To celebrate
the release of Land of theNoonday Sun, we’ve invited Carmen DeSousa back for a brief interview.
You can read
more about Carmen in her Meet the Author interview on this blog.
Anyway, we at Manuscript Proofing are
short and sweet and to the point and decided to ask only one question, the one
everyone asks…
MSProofing’s
Question: how did you come up with the idea for Land of the Noonday Sun?
Carmen’s Answer:
it’s a weird story actually and most people—unless you are a writer—may not get
it, but here goes.
I don’t sketch
out my ideas or plot out my books. A line or a prompt will come to me via a
song, a line I hear someone say, or simply walking across the floor of an
outdoor center in high heels.
Okay, sounds
crazy but that’s exactly what happened. While shopping for a gift for my
husband, wearing business attire and high heels, which were clicking along the
hardwood floors in my favorite outdoor store in Charlotte, I thought to myself,
“Who would believe I’m an avid hiker or whitewater kayaker?”
That was all
it took. I opened up my notes in my iPhone and started jotting down thoughts.
My question: how does a city girl end up owning an outdoor store in the middle
of nowhere?
From there,
I just start typing. Sometimes I even start in the middle of the story and then
go back and fill in the blanks.
***
Want to see how she pulls it altogether? Here’s a
brief synopsis of Land of the Noonday Sun:
When two strangers have nothing left but their dreams, they must forge a
relationship in Nantahala, North Carolina, a small town known as Land of the
Noonday Sun.
Cassandra
is the beautiful, yet analytical daughter of a wealthy attorney. Destined to follow
in her father’s footsteps, her life of privilege suddenly shatters, and she
finds herself with no home, career, or money. A glimmer of hope arrives in a
letter from the grave promising a happier existence. Cassandra stands to
inherit over half a million dollars if she can live in the sleepy little town
of Nantahala for six months. Falling in love, however, was not part of the
deal, and without warning, she finds herself fighting for two lives.
A
man with a traumatic past is able to turn his life around and is happy with his
chosen career as a whitewater guide. Everything changes though when fate hurls
a woman into his path. His carefree life is in turmoil, and his former
weaknesses threaten to overtake him. Will he be strong enough when tragedy strikes
and is once again in danger of losing everything he loves?
Both of Carmen's published novels, She Belongs to Me and Land of the Noonday Sun, have reached bestseller status right
alongside Nicholas Sparks, J.D. Robb, and other great authors. Her third novel, Entangled
Dreams,
releases this month.
For more info on Carmen, visit the websites below: