N. N. Light’s Book Heaven is celebrating its tenth anniversary. Isn’t that wonderful?
I’d like to introduce you to author Carolyn Fenzl.
Question 1: Where were you ten years ago in relation to your author/writer career? If you weren’t writing, what were you doing?
Ten years ago I had a dream about writing my first novel and a rough idea for a plot. I had taken a some writing courses, but needed some real motivation to not only start a novel but actually finish it. I decided to participate in the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) challenge to write a 50,000-word novel in a month. The fast pace didn’t give time for my inner critic to take over and I succeeded in writing a very rough draft of my first novel. While it would take a significant amount of time to edit that draft, the exercise showed me I was capable of writing a novel and gave me the courage to eventually do it again… and again on my own!
Question 2: Looking back on the past ten years, how has your writing grown?
I have taken many courses over the years to improve my craft. Putting that together with the practice of writing and rewriting has really helped me grow as an author. While my first novel has a good plot and interesting characters, when I reread it today compared to my most recent novel, I really see growth. I have become better at creating more depth in my writing, whether in character development and motivations or in weaving the plot together with subplots and twists. Practice over time makes writing better, but it also builds confidence and I think that comes through on the page.
Question 3: What are you doing now? How many books have you published?
Having already published three cozy/romantic mystery novels and a short memoir, right now I’m working on editing a paranormal romance. It’s my first time writing in this genre, but I’m really excited about the new characters and their story!
Giveaway -
In celebration of our 10th anniversary, the authors have each donated a prize (sixty in total) and they range from free books to swag to gift cards.
Open internationally but some prizes are only open to US residents
Runs March 1 - 31, 2025
Winner will be drawn on April 1, 2025
Author Biography:
Carolyn Fenzl is the romantic mystery author of The Ballad of Buddy, a 2023 Indies Today Book Award Finalist, and the Lucy Vaughn Mystery Series, including The Debt Collectors and Christmas in Cave Creek. The latter received a 5-Star Review from Indies Today, won a Literary Titan Silver Book Award, received an Honorable Mention in the Women’s – Mystery category at the Fall 2022 BookFest Awards, and won a Gold Medal from the Dan Poynter Global Ebook Awards.
Like her protagonist Lucy Vaughn, Carolyn loves entering sweepstakes and wrote No Purchase Necessary: How I’m Beating the Odds, her memoir about the hobby.
Before she started writing books, Carolyn earned a B.A. in history from the University of Virginia and a J.D. from Vermont Law School. Carolyn lives in Idaho with her husband, cats, and retired guide dog.
Where can readers follow you:
Visit my website for all the ways to connect with me! http://carolynfenzl.com/contact/