Meet Author Carol Ann Kauffman

Today I welcome Carol Ann Kaufman to my blog. I asked her for an interview over a month ago and she got back to me right away but as you might have noticed life got in my way the past few weeks and I have not been too active on here. I hope to change that and what better way to get back into the swing of things than an inspirational author such as Carol Ann. She is the author of the Time After Time series, which follows a pair of lovers through their many lifetimes together, and the Cat Collier Mysteries, as well as holiday short stories with Books To Go Now Publishers. Enjoy getting to know Carol as I did. I have to add I see she is a member of the Red Cross. Please read my other blog Sprinkled Notes to see how the Red Cross just helped out in my community.

Carol Ann Kauffman

Please share a little insight as to who Carol is?

This is from my Amazon Author Page:

Carol Ann Kauffman is the author of twenty books to date, from short stories to full-length novels. Her novels, classified as romantic action adventures with a sci-fi/ fantasy twist, and mysteries. They’re about life, love, loss, and lunacy. She is a retired teacher from a local school district in Ohio, where she taught for thirty-five years. She has worked as a printer, managed a department store office, worked as an insurance agent, and worked in the hardware and automotive departments of a large store. She was a Red Cross volunteer. Carol loves to travel; her favorite places being Italy and Aruba, which show up in her novels quite a bit. She loves to play Bridge and to garden. She grows African violets and orchids. Carol loves dachshunds and trains. She is the author of the Time After Time series, which follows a pair of lovers through their many lifetimes together, and the Cat Collier Mysteries, as well as holiday short stories with Books To Go Now Publishers. Connect with Carol on Twitter at @Cay47. Visit her website at carolannkauffman.weebly.com or visit her blog, Vision and Verse at visionandverse.blogspot.com.

What was the first thing you ever wrote that made you think perhaps you would like to be a writer?

I won an essay contest in seventh grade. I was shocked!  They had a dinner for us and gave me a trophy. I was so surprised someone else liked my writing and thought maybe this might be a good thing to do for a living.

What tweaks your creativity?

Everyday life. Listening to other people’s life stories. Events in my own life.

Tell us about your latest book.

It’s called The Captain and the Ambassador.  It’s a sci-fi romantic adventure. Ambassador Tull Redmond is looking for a quick ride back home to Earth after ending her twenty-year mission as a peace negotiator. All she wants is peace, quiet, and to be left alone. She boards the Earth Starship Giuseppe Verdi with its questionable leader, Captain Ben Jacobs anyway. It’s the fastest way home. Her quarters has a full bath, a space view window, and a large, real bed! How bad could this rule-breaking, authority-defying Captain Casanova be? High Council hates him, true, but his crew loves him. Surely, she’s too old and tired to be drawn into this bad boy of the quadrant’s personal circus.
Will Ambassador Redmond get the quiet, uneventful ride home she craves?

Is it part of a series?

As of right now, no. But, if it is well received, there’s a possibility it could be the first in a series of three. I have a few ideas for the further adventures of Ambassador Redmond and friends.

What is the favorite thing about your main character?

In this last book, Ambassador Redmond is an average woman and mother, who faces many of the same problems we all face. She is smart and resourceful. She loves intensely. In  general, my main character is usually a  tough, kick-ass woman.

What are your characters most serious flaw?

My main character’s main flaw is she never wants to give up. And in real life, sometimes you need to throw in the towel and walk away, for your own sanity.

What makes you smile?

I am a naturally smiley person. I love nature and animals, entertaining moments. I laugh at slapstick comedy moments. Kids are naturally funny. My dog, a 17 ½-year-old dachshund, is hysterical. My husband makes me laugh. He sees the humor in almost every situation.

What makes you mad/sad?

I dislike high drama, conflict-causing people. That makes me want to run.

Writers get discouraged at times. Have you ever been discouraged and what do you do about it?

Yes, I’ve been discouraged enough to want to quit. And if you can, I encourage you to leave this crazy business and do something else. The problem is I just can’t quit. I usually have three or four stories going on in my head at a time. I MAY quit publishing my work, but I won’t quit writing.

What advice would you give to new authors or those dreaming of becoming an author?

Write. Write every day. The only way you get better is to keep writing.  You can write one truly awful book but if you write twenty, you have to show some improvement. Also, read. You need to read what’s out there. Read all genres that hold your interest. And then read something really different. Read traditional and indies.  Don’t let anybody discourage you.

What are you working on now?

I’m working on the sequel to my bestselling sci-fi novel BELTERRA, called DARK RETURN, where the indigenous bat-like species comes out of the ocean and wants their planet back.  And Neeka is still patching up soldiers and sending them back into battle, and Braedon is still trying to single-handedly save the world.

I’m also working on the next Cat Collier Mystery, The Lavender Mists of May. It’s a series of short story adventures of a small town Ohio detective named Mary Catherine, or Cat, Collier.  January through April are out and doing well.

WAIT FOR ME, a Time After Time novel, is on my editor’s desk now. The Time After Time series follows a pair of quintessential lovers through their many lifetimes together. In this one, Richard travels from London on a hunch to find Nicole, but she is married to some oaf.   There is seven Time After Time stories in the series already published. Some are full-length novels. Some are novellas.

Did I forget to ask anything you would like us to know?

Yes. Food.  I like radishes, the little green leaves in the center of a stalk of celery, and red wine. (Not together.) And anything Italian.

I like to end my interviews with an author’s favorite quote. What is yours?

“Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.” –Winston Churchill

Find Carol Ann at the links above in the article. Thank you Carol and I wish all the readers a fun day. Feel free to comment if you like. Comments are screened so it might take a short time for them to show up.