as I do I’ll let you know what I think and then draw a name from the comments left here for a winner for the book. :)
Hey, Robin, thanks for taking the time to do this interview. I know you’re really busy right now with the release Deliver Us From Evil.
Since you were here last, you’ve written like a bazillion books. What is this like 9 or 10?
Robin: Deliver Us From Evil is my 9th release. The following two books in the trilogy will be 10th and 11th, releasing in August 2010 and February 2011.
Sabrina: You sure keep busy. :) How long did it take you to complete this one?
Robin: Well, Deliver Us From Evil was began back in 2005. I plotted and planned it, did the research, and wrote approximately 35K of the manuscript. The research was horrendous and writing some of the scenes wiped me out emotionally to write them. I reached a point where I stopped writing on the book, and began writing something new, lighter...it sold to Steeple Hill in 2006, followed by the next 3 books contracting quickly behind. At the 2008 conference, in a chance meeting, I spoke with David Webb, then with B&H. In conversation, he asked if I'd considered writing full length romantic suspense. I told him I did. He asked if I had anything I was working on. Deliver Us From Evil came to the forefront of my mind, even though I had others. I told him the premise and he requested I have my agent send him a proposal. Well, I was excited, but also had deadlines and obligations. I finally completed a proposal in March on 2009 and had my agent send it to David. Months passed as I was working on my contracted Steeple Hill books, but David kept in touch with my agent, letting us know when the proposal had passed through their readers, him, and went to Karen Ball's desk. Then we received word that changes were occurring at B&H and David Webb would be leaving. Karen was quick to contact my agent and let her know that they were working to make the transition as smooth as possible, and that my proposal was still under consideration. Conversations continued and I was officially contracted by B&H in September 2009. The book would be released in February 2010, so that's when I began to finish writing Deliver Us From Evil.
Sabrina: On a more personal note, can you tell us a little about yourself, have you always known you were going to be a writer or did you have other aspirations in college, etc…
Robin: Believe it or not, I was infatuated with the legal system. I actually have paralegal training, but I learned my first year as an intern paralegal with a criminal attorney that I wasn't cut out for the legal profession. I learned quickly that we have a legal system, not a justice system. So I began to follow up with my stories and poems, got several published, and then veered into novel-length fiction.
Sabrina: Wow, how interesting. I too worked as a legal secretary and assumed I’d end up as a paralegal. On a more writing note, describe what the last few years have been like for you as you’ve moved from struggling writer to successful author?
Robin: I'm successful? LOL Seriously, I think each writer struggles at every level. From true beginner learning the craft, to agented writer honing their skill, to contracted author learning the process, to mulitpublished author continuing to learn and grow.
Sabrina: Anyone who can write and sell 9 books in a few years is definitely successful. :) Tell us a little about this newest book and why it’s so special to you?
Robin: Deliver Us From Evil is the story of a beautiful yet tough woman working in a beautiful yet tough setting, Brannon Callahan is a search and rescue helicopter pilot for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Strong faith and a decorated history of service have kept her one step ahead of on-the-job dangers, but there’s no precedent for what’s about to happen. After a blizzard takes down a small plane carrying U.S. Marshal Roark Holland (already haunted by a recent tragedy), Brannon must save him in more ways than one and safeguard the donor heart he’s transporting to a government witness on the edge of death. Otherwise the largest child trafficking ring in history—with shocking links from Thailand to Tennessee—will slip further away into darkness along the Appalachian Trail. It's truly the book of my heart as it brings to light the horrors of child trafficking.
Sabrina: Is this part of a series or a stand alone?
Robin: While this book can certainly stand alone, there are two others behind it that bring a secondary character to the forefront.
Sabrina: You know here in middle America we sometimes don’t hear about these kinds of travesties. A few years ago I was completely shocked to hear human trafficking is running rampant and becoming such a lucrative business for these criminals. On that note, what do you think the most common misconception is about human trafficking?
Robin: Is that it doesn't happen very often. It DOES. Right under our noses. And because most Americans are like we were, unaware, nothing is being done to stop it. Awareness is the first step in bringing an end to this modern day slavery.
Sabrina: Is there anything we can do to support these victims or get involved?
Robin: In the back of Deliver Us From Evil, I list some organizations I found while researching who are making a difference. You can also check out my blog
http://www.robinswritingworld.blogspot.com/ and each post in January is about organizations fighting to end human trafficking.
Sabrina: Robin, thank you so much for visiting with us and sharing your heart on this serious matter. Having read your other titles I know you pour a lot of research into these books. Thanks again and we look forward to seeing what you have in store for us next. Now, folks, leave a comment to be entered to win a copy of Deliver Us From Evil as soon as I pick it up.
Robin: Thanks, Sabrina. It's been so fun!
