SUSPENSE SEALED WITH A KISS
SPEAKER: Linda is a member of AWSA, and is available to speak to your organization, at your conference, or as part of a workshop.
Contact her at lglazagain@aol.com

AGENT: Linda is a an agent with Hartline Literary Agency. She would love to represent that next great American novel! She will look at nonfiction, but she LOVES FICTION--historic, suspense, romance or all of the above. linda@hartlineliterary.com

AUTHOR: Linda writes romance in all categories, but what is her fave? Suspense, and not only suspense, but SUSPENSE SEALED WITH A KISS

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Welcome to author CARA PUTMAN


I’d like to introduce author,
Cara Putman.
An honors graduate of University of
Nebraska-Lincoln
(Go Huskers!) and George Mason Law School, Cara is an attorney licensed in Virginia and Indiana. She clerked for the Honorable Loren Smith
at the Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C. before following
her husband to Indiana.

In 2005 she attended a book signing at
her local Christian bookstore.
At the book signing her husband told
Colleen Coble that Cara wanted to be writer.
She's been running ever since to keep up.
Barbour's Heartsong Presents has released four
of her books, including Canteen Dreams, a WWII historical set in Nebraska that won the 2008 Book of the Year for Short Historical.
She also writes romantic suspense for Harlequin's Love Inspired Suspense and the Complete Idiots Guide to Business Law.

Cara is also an attorney, wife, mom to three, homeschool teacher,
occasional professor at Purdue, active at her church,
and all around crazy woman. Crazy about God,
her husband and her kids that is.

Cara, your writing is so diverse, I’m hesitant where to start. So let me go to one of my favorite (and my oldest daughter’s) time periods. WWII. You’ve written quite a few romance novels in this historical era. What drew you to WWII?

There is something magical about that time. I love the movies, the music, the history, the clothes. I call myself an old soul in a young body. But I also think there’s something compelling about the fight. The war pulled the nation together in a way that inspires me. And there was a clear right and wrong, good v. evil. It was a time of immense hardship, but everybody pulled together.

When did you start writing and why? You seem to have “had it all” with the American dream. Family, fast-paced career. What would make someone switch to writing?

Writing was a lifetime dream of mine. I started my first books as a young teenager. They were fun ways to explore my love for history, but then I started college and didn’t have time to keep writing, but the dream never died. God has given me amazing opportunities. And all of those diverse experiences help me with writing and speaking. It also gives me the ability to write a diversity of characters because I’ve seen so much.

Every few years, I would get the urge to write and would offer it back to God. Is this something You have for me? Or is this something I should kill while focusing on something else? When God said to start, it’s been a sprint since.

My interest peaked when I read DEADLY EXPOSURE. The novel your sister (great salesman by the way) convinced me to buy because it had a theatre theme. Wonderful book. What made you make the stretch from historical to suspense?

I have loved reading suspense since I first discovered Mary Higgins Clark. So actually when I started to write, Deadly Exposure was the first book I plotted. I love suspense. I love the race to figure out who did it. I love the ticking imperative to get the bad guy before he gets you. I love the pacing. That’s why I’m really excited about this July’s release of Stars in the Night. It marries my loves of World War Two and romantic suspense.

What are you currently working on?

Today I just turned in edits for a book I’m writing for a Guidepost mystery series. It will release in September and was a lot of fun and work to write. I’m starting work on my next Guidepost book and working on some proposal ideas I have for more World War Two based suspense.

Thanks so much for having me, Linda. I’m so glad you enjoyed Deadly Exposure.

Cara, if anyone wants to contact you, do you have a website?

They can find me through my website www.caraputman.com

Okay folks, don’t pass go, don’t collect the two hundred clams, just rush out and buy one of Cara’s books. You won’t be sorry. Cara, thanks so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to join us.

7 comments:

  1. Very interesting interview. Thanks for introducing Cara. Does she ever sleep? Her life is really full! The moment I saw her photo I thought of my niece, who is a stunning beauty. The two could be twins! Cara made a meteoric rise from wanting to write in 2005 to winning Book of the Year in 2008. How amazing is that? I wish her the best with her upcoming titles!
    Donna Winters
    http://www.greatlakesromances.com

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  2. Cara is an amazing lady and I would like to know her secret of juggling all she does! I love her books!

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  3. Thanks so much for having me, Linda. And for the kind words, Karla. And thanks for the well wishes, Donna!

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  4. It's been fun. Thanks so much for joining us. I've enjoyed your books very much. I agree with the ladies, how do you do it all?

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  5. Thanks for the interview, Linda. Cara is amazing. How she does it all still is a mystery.

    Write on!

    Because of Christ,
    Sharon

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  6. Wow, I can't believe everything she does! Makes my head spin. I agree that WWII is a fascinating time. Thanks to Cara for sharing a little of her journey with us! :-)

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  7. Wow! I am amazed too at all she has done. I love that she wrote so many in such a short time and they all were good!

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