Featured Interview With Carrie Atkins
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in Walnut Creek, California but after my husband received a promotion, our family relocated to Plymouth, Minnesota. We spent fifteen years enjoying all that the Midwest had to offer; especially sledding and ice skating. During our time in Minnesota, we continued to raise our three amazing daughters, adopted three adorable cats, and made lifelong friends.
Last year, my husband’s job brought us to live in Reno, Nevada. Although we miss Minnesota immensely, we are excited to be Westerners again!
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
As far back as I can remember, I have always been obsessed with a good story. Even in elementary school, I would write stories, construct a cover, and then check the books out to my classmates. If I remember correctly, the class favorite was The Haunted Playground.
I majored in creative writing in college, got married, and began writing when my youngest daughter was in kindergarten. After writing the rough draft for my book, I took time off to complete my nursing degree. A few years later, I brushed up my manuscript and decided it was time to get my story published. My biggest hope for Our Next Dance is that people have as much fun reading it as I did writing it.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love reading crossover, young-adult novels. I may be getting older, but a part of me will always be eighteen. Oh my gosh, I could go on and on about all the amazing authors who have inspired me. Just to name a few: Stephenie Meyer, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Colleen Hoover, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Lauren Oliver, and of course J.K. Rowling!
Tell us a little about your latest book?
Our Next Dance is basically a YA Romance. However, it is heavily weaved with mystery, suspense, and magical realism. I enjoy writing fiction that stems from real life experiences. For instance, I first had the idea for Our Next Dance when my husband and I attended a San Francisco production of the Nutcracker Ballet. In the middle of the performance, I experienced this weird deja vu that had me convinced I was reincarnated. The whole experience haunted me, so much so that I went to the library and researched old dead ballerinas. For obvious reasons, I gave up and left about ten minutes into my search. Years later, my imagination ran with it and before I knew it, I had a book.