by Carol Nemeth
Our guest today is Carol Nemeth. Thanks Carol for being here today and for agreeing to do this Interview.
Question 1: What do you think prepared you or qualifies you to write in your chosen genre?
Answer: Honestly, I’m not sure I am qualified. I just know that I love to write, and the Lord has blessed me as I write. After twenty-six years of rejections, putting my writing away, praying, trying again, getting rejected, giving up, praying and trying once again before the Lord saw fit for me to finally get Yorkshire Lass, my debut novel, published with Winged Publications. My time is not His time, and His time is perfect.
Question 2: Tell us a little about your “real” (Non-writing) life — family, job, church life. Does it give you inspiration for your writing? Does it get in the way of your writing, or are there times when you get help, from people or circumstances?
Answer: As a native North Carolinian, I’ve always loved reading and enjoyed making up stories since junior high school. Most have been based on the places I’ve lived or traveled to. I worked in the National Park Service as a Park Aid and proudly served in the US Army where I was stationed in Pisa, Italy. While living in Italy, I was privileged to have traveled to over thirteen countries during my deployment. I met the love of my life, Mark Nemeth, also an Army veteran, in Italy. After we married, we lived in various locations, including North Yorkshire, England. We now live in West Virginia, where, in our spare time, we enjoy RVing, sightseeing and are active in our church. We have a son, Matt, who is active duty Army, a daughter, Jennifer, her husband Flint, who serves in the Air Force, and three grandchildren, Martin, Ava and Gage. Our four-footed kid, Holly, a black Lab, loves traveling in our RV, and when we pack up to go, she’s waiting inside for us to head out.
How does work fit into my writing? I’m currently writing a series set in various national parks. The first, Mountain of Fear, Faith in the Parks Book 1, is set in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. That’s the park where I worked many years ago, and, although fiction, is based on a lot of my own experiences. How does family fit into my writing? I’ve used several family members names in my books. All of my grandkid’s names have been used as well as my son’s. Several of our dog’s names have been used. My daughter, Jennifer, appears on the cover of Canyon of Death, Faith in the Parks Book 2. She’s wearing my old park service uniform from…well…several years ago.
Question 3: Tell us about things you enjoy — what you do for fun or personal satisfaction?
Answer: As most authors do, I love to read, but I don’t get to as much as I’d like. Besides that, I love to travel. I research for my books, in history, local information and settings. My husband indulges me, and we pack up the RV and head to the locations to check out every avenue of information we can find. For Canyon of Death, Mark was unable to go with me, so I incorporated the birth of my 3rd grandchild in Colorado with a trip to the Grand Canyon in Arizona. My son-in-law’s parents live not far from the Canyon, and I stayed with them. His sister works as editor for three local newspapers in that area. She also previously worked at the Grand Canyon. A dream come true for me. After digging up articles, she passed them along to me, then gave me a great interview. Another research road trip was to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina for A Beacon of Love, prequel to Ocean of Fear, Faith in the Park Book 3 and Ocean of Fear itself. Our trip was in the wake of Hurricane Maria. Details for another day.
Question 4: Tell us about working with any people who help you create your books — Do you use Beta readers? Hire an editor or proofreader? How do you get your covers?
Answer: I have used beta readers before. I have mixed thoughts about this. I’ve come to the conclusion that you have to be careful about using authors as beta readers. Don’t take offense, but some tend to rip your manuscript to shreds. Others, however, give great feedback and are beyond helpful. You have to have a thick skin and be ready to take what you need from the feedback. Just remember it’s your manuscript. Consider the source and the experiences of the author giving the feedback. I tend to find reader’s feedback more beneficial. They are the ones who are going to enjoy the book after all. Or not.
I have an editor, and I don’t know what I would do with out her. She’s amazing. Grammar is not my strong suit. As you’re reading through this you’ve probably figured that out. I proofread and edit at least three times before I send my manuscript to her, then she proofreads and edits, sending it to me for corrections three times. Once she’s read the final corrections, then I send it to my publisher.
My publisher, Cynthia Hickey from Winged Publications, creates my covers. She comes up with beautiful covers. We talk about what are the best aspects to bring out of the book and she makes it happen.
Question 5: Tell us about your newest book. Make us want to read it.
Answer: My newest release, The Peaceful Valley Wounded Soldiers Anthology, began when I published a short story, The Soldier’s Heart, for my newsletter as a free download when folks would subscribe. My publisher made it available for purchase at the same time on Amazon for those who didn’t subscribe. I got the idea to write a series as a tribute to our wounded military. A new short story was published as a new “freebie” every few months, changing the theme with the season. Each one built on the last, incorporating new characters into the story. My publisher recently released The Peaceful Valley Wounded Soldiers Anthology in eBook and paperback. As a veteran, the wife of a veteran and the mother of an active duty service member, I understand the sacrifice the men and women of our armed forces make to secure the freedoms we enjoy. Beyond those sacrifices are the sacrifices their families make and those aren’t always recognized. This book is my small tribute to our wounded veterans and their families. Thank you for your sacrifice.
