Hello friends, welcome to the first Chatting with Authors for 2012! Today Im thrilled to have Emma Carlson Berne author of Still Waters on the blog for a little chat as a part of her Still Waters blog tour.
Hi Emma, welcome to TBR's! So first thing first....please tell us a little about yourself.
Perpetually insecure writer who refuses to cut her too-long hair and prefers jelly doughnuts over custard-filled.
Hello Yum! Jelly filled, glazed, chocolate....give me any donut and Im in someplace called heaven...lol...or big bootie land. Donuts and I have a bad relationship, there deceiving goodness has resulted in a Snap Fitness membership and making 2012 resolutions....Ooops...sorry Emma, getting off track here and Im sure donuts did not inspire your book, hence the question: What inspired you to write Still Waters?
I just love scary stuff. Really, I’m macabre at heart, though I look so harmless on the outside. My mind tends to go to dark places (people are always saying, “how do you think of those things?”). When it came time to write something new, I played around with various, sunnier ideas for awhile before succumbing to my natural impulses.
Epe! And let me tell you readers, Still Waters was amazingly creepy.....On that note Emma, did any major research or traveling go into writing your book?
Does traveling in my mind count? Oh, the joys of staring out my window at the weedy lawn and vacant cottage next door. That was as far as I traveled. As far as research, I just hope the FBI never goes looking at my Internet search history. It even freaks me out.
If you could choose a song that encapsulated Still Waters, what would you choose?
Simon and Garfunkel’s “I Am a Rock.”
lol- that song reminds me of hippies....however after putting it with your book I may never think of it the same...........after listening to it, I got me the shivers.........
Did you always want to be a writer?
Yeess. . .and no. I always wanted to be a ballerina actually, despite having no dance ability or natural rhythm whatsoever. After that came veterinarian, despite hating science and medicine (I just liked the animals.) Careers like writer or editor or librarian always struck me as kind of boring. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized this was because writing and reading were so ingrained, so a part of me, that they were like breathing.
I rarely thought about writing and reading in a conscious way – even now, I still read fairly mindlessly, just sucking up books in huge gulps—trash, literature, biographies, travel, anything, anything at all. If I’m stuck somewhere without something to read, I’m known to go through my wallet and read receipts and the backs of credit cards.
What books or authors have inspired your work?
Well, Stephen King was a huge influence on me growing up (as several people have noted, Still Waters refers heavily to The Shining, one of the great scary books of all time.) And all of my favorite authors from both childhood and adulthood—Beverly Clearly, Lois Lowry, Katherine Patterson, Katherine Dunn, Margaret Atwood, Jane Smiley, Charlotte Bronte, Somerset Maugham, Poe, H.P. Lovecraft. I realize this is somewhat of an eclectic list and that Beverly Clearly isn’t exactly a horror writer. I was inspired by them in the sense that they wrote stories I’ve never forgotten.
The Bronte sisters are in their own league of creepy and were my favorites as a teenager (what can I say I was odd)....of course Penny the Clown still haunts my dreams making Heathcliff look like a Carebear so maybe creepy isn't the right word........
What are you reading right now?
Right now, I’m rereading Lolita, one of my very favorite books. As an aside, you know you’re a huge nerd when you spend half an hour reading Martin Amis’s scholarly introduction to your brand-new copy of Lolita and enjoying it hugely. It’s hard to believe a dense wordy book about a pedophile could be hilariously funny and highly entertaining, but it is. In more huge nerd-dom, I actually used to read this book with a pocket dictionary by my bed so I could look up all the obscure words I didn’t know. This is my idea of fun.
Any future plans for Emma?
Yes! My second thriller, NEVER LET YOU GO (formerly CLOSER), will be out in Fall 2012. This is a darker tale about a twisted love triangle – it’s a fair bit gorier than Still Waters, and a lot of fun, I think. I just received the printed galleys, which is always a nice treat (“oh wow, it’s starting to look like a book!”)
I cant wait to read your new book in the fall and hope Still Waters gets great buzz this year. Thanks again Emma for stopping by!!
GIVEAWAY!!!
Thanks to Emma and Simon and Schuster, today I have 3 (THREE) signed copies to giveaway to any US-follower at TBR's. Winners must have a US postal address (no P.O Boxes) Please leave a comment to enter. Winners will be announced on my review of Still Waters and notified by email Jan 11, 2012. Thanks and Goodluck!
SURPRISE- This contest has been extended until Jan 17th!! Dont miss your chance to win...!!
Still Waters by Emma Carlson Berne
Hannah can’t wait to sneak off for a romantic weekend with her boyfriend, Colin. He’s leaving for college soon, and Hannah wants their trip to the lake house to be one they’ll never forget. But once Hannah and Colin get there, things start to seem a bit … off. They can’t find the town on any map. The house they’re staying in looks as if someone’s been living there, even though it’s been deserted for years. And Colin doesn’t seem quite himself. As he grows more unstable, Hannah worries about Colin’s dark side, and her own safety. Nothing is as perfect as it seems, and what lies beneath may haunt her forever.
I don't see the Rafflecopter form, but please enter me! I'd love to get my hands on this book!
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to imagine that anyone likes custard-filled donuts. It's all about the jelly, baby!
Thanks for the interview and giveaway. I always love knowing what an author enjoys reading.
Stephen King is one of my favorite authors, and I love scary books. Still Waters sounds perfectly eerie.
ReplyDeletewhatinabox at gmail dot com
I'm pretty bad. I love any kind of doughnut.
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I have never met a doughnut I wasn't happy to be acquainted with -- except coconut. Shudder.
ReplyDeleteAck! That comment by Aaron was me! I have no idea how to use Google accounts. Anyway, hi, it's Emma, coconut-doughnut hater.
ReplyDeleteStill Waters sounds perfectly diabolically scary - and delicious, hehe! I would love to dive right into these murky waters and see what's hiding in them ;-)
ReplyDeleteI would love to know if you were a daydreamer, growing up, Emma. So many creative minds do tend to daydream - and when you mention travelling in your head and looking out the window - I see a resemblance to some very creative people I know ;-)
Thank you so much for this awesome giveaway chance!
Happy New Year!!
I am an email subscriber (my favorite way to keep up with the scoop around here =D)
Gena Robertson
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Great interview, Tina. It was amusing (I'm partial to maple bars, myself) and very interesting. I had not yet "met" this author and I am so happy that I have. *waves to Emma* She sounds fun, loves "hippie" music and King!!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to be entered into the contest.
rapture22 (at) hotmail (dot) com
-Jimmy
Inspiration from Stephen King? Well, I'm not sure if I should read this book now. But I'm still going to. Interview was great!
ReplyDeleteTayteH
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Such great comments. Hi to you too, James! I think of myself as exceedingly boring, so I'm glad I've fooled at least one person into thinking I'm fun. Gena, I was/am a huge daydreamer--most of my childhood was spent alone in my room, either reading, or dreamily moving my little miniature animals and objects around on my "special shelf" and imagining various scenes and dialogue. My parents would wonder if I was okay, since I would spend three or four hours at a time alone, silently, in my room.
ReplyDeleteI would love to win this creepy sounding book!! I love this kind of story. Intriquing..
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mlawson17 at hotmail dot com
Count me in! :)
ReplyDeletenancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net
Sounds super creepy! Love it!
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I love this song....this book sounds great Tina. I was stalking the new look and was like - might as well enter your contests. LOL
ReplyDeleteThe synopsis sounds some what like the Amityville Horror House *chills* but still sounds quite interesting... but if it creepy as it sounds I might have to read it in a very lit room lol
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting this giveaway!!
GFC Follower: SpadesHighReads
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Great interview! I love learning more about the author, how they came up with their story, what they are into reading and all that good stuff. I have had my eyes on this for such a long time. Please enter me in! My email is deviantzangel at gmail dot com, am a new follower - GFC name is Shellie =)
ReplyDelete-Shellie