Q&A Interview and Giveaway with Caridad Piñeiro

Hello everyone!  Book Monster Reviews and LITERAL ADDICTION are proud to welcome Caridad Piñeiro to our sites today!  

Caridad Piñeiro is a multi-published and award-winning author whose love of the written word developed when her fifth grade teacher assigned a project – to write a book that would be placed in a class lending library. She has been hooked on writing ever since.

From the start, Caridad’s novels have received acclaim and have helped redefine the landscape of modern romance novels. In 1999, Caridad was published by Kensington as part of Encanto, the first line of bilingual Latino romance novels. In 2000, Caridad was one of the first Latino authors featured at the launch of BookExpo America’s Spanish Pavillion. In December 2006, Caridad helped Silhouette launch its successful Nocturne paranormal line with DEATH CALLS, one of the novels in the award-winning THE CALLING Vampire series. In addition, Caridad has appeared at BookExpo America on numerous occasions and has captained both the multicultural and vampire genre panels at the RT BookClub Conventions.

Caridad’s CHICAS novels, including her seventeenth release, SOUTH BEACH CHICAS CATCH THEIR MAN from Simon & Schuster’s Downtown Press, have garnered praise from both fellow authors and reviewers and are helping to make Latina fiction a vital part of the publishing mainstream.

In recognition of her work, Caridad has received various awards and honors. In 2007, a year marked by the debut of six novels from Harlequin and Pocket Books, Caridad received the Golden Apple Award Author of the Year Award from the New York City Chapter of the Romance Writers of America. Other honors that Caridad has received include the selection of DANGER CALLS and DEATH CALLS as the Top Fantasy Books of 2005 and 2006 by CATALINA magazine, the Cataromance Reviewers Choice Award for Best Nocturne in 2006 and the New Jersey Romance Writers Golden Leaf award in 2001 for Best Short Contemporary. Her other titles have received a number of nominations, such as the Harlequin Readers Choice Awards and RIO Reviewers Choice Awards. Both DANGER CALLS and SEX AND THE SOUTH BEACH CHICAS have been book club selections.
Caridad’s eighteenth novel, MOON FEVER, a paranormal anthology with Maggie Shayne, Susan Sizemore and Lori Handeland, debuted in late September 2007 as #32 on the New York Times Extended Bestseller list and #123 on the USA TODAY Bestseller List. HOLIDAY WITH A VAMPIRE, a paranormal anthology with Maureen Child, made the BookScan Top 100 Adult Fiction list.

In 2009, Caridad introduced a new paranormal romantic suspense series with Grand Central Publishing. The first novel in the series, SINS OF THE FLESH, was released in November 2009.

When not writing, Caridad teaches workshops on various topics related to writing and heads a writing group. She is also an attorney, wife and mother.

We told you quite a bit about Caridad’s backlist in her bio above, but her most recent release, THE LOST (Sin Hunters Book #1), was just dropped on August 1, 2011 and we are here to help her celebrate and promote!  Book #2 of the Sin Hunters series, THE CLAIMED, is due out in May of 2012.  For those of you that haven’t heard about THE LOST or the Sin Hunter’s series, let’s give you a little more information (LITERAL ADDICTION’s Review of THE LOST can also be found on http://www.literaladdiction.com/book-reviews.php/ today, as well as out in Amazon, GoodReads and LibraryThing). 

SYNOPSIS of THE LOST, Sin Hunters Book 1:  Adam Bruno is no ordinary millionaire. The heir to an ancient race possessing a dark, powerful magic, he can shapeshift and create energy. His gifts make him a living weapon and have forced him to live in seclusion. But now an inhuman force hunts down Adam-just when he finds someone who makes him feel more human than he ever imagined possible . . .

Home from combat in Iraq, Bobbie Carerra wants only peace, yet soon joins Adam in a terrifying battle against paranormal enemies who hide in plain sight. She's drawn to his strength of mind and body; he's attracted to her courage and intoxicating energy. Their scorching passion can either transport them to the heights of ecstasy or-if Adam's powers rage out of control-destroy them. But when an invisible brotherhood tightens its nets and someone Adam trusts betrays him, only a heartrending decision can save them.

Sound good?  It is!  Now that we’ve got your interest peaked, let’s found out some more about the author behind THE LOST shall we!?

Book Monster Reviews/ LITERAL ADDICTION:  Hi Caridad!  We’re very happy to have you here today, and are excited to help you promote THE LOST and the beginning of the Sin Hunters series! 

