Hello riders and readers. It's Sunday. And I got an author interview for you today featuring supernatural mystery slash horror author Caryn Larrinaga. We are going to jump into her life with a splash and find out what makes her tink along with discovery what she is starting over on Kickstarter with her book "When You Wish Upon the Dark." The title itself sounds interesting and I can't wait to see how she describes the book itself along with the characters within. If you haven't check out her Kickstarter you can HERE. The Kickstarter currently is running and has 11 more days. With your help it can be a big career changer with your help. Don't miss out...Back The Project Today. Happy reading everyone :).
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Author Interview with Caryn Larrinaga
Hi! Thanks so much for having me. The first things I like to tell people about myself are that I love spooky things, I have cats, and I’m Basque. Depending on their response, we can (hopefully) geek out about ghosts or fur babies or Basque culture and folklore. I live near Salt Lake City, Utah with my husband and our clowder of kitties.
Can you tell us a bit about the genre you write in and how long you have been an author?
I primarily write supernatural mysteries and quiet horror. My work is most often on the slow burn, gothic, and even cozy end of things, but I love a good monster and have been known to shock my readers with some of my short stories.
I started publishing in 2015, and it’s been over a decade of spooky stories and lessons learned!
What have you learned thus far about the publishing industry that you didn’t know from the beginning?
I think I had a very romantic assumption about how everything works. Write a book, send a query letter, get an agent, become a bestselling author… all in the course of a few months, right? But the traditional publishing world moves at a glacial pace that’s honestly downright tortuous.
The most important thing I’ve learned about publishing is actually something I learned about myself: I’m not a trad-pub person. The lack of control and feeling like I was in the dark about what my agent was doing just about broke me. I learned that I need to be in the driver’s seat, with total creative control. It’s a lot more work on the production end (setting up files, working with artists and printers, etc.) but not much more work on the marketing side, and for a genuine Type A personality like myself, there’s joy in every step.
What does a usual day look like for yourself?
Publishing isn’t my day job, so the first chunk is dedicated to my IT management alter-ego. If I manage to wake up on time, I like to squeeze in a tarot reading or a bit of writing before work, but most days, the writing has to wait until the evenings.
To get myself into Writing Mode, I like to grab a hot mug of chai or a cold coconut Bai (depending on the season), camp out in the same spot on a little couch in my sitting room, throw on one of my writing albums (for my newest book, it was Carpenter Brut’s Trilogy), and have at it.
My cats are obviously very helpful in this whole process and never steal my papers or lay on my keyboard.
What are your favorite tropes to feature in your books that you have written so far?
Ghosts and cats are two of my favorites. I don’t put cats in every story, but when I do, I can promise readers that they never, ever, ever die. I’m also a big fan of psychic powers. Characters who can see ghosts, hairstylists who can scry into mirrors and see people’s true nature, trauma-ridden women who can sense things other people can’t.
Right now you have a Kickstarter running for your special edition novel “When You Wish Upon the Dark.” Can you tell us about the Kickstarter so far?
Running this Kickstarter has been a wild learning experience! I’ve helped with others before this as a ‘collaborator’ on a couple of anthology projects, but this is the first time I’m running one on my own. The amount of support from backers had been incredible. We smashed through the original $500 goal in 20 minutes, and as I write this, we’re closing in on $10,000. It’s been so much fun talking to backers on Facebook and knocking out stretch goals together!
What goes in to making your deluxe special edition “When You Wish Upon the Dark?”
For the deluxe edition, I’m making my dream book. After losing my agent last year, I thought long and hard about what I really wanted out of traditional publishing, and I realized what I wanted most was to see my books in hardcover. I honestly didn’t think that was possible as an indie author, but I started researching and found that not only can indie authors get our books in hardcover, but we can get super deluxe gorgeous versions!
I’m giving it everything I love: sprayed edges, a matte black laminate case with silver foiling, a matte dust jacket with spot UV varnish for some shimmer and that delicious tactile sensation from the raised gloss, printed endpapers in the front and back, and black head and tail bands. I found a really great printer in Poland called BooksFactory, and they’ve been so great to work with!
When You Wish Upon the Dark is told from two points of view: Rosa, an anxious woman in her early thirties who seeks comfort in the Basque folktales she grew up with; and Hex, an equally-anxious gray tabby cat who lives at the historic inn where the action takes place. Hex is so sassy and sarcastic. Not at all like my own little monsters… ;)
What tiers or swag are you offering your backers for “When You Wish Upon the Dark” deluxe special edition Kickstarter?
Backers can get the super deluxe hardcover, or they can go with a special edition paperback that features the sprayed edges and spot UV varnish. I’m also offering a special edition ebook and a retail paperback.
For swag, I commissioned some really fun character art stickers and a ‘souvenir’ sticker from the Soul Spa Retreat at the Dean Mansion Inn. But my favorite piece of swag is the bookmark, which is designed after a Do Not Disturb door hanger like you see in hotels. It has shimmery gold foil, and it really hangs on doors.
What things have you found that worked to get backers to back your campaign over on Kickstarter?
By far, Facebook ads have been the winner. My newsletter subscribers have also been fantastically supportive and have really turned out for me.
What tropes do you feature in “When You Wish Upon the Dark?”
It’s a closed-circle mystery, where all the suspects (and victims) are stuck somewhere together. A cat narrator is one of my favorite tropes, especially in mysteries. On the horror side, it has isolation and dark folklore.
Why do you think readers should back your Kickstarter for “When You Wish Upon the Dark?”
It’s such a fun story. I dare anyone to read it and not fall completely in love with Hex. It’s also packed with Basque folklore and Basque-American culture, and readers might even pick up some Basque words along the way. Backers will get this gorgeous book before anyone else!
What advice would you give to a new author thinking about using Kickstarter for the first time?
Don’t rush into it. Spend time doing as much research as you can. Check out Anthea Sharp’s book Kickstarter for Authors. Back some campaigns in your genre so you can get a feel for how everything works (and support another author on their journey). Kickstarter is awesome, but it can also be daunting. I am positive the only reason I haven’t lost my mind on this first campaign is because I researched my buns off.
What advice would you give to a budding author that wants to jump into the publishing business?
Have faith in yourself! If you don’t believe in yourself and in your book, nobody else will. Try to find a publishing community if you haven’t already, whether it's online or in person. (I highly recommend the Cat Writers Association and the League of Utah Writers in particular.) Research as much as you can, and don’t fall for any company that promises to make you a bestseller.
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Now Live on Kickstarter!
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