Question 6: What is the “message” of your writing? (For example, is your purpose to encourage old-fashioned values, encourage romance, or do you have different purposes in different books?)
Answer: The message of my writing is to bring glory to my Lord. As a born-again believer in Christ, I can do no less. I don’t want to be “preachy”, but I do want to be a beacon. Before I begin writing a book and all through the writing process, I pray for guidance and for the Lord’s will to be done. I pray that His message will come through. Not every book has the gospel message. Some have spiritual growth; others deal with a His child returning to Christ. I attempt to be open to the Spirit’s leading.
Question 7: What’s the worst trouble you ever had with getting a book written (plots, finding needed information, getting a cover done)?
Answer: The worst trouble I’ve had getting a book written is my current one. The plot has had a lot to do with it, but so has life in general. Life has just gotten in the way the last several months making it difficult to concentrate, and that may be why getting the plot down has been so difficult.
Question 8: What’s your next project? Tell us so we can’t wait for it to come out!
Answer: My next project? I’ve signed on to write a quick novella for my publisher, Winged Publications, that will be included in a Christmas collection due out Christmas 2020. The theme is Christmas Lights and Loves centered around a Christmas celebration. I hope you’ll look for it when the collection releases next fall. This will give me a short break from my park series before I begin Battlefield of Deceit, Faith in the Parks Book 5. Book 5 will be the last in the park series.
Question 9: What is your current WIP?
Answer: My current WIP? I’m writing the fourth book in the Faith in the Parks series now. It takes place in Denali National Park during late winter. All the rest of my park series books have taken place in the spring/summer. March in Alaska is quite different, and as I’ve written this, partly during the summer, I’ve had to really put my mind into it. I traveled to Denali National Park on two separate occasions to research, and both were in summer, so I still didn’t get the effect I wanted. I got to travel into the backcountry of the park where some of the story takes place (not by plane, however), and I got a feel for the massive size of the park. I saw Mt. McKinley in all its beauty. I saw caribou, a grizzly, many moose, and mountain goats. Sadly, I can’t use the grizzly in my story. He’ll be asleep. Glacier of Secrets, Faith in the Parks Book 4 will release in early spring. So be watching for it.
Question 10: How many books do you have out?
Answer: I have published seven books.
Yorkshire Lass – https://amzn.to/2Ivddxd
Dedication to Love, Prequel to Mountain of Peril – https://amzn.to/2IJMnBF
Mountain of Peril, Faith in the Parks Book 1 – https://amzn.to/2MBoIIF
Canyon of Death, Faith in the Parks Book 2 – https://amzn.to/2MC06Q3
A Beacon of Love, Prequel to Ocean of Fear – https://amzn.to/2K8KzoU
Ocean of Fear, Faith in the Parks Book 3 – https://amzn.to/2F2LpPF
The Peaceful Valley Wounded Soldiers Anthology – https://amzn.to/2Kb6QRa
Question 11: Are their characters/stories/scenes/etc based on anything in real life?
Answer: My novel Yorkshire Lass is set in North Yorkshire England. I wrote it while we lived there and my daughter was born during our time in England. She’s now the mother of three. The settings in this book are mostly authentic. We lived in Harrogate, North Yorkshire for four years and drove through the Yorkshire Dales all the time. The towns and villages in the story are authentic. I’ve used creative license for the insides of many of the buildings unless I’ve actually been inside, and then I’ve recorded that information in the story. Yorkshire Lass is a full-length romantic suspense novel that takes place at the end of WWI. You’re going to love it.
About the Author:
A native North Carolinian, J. Carol Nemeth has always loved reading and enjoyed making up stories ever since junior high school, most based in the places she has lived or traveled to. She worked in the National Park Service as a Park Aid and served in the US Army where she was stationed in Italy, traveling to over thirteen countries while there. She met the love of her life, Mark Nemeth, also an Army veteran, while stationed in Italy. After they married, they lived in various locations, including North Yorkshire, England. They now live in West Virginia, where, in their spare time, Carol and Mark enjoy RVing, sightseeing and are active in their church. They have a son, Matt, who is Army Special Forces and a daughter, Jennifer, her husband Flint, who serves in the Air Force, and three grandchildren, Martin, Ava and Gage. Their four-footed kid is pretty special too. Holly, a black Lab loves traveling in their RV, and when they pack up to go, she’s waiting inside for them to head out.
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