Interview with romantic suspense author Arby Corry

Today’s spotlight is shining on romantic suspense author Arby Corry and her novel Heart-Shaped Stone.

During her virtual book tour, Arby will be awarding a $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card to a lucky winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too.

Bio:

Arby Corry is an award-winning writer, wife, mother, grandmother. Although writing is her passion, she has spent most of her career in the broadcast industry as a radio announcer. Heard on stations coast to coast, and the occasional audiobook, Arby now spends most of her days writing, enjoying the great outdoors with her husband and spending time with her grandson.

Welcome, Arby. Please tell us about your current release.

Caila, like most dreamers, just wants to be wanted. Unlike most dreamers, she's wanted by the CIA.

When the last decade of thirty-two year old Caila Domenici’s life disappears, destroyed in a car accident, she is forced to begin again. Defying doctor’s orders to slow-go-it, she sets out to navigate the world on her own. It's not going well. Coddled from birth, everything from a bus schedule to how to boil water confounds her. Worse yet, she's about to accept her meddling mother's offer to pay for food and rent. With just a hunch her talents extend beyond that of daughter of privilege, Caila searches for her past. Before she can find it, it finds her. And the handsome azure-eyed stranger who’s saying he knows her is somehow part of it.

Caila always believed there had to be more, but now, on the verge of discovering the truth, she must decide which is worse – never knowing who she really is, or knowing too much.

What inspired you to write this book?
That’s a great question, and you know, the honest answer is – I do not know! But if you were to ask what inspired me to keep writing it, well, that I can answer. All I knew going in was that this was to be a love story. I love a good love story, and a complicated one all the more. I found the further I delved in the more I kept writing. Heart-Shaped Stone is my first full-length novel. I’ve written plenty of short stories, started other projects just to see it not come to completion, but this was different. As silly as it may sound, the characters spoke to me. They took me on a journey and I had no idea where we were going or how we were going to get there, but what happened is that I ended up with a story, and an ending, I never expected.

Excerpt from Heart-Shaped Stone:

Reese was being too nice. Something was up - their deep conversation the night before, the bubble bath, the tea, turning down her bed and now breakfast? Caila wasn’t suspicious by nature, and in most cases trusted more than she should, but where Reese was concerned she dropped all pretenses and questioned his every move. He was much too calculating to not see opportunity in everything he did. Caila recognized that in him right away. Her mind was now churning with theories. Why, if he was up to something, would he be so blatant with this sudden kindness? Did he think she would not notice?

Then she imagined the most unexpected thing.

Maybe he wasn’t up to anything at all. Maybe this was another side to the man she detested right from the start. The invader, the man who came to make her life a living hell and push aside her father may not, after all, be the man she believed him to be. But even that theory was short lived.

No, she thought, he has a motive.

What exciting story are you working on next?

That would be a follow-up to Heart-Shaped Stone. When you read it you will see that it needs one, no, requires one, and I’m super excited about what happens next. I think the readers will be too.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I’ve had this lifelong love affair with words and have always welcomed any chance to write. I think, other than recess, it was one subject I really loved as a child in school. As an adult I registered for some college classes, mainly to refresh skills, but quickly found that I loved writing more than I ever knew. My English teacher encouraged me, telling the class “I think we have a writer on our hands.” I’d heard it many times before but never took it seriously. After my divorce, left to raise two young sons on my own, I would sit at night and write as an outlet after the kids fell asleep. It not only erased all the stress of being a full-time working, single mother of two, but I quite enjoyed. More importantly, I realized I’d been ignoring a God-given talent. From there I just kept going – short stories, writing copy for broadcast and eventually my first full-length novel.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I write when I can, and hope that is often! No, I’m actually a radio announcer and have worked in the radio business for many years. As a long time on-air personality I’ve had the opportunity to use some of those writing skills for commercial production, having written hundreds of radio spots, but it’d be great to write full time. I love it.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I get a lot of ideas while in my car. I’ve heard many complain about having to sit in traffic, don’t me get me wrong, it’s not fun for anyone – including me – but I use the time to mull over a passage in my book and wonder if there is another way to go. Almost always I come up with a better idea or a more interesting storyline.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A wife and mom. Oh, yes, there were other things, doctor, firefighter, radio DJ, writer and all but one of those actually happened and it’s not doctor! Oh, and yes, being a mom, now grandmother to one, is my greatest joy.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Thank you for taking a look. If you enjoy stories that feature “real” characters, real life experiences and real dialogue, I know you’ll enjoy Heart-Shaped Stone.

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Where to buy: Amazon

Thank you, Arby! Happy writing!

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