We like to start out by finding out a bit more about our guest author, and then we’ll dig into the book… 

Q1): Can you tell us 3 things about yourself that we can't find out on the Internet?

CARIDAD: First thing is that I used to play the bassoon and almost considered a career in music, but I loved so many other things – science, history and writing – that I couldn’t imagine focusing on just one thing.  Second thing is that my favorite city in the whole world is New York, followed closely by London.  Last, but not least, my favorite thing to do besides writings (and being with my family) is cooking.  I can spend hours whipping a meal and unfortunately, don’t have a lot of time to do that anymore with my current schedule.

Q2):  Did anyone or anything special inspire you to become an author?

CARIDAD: I was always an avid reader and in the fifth grade, my teacher assigned a project:  to write a book that would be placed in a class lending library.  The idea fascinated me since I loved books and couldn’t imagine what it would take to write on.  I went home and started writing and haven’t stopped since!

Q3):  What has been the biggest surprise with regards to your writing career to-date?

CARIDAD: The biggest surprise was just how much work goes into a book after you’ve finished it.  Besides the revisions and various edits to make a final product, there is also all the work connected with promoting the book once it’s released.  That adds up to a great deal of work.

Q4):  What are some of your hobbies or things that you enjoy doing when you’re not working, writing or taking care of other business?

CARIDAD:  When I’m not writing or working, I love to spend time with my family.  We really get along and usually find a way to have a fun time.  I love to take long strolls along the boardwalk and spend time at the beach.  I find that being close to the ocean really recharges my batteries.  I also love to spend time with my writing friends.

Q5):  If you could describe yourself in 5 words, what would they be?

CARIDAD: Determined, loyal, stubborn, responsible, American.

Q6):  Who are some of your favorite authors, and what’s in your TBR pile right now?

CARIDAD: It’s tough to find time to read with my schedule, but when I do, I always have a pile of J.D. Robb’s IN DEATH series in my TBR pile.  Nora manages to write them more quickly than I can read them, so there are always a few I have to catch up on.  I rarely read in my paranormal genre for a variety of reasons, but I do devour romantic suspense books and also, books from the Harlequin Desire series.  My favorite authors there are Maureen Child and Catherine Mann.

Q7):  What are some of the qualities you feel that all heroes or heroines should have?

CARIDAD: I think all heroes and heroines should be protectors of those they love and those who are weaker than they are.  I also think they should be selfless and willing to place others above themselves.  Finally, they should have honor.  That’s a big thing with me.

Q8):  What are the best and worst parts of writing for you?

CARIDAD: The best parts are thinking up a new concept and executing it.  Also, meeting so many new people who write to me about the books.  The worst part always is writing the dreaded synopsis.  I just hate writing the synopsis.

Q9):  If you could spend the day with one of your characters, which would it be, and what would you want to do?

CARIDAD: I would love to spend time with Bobbie Carrera from THE LOST.  I found her to be so strong, loving and honorable.  As for what we would do, I could picture us strolling along the boardwalk and stopping at one of the restaurants there to sit and chat, maybe eat some lobster or clams.

Q10):  With Fantasy being such a popular genre these days, what about it fascinates and draws you personally?

CARIDAD: When I read, I love to be transported to a different place and I think that’s why books with any elements of fantasy are so popular.  People love to go to new places and stories which have people with otherworldly powers just add more entertainment and excitement to the mix.

Q11):  What are 3 things that never fail to make you smile?

CARIDAD: My daughter, a cute kitten or puppy and a trip to the flea market.

LITERAL ADDICTION/Book Monster Reviews:  O.K, now we’ll ask some questions directly related to THE LOST and the Sin Hunter’s series…  J

Q12):  Was there any specific inspiration that lead to the concept and creation of THE LOST and the start of the Sin Hunter’s series?

CARIDAD: I had an experience once during a trip to Rome with my family.  We went to St. Peter’s on Palm Sunday and the energy of the people gathered there to worship was powerful.  You could almost feel it.  I thought about that energy and how many cultures believe in life forces and auras and thought, “What if there was a race of people who could actually tap into those forces?”  That’s how the Sin Hunters were born and why they are able to gather energy to use it for lots of different things.

Q13):  Is there a specific message in THE LOST that you’re hoping your readers will grasp?

CARIDAD:  I hope that readers will get the message that each of us has power within us that can make us stronger.  The heroine in THE LOST, is human (kind of), and it is her strength of character that allows her to do what she has to in the story.

Q14):  What were the challenges (research, literary, psychological, logistical, etc) in bringing THE LOST to life?

CARIDAD: There were lots of challenges!  First of all, making the scenes realistic where the character’s use of power and the displays of it occur.  I wanted to show their auras and the energy around them in unique ways and explain why it could not be seen by humans, etc.  There was also the challenge of making Bobbie, a wounded Marine, believable.  I did not want to diminish the real life sacrifices of our military men, women and families by having her be unrealistic with respect to her mental and physical injuries.

Q15):  Some readers might call the underlying science fiction and technologies in THE LOST “Green” and you can’t help but note the patriotic references throughout the book.  Were you trying to subliminally influence your readers with smarter ideas for a smarter tomorrow, respect for our men and women in Service, etc, or did it just sort of happen that way?

CARIDAD: I totally wanted people to think about ways in which they can conserve energy, although I think there has to be a balance between being environmentally responsible and crippling what we can do with unreasonable regulations.  As for the military, damn straight.  I have a profound respect for their sacrifices and I am proud to be an American.  I was not born in this country, but came here legally and I want others to know that I appreciate all that this great Nation has given to so many and that I love it.  In fact, I even dedicated the book to the military.

Q16):  There hasn’t been a whole lot of buzz online about THE CLAIMED yet.  Can you give us a little bit more information about it?

CARIDAD: Nope, not a lot of buzz yet basically because I don’t want to spoil the end of THE LOST.  In THE CLAIMED, readers will learn more about the Sin Hunters and the conflicts between the two factions, the Light Hunters and the Shadow Hunters.  Those two groups represent very different ideologies since you can kind of think of the Shadows as energy vampires who must drain anyone or anything in order to stay alive.  THE CLAIMED will be a Romeo and Juliet kind of story about what happens with opposites come together and discover that they share more similarities than differences.  However, that coming together will have a huge impact on the lives of both factions of the Hunters.

Q17):  How many books do you have planned for the Sin Hunters series?

CARIDAD:  I had planned on at least 4 books in the series.   I am currently working on the dreaded synopsis for book 3 and the concept for book 4.

Q18):  What can we look forward to as the series progresses [We’ve seen a lot of desire for more fighting between the Light Hunters and the Shadows.  Will you indulge your readers? ;-)]? 

CARIDAD: You will see a lot of fighting between the Light and Shadow Hunters and come to understand the immense power that this race has in THE CLAIMED.  It is action-packed and filled with all kinds of demonstrations of the different things that can be done by the Hunters when they absorb energies from various sources.

Q19):  Is there a question that you have always wanted to be asked in an interview but have never been asked?  How would you answer that question?

CARIDAD: How about, “Could I ever give up writing?”  The answer is, “Never.”  Even if I had to self-publish, I would keep on writing.

Q20):  Is there anything specific you would like to say to your readers while we have you here today?

CARIDAD: I love hearing from readers and getting to know them, so please don’t hesitate to drop me a line!

Book Monster Reviews/ LITERAL ADDICTION:  CARIDAD, thank you so much for being with us today!  THE LOST was fantastic, and we’re very excited for THE CLAIMED!  We’d love to have you back to help promote it if you’re interested…

CARIDAD:  Thank you so much for allowing me to visit with you.  I just love getting to meet new people and sharing my stories with them.

If you would like to learn more about Caridad and her amazing books, please visit her at the following websites:

Caridad's Website:  http://www.caridad.com/

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Michele-Hauf-Author/84169458804#!/Caridad.Author

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/#!/CaridadPineiro

Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2944621.Caridad_Pi_eiro

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CONTEST:

CARIDAD is graciously offering up a copy of STRONGER THAN SIN, a THE LOST T-shirt and other swag to a winner from Book Monster Reviews. 

TO ENTER:  Make sure you are a follower of the Book Monster BLog and enter to win by leaving a comment with your email address on the Interview post.  Entries without an email address will not be entered into contest.

Want a 2nd chance to win??  Make sure you’re signed up for the LITERAL ADDICTION forum on Author’s Corner page (http://www.literaladdiction.com/authors-corner.php#/) and post a reply to the Contest/Event thread with your email address.  Any comments without an email address will NOT be entered into drawing.

GOOD LUCK!!!