Today's Special - - Carey Baldwin

I'm excited to welcome Carey Baldwin back to The Romance Dish.  Carey has a brand new book (released yesterday) and, let me tell you, it's fantastic! (Read my review) This former clinical psychologist knows how to craft a psychological thriller that draws in the reader and keeps them riveted to the story while at the same time scaring the daylights out of them.  I love her stories!

BONUS:  For a limited time you can download CONFESSION at only $1.99 for your Kindle or Nook!  

REMINDER:  Carey is hosting a Facebook release party for CONFESSION today from 1 - 5pm.  Details below in the Q&A. 

Welcome back to the Romance Dish, Carey.  The last time you were here your single-title debut, First Do No Evil had just been released.  Since then you’ve signed with a new publisher – HarperCollins – and your first book for their digital Witness Impulse line, CONFESSION was released yesterday.  Please tell our readers what they can expect from CONFESSION.

Thanks so much for having me, Patty! Readers can expect the unexpected from CONFESSION. I hope there will be lots of surprises in store for them. The book is about 30-40 percent romance and 60-70 percent suspense. It’s officially part of the Harper Collins suspense line- Witness Impulse, but the romance is an integral part of the story. One that I hope will tug your heartstrings. CONFESSION is a dark psychological thriller, along the lines of something you might see from Karen Rose or Allison Brennan in tone. So not for the faint of heart, as they say J.

CONFESSION has a tie-in to FIRST DO NO EVIL.  Should the two books be read in order or does each stand on its own?

The books definitely stand alone, but though they are not technically part of the same series, they are connected. Dr. Faith Clancy, the heroine of CONFESSION is the sister-in-law of Detective Daniel Benson, the hero of FIRST DO NO EVIL. Because one plot is independent of the other, readers can choose to read in any order. But I do think those who enjoy CONFESSION may want to go back and read FIRST DO NO EVIL and vice versa. Faith Clancy stays in the background in FIRST DO NO EVIL, and I think it might be fun for those readers of CONFESSION, who will have the inside track, to spot the hints in FDNE as to what’s really going on with good old reliable Aunt Faith. Both books have a similar mix of thrills and romance, so if you enjoy one, you’ll probably enjoy the other.

I loved both!

Carey, you always manage to throw an unexpected twist into your stories that never fails to take me by surprise.  Are your books plotted out in advance or does the direction they take sometimes catch you by surprise?

Hooray for taking you by surprise, Patty! The truth is I started plotting CONFESSION while I was still writing FIRST DO NO EVIL, so CONFESSION's plot was well over a year in the making- before I ever inked a single word. That said, many things changed during the actual telling of the story. So I guess the answer is I’m definitely a plotter, but I try to let the characters lead me as I write.

When I read your books I don’t do so as an observer but as a participant.  You have the ability to put me squarely in the middle of the action and into the minds of your characters; sometimes a very scary place to be.  I know they’re products of your imagination but do your characters ever scare you?

Thanks for the kind words! And, yup. In fact LABYRINTH, the book I’m finishing up now is scaring the dickens out of me. I told my critique partners, I’m actually quite frightened by the story. You’ve heard of reading with the light on? I’m writing with every light in the house on.

Oh, my.  Every light?  Yikes!

Will we be seeing any of the characters from CONFESSION in future books?  There are two secondary characters that I want more of!   

Well, since you mentioned two characters, I believe we’re on the same page.  Dr. Caitlin Cassidy, a forensic psychiatrist and Special Agent Atticus Spenser (aka Spense) an FBI profiler, are the protagonists of LABYRINTH –scheduled to release Sept. 16, 2014. I really love these two as individuals and I also love their chemistry. I plan for readers to see much more of Caity and Spense in future books (and, guys, whatever you do – do not call Spense by his first name!) In CONFESSION, Caitlin tells Faith that it’ll be a cold day in hell when she and Spense team up. In LABYRINTH, let’s just say the temperature in Hades has dropped dramatically.

Oh, yes.  We are most definitely on the same page!  

Many readers have what we call comfort reads, those favorite books that never fail to lift our spirits no matter how many times we read them.  To what books or authors do you turn when your spirits need a boost.

I must’ve read To Kill a Mockingbird a half-dozen times. It never fails to inspire me. Any Jane Austen book, any time will lift my spirits, and there’s nothing better than a fast-paced fun thriller by Harlan Coben. I’ve also had the good fortune to read many “works in progress” by some wonderful friends (I won’t list them because I wouldn’t want to leave anyone out and they are all so special) and those books- in- the -making genuinely inspire me to keep going, write my best book, and just feel plain happy. Also, I don’t place dark thrillers in the comfort read category, but I sure do love them. There’s something about watching good overcome evil, even in the most impossible circumstance, that keeps me coming back time after time and makes me realize how small my worries are.

What would readers be surprised to learn about you?

It’s in my bio, but I’ve followed a crooked career path. I have a PhD in clinical psychology and practiced for a while before going back to medical school to become a pediatrician. I think most people wouldn’t expect someone like me (a pediatrician who sings the alphabet song with her patients) to write dark and sexy books.

If you could insert yourself into the life of any fictional character (with a way back to your real life, of course), who would you choose and why?

I adore Laura Ingalls from the Little House on the Prairie series. I’d love to experience life as a pioneer girl/woman.  Although I’m not sure I’d classify Laura as a fictional character – since the Little House books depict a fictionalized account of Laura’s real life. Also, I’m pretty sure the pioneer men were hawt and manly, so reason enough for me!  

LOL!  Excellent reasons!  

Where can readers connect with you online?

Thanks for asking. I’d love for readers to visit my website  (www.CareyBaldwin.com ). I’m on also on twitter (https://twitter.com/CareyBaldwin ) and facebook (https://www.facebook.com/CareyBaldwinAuthor) and you can sign up for my newsletter to get info on my new releases here (http://www.careybaldwin.com/contact/)

Will you be attending any conferences or book signings this year where readers will have the opportunity to meet you?

Yes! But first I’d like to mention if I may that today (March 12) I’m having an online facebook party to celebrate the release of CONFESSION. I’d love for readers to join me between 1PM and 5PM EST 
(https://www.facebook.com/events/770999556263155/) I’ve got guest authors, games and prizes including a fifty dollar gift card, so please stop by!

Upcoming in person events I’m attending include:

The Desert Dreams Conference April 4-6 Phoenix, Arizona

The Romantic Times Book Lovers Convention May 13-18 New Orleans

The Romance Writers of America Conference July 24-26 San Antonio, Texas

Thanks so much for visiting with us today, Carey.  Would you like to ask our readers a question?

Thank you for inviting me! It’s always fun to visit with you and Andrea, and to get a chance to interact with your readers. I’d like to ask your readers so many things, but I think I’ll settle for this: Has anyone ever given you a really great piece of advice that you’re willing to share today?

One randomly chosen person leaving a comment on today's blog will receive a $10 gift card from Carey - winner's choice of Amazon or Barnes and Noble.  

They say the Santa Fe Saint comes to save your soul—by taking your life.

Newly minted psychiatrist Faith Clancy gets the shock of her life when her first patient confesses to the grisly Saint murders. By law Faith's compelled to notify the authorities, but is her patient really the Saint? Or will she contribute to more death by turning the wrong man over to the police?

Faith is going to need all her wits and the help of a powerful adversary, Luke Jericho, if she's to unravel the truth. But she doesn't realize she's about to become an unwitting pawn in a serial killer's diabolical game. For once he's finished with Faith, she'll become his next victim.