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new release

The One Where ALL PLAYED OUT is Here!!!!

We’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting…and it’s FINALLY the best #TorresTuesday ever, because ALL PLAYED OUT IS HEEEEEERREE!!!!!

If you’re wondering what all the excitement is about….All Played Out is the third book in my Rusk University series! It’s available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iBooks and hopefully at your local bookstore! (Note: If you can’t find it in your bookstore, don’t be afraid to ask. Sometimes they can be slow about putting books out on time, and it might just be sitting in the back room waiting for someone like you to ask). You can also add it on Goodreads! Here’s a little more info, if you’re curious. 🙂

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ALL PLAYED OUT
by Cora Carmack

First person in her family to go to college? CHECK.
Straight A’s? CHECK.
On track to graduate early? CHECK.
Social life? …..yeah, about that….

With just a few weeks until she graduates, Antonella DeLuca’s beginning to worry that maybe she hasn’t had the full college experience. (Okay… Scratch that. She knows she hasn’t had the full college experience).

So Nell does a smart, dedicated girl like herself does best. She makes a “to do” list of normal college activities.

Item #1? Hook up with a jock.

Rusk University wide receiver Mateo Torres practically wrote the playbook for normal college living. When he’s not on the field, he excels at partying, girls, and more partying. As long as he keeps things light and easy, it’s impossible to get hurt… again. But something about the quiet, shy, sexy-as-hell Nell gets under his skin, and when he learns about her list, he makes it his mission to help her complete it.

Torres is the definition of confident (And sexy. And wild), and he opens up a side of Nell that she’s never known.  But as they begin to check off each crazy, exciting, *normal* item, Nell finds that her frivolous list leads to something more serious than she bargained for. And while Torres is used to taking risks on the field, he has to decide if he’s willing to take the chance when it’s more than just a game.

Together they will have to decide if what they have is just part of the experiment or a chance at something real.

*********

EEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!! I am SO unspeakably excited for you guys to read this book! I think Mateo Torres miiiiight be my favorite book boyfriend I have ever written. EVER. I know, those are fighting words, but seriously….I love him so muchIn part, it’s because he’s totally the kind of guy I would date in real life. Hilarious and bold and maybe just a little perverted. I still act like a kid most days, and I like a guy who can be playful, but then also turn on the serious and sexy when the occasion calls for it. He’s also just so different from all the other guys I’ve written, and it was really fun to tackle a character that felt completely fresh to me. And when you dig a little deeper past his outlandish exterior, Torres has fears and insecurities that I think will be familiar to a lot of people. And something about that combination of humor and vulnerability just makes him very real and very human in my head.

Not to mention Nell. NELL! Gah… she’s definitely one of my favorite heroines. She’s quirky and smart and anti-social. And I love that she always says exactly what pops into her head with no thought to what is cool or attractive. She’s an extremely logical girl, and to watch her tackle college as if it were a math problem to solve was just a blast to write.

And of course you’ll get to see the rest of the Rusk University gang! You’ll see Dallas and Carson again. The book even opens with a half-naked Silas (you’re welcome). And we get to see more of Stella and Ryan and Brookes and Matty too!

To help celebrate the release of All Played Out, the Carmcats (my amazing street team) have put together an AWESOME photo challenge!

11055312_10204392784364228_3861150698274981921_nYou can participate by posting a picture fitting each day’s theme on your social media accounts and using the hashtag #APOPhotoChallenge. The photo challenge has been going for a week, but it’s not too late for you to join in…just pick up with today’s prompt (or feel free to play catch up on the ones you’ve missed)! All week, I’m randomly selecting winners from the #APOPhotoChallenge hashtag to win prizes (gift cards, ebooks, signed swag, books, and… one lucky winner will get Mateo Torres’ official Rusk Football t-shirt)!

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(In case you missed it: Here’s MY current bucket list!)

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And of course, what would Release Day be without a GIVEAWAYYYYYY?!? One of you lovely, lucky people is going to win a signed set of Rusk University paperbacks (that’s All Lined Up, All Broke Down, AND All Played Out) as well as a super cozy Rusk University Sweatshirt!!

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There are lots of different ways to enter, and this giveaway is open internationally! Ends two weeks from today! And if you like that sweatshirt, you’re definitely going to want to keep an eye on this blog and my social media over the next week or so. We’re almost ready to open the official Rusk University store, which will have everything you could possibly need to pretend that Rusk is real! 😉

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you pick up the book today, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. And if you’ve got time to leave a review on your favorite online retailer, I would REALLY appreciate it. Reviews are more important than you know. They help raise a book’s visibility and can help someone who’s unsure decide whether or not to buy the book. AND…. if you want to know what’s next in the Rusk University series, be sure to check out this post about book four (Stella’s Book!) and add it on Goodreads.

Love you guys SO much! And if you want to Tweet or Facebook or Insta me pics of you with your copy of the book, I sure wouldn’t hate it! 😀
Cora <3 <3 <3

The One about Stella’s Book (and some free stuff)!

All Played Out by Cora Carmack

First things first: ALL PLAYED OUT releases in less than two weeks! And I’m so excited I can’t stand it! These might be fighting words for some of you… but I think Mateo Torres might be my favorite hero I’ve ever written. He’s the kind of guy I would totally date in real life. If a guy can make me laugh… I’m sold. And if he just so happens to also be a sexy athlete with a wee bit of a dominant edge? YES PLEASE.

And if that isn’t exciting enough, readers who pre-order APO are eligible to get FREE STUFF!
That’s right….free stuff! For you! Just follow these three easy steps…

Step 1: Pre-order your copy of All Played Out (in print, e-book, or audio) from any retailer: Amazon
, Barnes & Noble, iBooks
Step 2: Submit your pre-order information HERE.
Step 3: Receive a Rusk University swag pack that includes a Rusk drink koozie and a Rusk pen!

*Unfortunately, this pre-order incentive is US only. I love and adore my international readers, but it’s not up to me. My US publisher is covering the cost of this promotion, so they decide the restrictions.

11178216_973343029376401_2843135045893789869_nBut now, let’s get to the real point of this blog post. I’ve been hinting at an upcoming announcement for the past week or two, and I am so excited to finally share it with you! I debated for awhile about how to share this, and an open letter seemed like the best way…so here we are!

*WARNING: This letter contains spoilers for All Broke Down. If you haven’t yet read that book, read at your own peril. SECOND WARNING: this letter talks about fictional characters as if they are real people. Sorry I’m not sorry. THIRD WARNING: The letter below broaches a serious topic that could be a TRIGGER for some people*


Hello beloved readers!

The first person who read one of my Rusk University books was my older sister. I gave her All Lined Up when I finished, and her first question was “Are Ryan and Stella going to be together?”

At the time, I told her no. I had plans for both of them that included their own storylines. I thought they were too much alike. They’d make great friends. They might even hook-up, but in the end… I couldn’t envision anything serious for them. So I actually rewrote some of their scenes trying to make that aspect of their connection more obvious. And still, when All Lined Up released, amidst the chatter about sweet Carson and sassy Dallas, I had people asking if Stella and Ryan were next. I denied it again (and again and again).

But sometimes in writing, the stars align and a character will become bigger and more real than you could have possibly imagined. It’s a wonderful experience, but in Stella’s case it was also incredibly heartbreaking. While I was writing All Broke Down, the news was inundated with information about the Steubenville rape trial and other tragedies and injustices like it. Tragedies where women have been violated first by an attacker, then by judgmental and hateful people, and finally by a justice system that repeatedly fails survivors of sexual assault. Having grown up in Texas, where too often football stars are treated like gods and can get away with just about anything, it hit particularly close to home. And since All Broke Down featured a passionate activist heroine, I felt compelled to reference this chronic dark underbelly of elite sports.

I can remember vividly sitting on my couch, brainstorming how I would incorporate such an event into the book. I had thought the assault would happen to an unknown character, and maybe I would focus on the way it divided the team and the school and the town. But like I said… Sometimes a character will become bigger and more human than I anticipated. And it sounds crazy, but in my mind, I felt Stella push her way forward and say, “Mine. This is my story.” I immediately began to cry. Sob, really. Because I loved her as a character. She was hilarious and strong and didn’t take crap from anyone. She’s everything I always hope to be. And I didn’t want her to go through that. Even as I cried, my brain began to tell me that it made sense. Stella is vibrant and enjoys a wild party. She’s not afraid of her sexuality, and she has no problem with casual sex. She’s the kind of girl that probably has a reputation. The kind of girl who could be heinously and violently taken advantage of, and people would STILL blame her. Because she was in the wrong place, wearing the wrong clothes, behaving in the wrong way. But just because it COULD happen to her, didn’t mean I wanted it to. But once again, Stella was there in my head saying, “Someone needs to tell this story. And I’m strong enough to do it. Let me.” And when Stella chose her story, she also chose the man I’d been adamant wasn’t right for her. Because as it turns out… Those two characters who I thought were too alike aren’t so alike anymore. And Stella needs Ryan to help her hold on to that vibrant and strong girl she was before.

So I let go of all the plans I had for her, and allowed her to tell me her story, which is about more than just sexual assault. It’s about the aftermath. Depression. Shame. Guilt. Anger. Injustice. Victim-blaming. Slut-shaming. It’s about the way that kind of event can change everything– how you relate to people, how you think, how you dream, how you love. It’s about the way the rest of the world moves on to the next big tragedy, and you’re still left holding the broken pieces of who you used to be, with no idea how to put them together again or even if you want to. It will be the most difficult story I ever tell. And the most important. Because it’s a story that belongs not just to Stella, but to millions of people around the world. It’s a story that belongs to a new person every 107 seconds*. And that’s just in the United States. Think about that for a moment. 107 seconds. Stella’s story won’t be any easier to read than it will be to write. But I hope you’ll help me drag this story into the light.

So now I’ll step off my soapbox and just tell you about the book…

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ALL CLOSED OFF
By Cora Carmack

Stella Santos is fine.

Maybe something terrible happened to her that she can’t even remember. And maybe it drives her crazy when her friends treat her like she’s on the verge of breaking because of it. Maybe it feels even worse when they do what she asks and pretend that it never happened at all. And maybe she’s been getting harassing emails and messages for months from people who don’t even know her, but hate her all the same.

But none of that matters because she’s just fine.

For Ryan Blake, Stella was always that girl. Vibrant and hilarious and beautiful. He wanted her as his best friend. His more than friends. His everything and anything that she would give him. Which these days is a whole lot of nothing. She gets angry when he’s there. Angry when he’s not there. Angry when he tries to talk and when he doesn’t.  

When Stella devises an unconventional art project for one of her classes all about exploring intimacy—between both friends and strangers—Ryan finds himself stepping in as guinea pig after one of her subjects bails. What was supposed to be an objective and artistic look at emotion and secrets and sex suddenly becomes much more personal. When he hits it off with another girl from the project, Stella will have to decide if she’s willing to do more than make art about intimacy. To keep him, she’ll have to open up and let herself be the one thing she swore she’d never be again.

Vulnerable.

ALL CLOSED OFF will be releasing sometime in early 2016. I don’t have a date yet for several reasons. The first and most important, is that I want to do this story justice. And as such, I have no intentions of rushing the process. Secondly, I’ll be returning to indie publishing for the remainder of the Rusk series. As you can probably tell, this story means a great deal to me. And by having the ultimate control over everything from timing to editing to price, I’ll be able to ensure that I’m able to create exactly the story I envision. Unfortunately, that means you won’t be seeing the paperback of ALL CLOSED OFF on the shelves in most stores. Nor is it currently available for pre-order. But I hope you’ll add the book on Goodreads, follow me on social media, and/or join my newsletter. I promise to shout it all over the place when I have a set release date or pre-order links.

Thank you for listening as I told you the evolution of Stella’s story. When it’s finished, I hope you will feel as passionately about it as I do.

All my best,

Cora Carmack

*Statistic from RAINN (Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network)


And you have an opportunity to add your voice to Stella’s…

Stella’s experience is only one story of many. She was with someone she trusted when it happened, and the only memories she has are pieced together from her own blurred recollections and the things people have told her.  Not everyone’s experience with sexual assault is the same. Each person reacts, copes, and overcomes differently. And while this book is about one specific character’s journey, I would like to tell as many sides of this story as possible. As Stella grapples with her thoughts and emotions she’ll be searching for advice, for comfort, for a place where people understand her and can identify with what she’s experiencing. There will be room for truth within the fiction, and if you’d like that truth to be yours, this is your chance.

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If you have a story like Stella’s, and you want your voice to be heard….

If there’s something you wish more people understood about what you’ve gone through….

If there’s something you’d like to tell people struggling with a story like yours…

I’d like to give you the opportunity to add your voice to Stella’s. Use the hashtag #WhenItHappened and let your voice be heard on your own by posting on your own social media, or if you’d rather I share your words fill out this Google document and tell me your story. You can fill out this form anonymously or not. I’d like to begin this discussion now because April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. But my hope is to include as many stories as possible within the book itself.

So many have stories of #WhenItHappened. Your voice and your story deserve to be heard. I’m listening.

 

ALL PLAYED OUT Cover Reveal + Behind the Scenes!!

First of all, welcome to the first blog on my SHINY NEW WEBSITE!! We’ve been working on this for awhile, and I’m super pleased with how it turned out. Feel free to click around, and be sure to check back often. We’re a work in progress, but we’ve got some fun plans for this place. 

Now let’s get down to business….TO DEFEAT THE HUNS!

(Anyone? Just me? Anyway….)

Today, I’m REALLY FREAKING EXCITED about ALL PLAYED OUT!!

ALL PLAYED OUT is the third book in the Rusk University series. It’s a New Adult Contemporary Romance novel published by William Morrow (an imprint of Harper Collins) and it’s scheduled to release on May 12, 2015.

ALL PLAYED OUT
by Cora Carmack

Available May 12, 2015

First person in her family to go to college? CHECK.
Straight A’s? CHECK.
On track to graduate early? CHECK.
Social life? …..yeah, about that….

With just a few weeks until she graduates, Antonella DeLuca’s beginning to worry that maybe she hasn’t had the full college experience. (Okay… Scratch that. She knows she hasn’t had the full college experience).

So Nell does a smart, dedicated girl like herself does best. She makes a “to do” list of normal college activities.

Item #1? Hook up with a jock.

Rusk University wide receiver Mateo Torres practically wrote the playbook for normal college living. When he’s not on the field, he excels at partying, girls, and more partying. As long as he keeps things light and easy, it’s impossible to get hurt… again. But something about the quiet, shy, sexy-as-hell Nell gets under his skin, and when he learns about her list, he makes it his mission to help her complete it.

Torres is the definition of confident (And sexy. And wild), and he opens up a side of Nell that she’s never known.  But as they begin to check off each crazy, exciting, *normal* item, Nell finds that her frivolous list leads to something more serious than she bargained for. And while Torres is used to taking risks on the field, he has to decide if he’s willing to take the chance when it’s more than just a game.

Together they will have to decide if what they have is just part of the experiment or a chance at something real.

Pre-order ALL PLAYED OUT on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or iBooks. Plus you can add it on Goodreads!

Now, I know what you’re thinking…. You want it noooow1

And I totally get it! I want to share Nell and Torres’ story with you guys SOOOOOOOOO badly – but unfortunately, I can’t quite yet. But I have the next best thing – the cover!!

But first… a behind the scenes look!

For the first time in NINE books (holy crap! NINE!), I got to do something special with APO. My publisher organized a cover shoot, and not only did I get to pick the models, but I got to GO!

Our photographer was the incredible Kelsey Kukal-Keeton of K Keeton Designs, and we did the shoot near where she lives in Springfield, MO. She managed to get us some time inside a fraternity loft from a local university (apparently, they can’t party in their house in campus, so they needed a party apartment downtown. Lolforever).
Did I mention that the shoot was the day after Halloween? YEAHHH. And that we arranged for them to just leave the apartment how it had been after the party because we wanted that authentic post-frat party feel?  Yeaaaaah. I might have spotted a little vomit on the couch, and then didn’t sit down for the rest of the time I was there.

But anyway… we arrived at around 10 AM and one of the fraternity guys came downstairs to let us in. From the moment we got into the stairwell, it smelled overwhelmingly of beer and poor life choices. In fact, there were several empty beer cans on the ground as we climbed a few flights of stairs up to where we’d be shooting.

It was decorated like you might expect a fraternity loft to be. Beer signs. A huge beer pong table hung by chains from the ceiling. And a giant ass American flag. #MERICA. There were half-full beer cans on a few surfaces. A nearly empty keg in the corner. And those massive gray outdoor trashcans. Three of them. Full of empty cans. They even had a fog machine, guys. This was serious.

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Enter our models: Autumn and Isaiah.

They were both gorgeous. And so SUPER nice. And also made uncomfortable by our surroundings.

Autumn and Isaiah

So, left alone to our own devices, I did some snooping in an attempt to find some cleaning supplies to make the area we’d be shooting a little more… hospitable. Unfortunately, the only cleaning supply they had on hand was WINDEX.

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There was one point while we were setting up that a half naked dude came out of the back hallway in search of a phone he’d lost the night before.  We all helped him search. Well… everyone else helped while I tried not to laugh and took terrible, blurry, surreptitious photos.

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Later, a door opened in the back hallway and 2 dude and like 5 girls made the walk of shame. I was too slow to get pictures of that.

*curses the heavens*

But finally, we got down to business.

Kelsey was great, as was her husband who assisted her. And the models totally rocked it. I am not even exaggerating when I say that I would have been happy to have 95% of the pictures as my cover. They did sweet and sexy and SEXIER.

Here’s a few awesome outtakes that were some of our favorites, but we didn’t use in the end.

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*fans self*

But then there was a point toward the end of the shoot where we started taking photos that might be good for the teaser graphics we’re all so fond of. And since Torres is freaking hilarious (Gah, I love him so much), I figured we’d have at least one teaser with a funny one liner. So, we tried for some shots where they were smiling and laughing together. It took a little bit to get a decent shot. (IT’S REALLY HARD TO LAUGH ON COMMAND AND NOT LOOK LIKE A DOUCHE). But eventually we all started laughing about how bad they were at laughing, and Kelsey snapped this shot that was just so genuine and cute. It was only supposed to be for a teaser graphic.

But when I saw it I fell in love. This shot IS Torres and Nell.

We could have gone with any one of the gorgeous pictures above and had a super hot, sexy cover. And it would have been great. Because Torres is pretty freaking sexy (There’s this scene in a library, and another scene in his truck, and another– I digress).

But the smexy is not what sets this book apart. It’s the characters. They’re hilarious. And vibrant. And awkward.

And this cover is all of those things.

So without further ado… I present to you, the cover for All Played Out!

Pre-order ALL PLAYED OUT on AmazonBarnes & Noble, or iBooks. Plus you can add it on Goodreads!

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And just in case this cover wasn’t exciting enough, check out this other tidbit of Rusk University news….

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Your eyes are NOT deceiving you! ALL LINED UP and ALL BROKE DOWN are on sale for only 99 CENTS EACH!! That’s crazy town! So it’s a great time to start the series if you haven’t, or to share it with a friend!

All Lined Up: Amazon, Barnes&Noble, iBooks
All Broke Down: Amazon, Barnes&Noble, iBooks

AND… AND… AND…

You might be aware of a new book I released in December. A sexy NA paranormal called INSPIRE.

And it, too, is on sale for $.99 for a limited time only!

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Amazon| B&N | iBooks

Even if you’ve not read paranormal before, I hope you’ll give it a shot. At it’s core, it’s still very much so an NA romance. In fact, there are whole sections of the book that don’t feel even remotely paranormal. It’s got all the angst and real life struggle of NA with a little extra oomph. And Wilder gives Silas Moore a run for his money in the sexy book boyfriend department. 😉

And that’s the last of my announcements. I want to give one final gigantic thanks to Kelsey of K Keeton Designs and the Harper design team for being the absolute best.

And for sticking around, have a little more Torres. 🙂

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To make sure you never miss important news about releases and sales and special content, sign up for my newsletter.

The One Where INSPIRE IS ALMOST HERE OMG!!!!!

So this post is a last minute compilation of EVERYTHING you need to know about Inspire. Plus, there MIGHT be a chance to win an e-arc at the end. Just saying. 🙂
THREE DAYS, YOU GUYS. THAT’S 72 HOURS!!!!
And we’re having a PARTY!
That you can attend from anywhere in the world! It’s on Facebook, and will be going on throughout the day on Monday (release day). I’ll be talking about the book, giving away goodies, playing games, and dragging a few awesome author friends into the mix. So, yeah. You should totally come.

 

 

INSPIRE by Cora Carmack
Coming Monday December 15th, 2014

Kalliope lives with one purpose.

To inspire.

As an immortal muse, she doesn’t have any other choice. It’s part of how she was made. Musicians, artists, actors—they use her to advance their art, and she uses them to survive. She moves from one artist to the next, never staying long enough to get attached. But all she wants is a different life— a normal one. She’s spent thousands of years living lie after lie, and now she’s ready for something real.

Sweet, sexy, and steady, Wilder Bell feels more real than anything else in her long existence. And most importantly… he’s not an artist. He doesn’t want her for her ability. But she can’t turn off the way she influences people, not even to save a man she might love. Because in small doses, she can help make something beautiful, but her ability has just as much capacity to destroy as it does to create. The longer she stays, the more obsessed Wilder will become. It’s happened before, and it never turns out well for the mortal.

Her presence may inspire genius.

But it breeds madness, too.

You can add it on Goodreads, and you can pre-order now exclusively through iBooks! It’s currently on for a special introductory price of $2.99! If you pre-order or buy within the first few days of release, you’ll get it for that price. But after that, it will go up to it’s full price of $3.99.

(Inspire will be available from all retailers on release day). Please note: INSPIRE is independently published and in e-book only at the moment. So if you normally buy my books at your local bookstore, you won’t find this one there. If you prefer to read paperbacks, we’re planning to release a paperback edition of Inspire in January that you can order from online retailers.
Click HERE for the answers to more frequently asked questions about Inspire.

You can also read the first SIX chapter of Inspire now! That adds up to over 60 pages!

And now… do you want to win an e-ARC of Inspire so that you can start reading it early?
Sure you do!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The One with the First Two Chapters of INSPIRE!!!

YOU GUYSSSSSS. THIS IS REAL LIFE. 2 WEEKS UNTIL INSPIRE AND I’M FREAKING OUT.

*breathes into a paper bag* If you’re wondering what all the fuss is about, it’s because I have a new series starting in TWO WEEKS!!

 

INSPIRE by Cora Carmack
Coming December 15th, 2014

Kalliope lives with one purpose.

To inspire.

As an immortal muse, she doesn’t have any other choice. It’s part of how she was made. Musicians, artists, actors—they use her to advance their art, and she uses them to survive. She moves from one artist to the next, never staying long enough to get attached. But all she wants is a different life— a normal one. She’s spent thousands of years living lie after lie, and now she’s ready for something real.

Sweet, sexy, and steady, Wilder Bell feels more real than anything else in her long existence. And most importantly… he’s not an artist. He doesn’t want her for her ability. But she can’t turn off the way she influences people, not even to save a man she might love. Because in small doses, she can help make something beautiful, but her ability has just as much capacity to destroy as it does to create. The longer she stays, the more obsessed Wilder will become. It’s happened before, and it never turns out well for the mortal.

Her presence may inspire genius.

But it breeds madness, too.

EEEEEEP!! Now, you guys have been asking me a lot of questions about Inspire, so I thought this would be a good time to address some of them.

How can I make sure I don’t miss out on Inspire?
You can add it on Goodreads, and you can pre-order now exclusively through iBooks!

But what if I have a Kindle/Nook/e-reader that doesn’t support iBooks? Can I still pre-order?
Inspire will be available across all e-book retailers on release day! So if you search “inspire cora carmack” on Amazon or BN.com right now, nothing will show up – but don’t worry! It will be there on December 15!

Will there ever be a paperback version? I like being able to smell the pages while I read. 
Much like my first book, Losing It, Inspire will start out as e-book only. But I’m hoping to have a paperback available sometime in first few months of 2015.  (And trust me, I love new book smell just as much as the next girl!)

Can I get Inspire in [insert country here]?
Dec 15th is the worldwide publishing date for the e-book in English.  Currently, there are no foreign language releases to announce.

What made you choose to write NA Paranormal?
 For ages, I’ve been talking about wanting more New Adult paranormal and fantasy books. And like a good little author, I continued working on my contracted books, waiting patiently for that big breakout paranormal book that would get the tide rolling and start the paranormal boom that I so desperately wanted.

I waited and waited and waited, and then I got tired of waiting.

I’ve been lucky the past few years to be able to chase my dreams, and this is the next big dream for me. Most of the books that have shaped me as a person are fantasy. Most of the authors I idolize write fantasy. It’s those kinds of stories that first kindled my love for writing, and I’m so eager to finally be able to share this side of myself with you all.
 
But is there still kissing??
Oh yes, my friends. Don’t fret. There is PLENTY of kissing and sexy-time. And, because it’s me, plenty of awkwardly hilarious situations as well. 😉


So what made you decide to return to self-publishing?
I’m choosing to go indie because it feels like the best choice for this particular book. I’ve been eager to branch out into speculative fiction for a while now, but the problem was always figuring out the when. There’s been this strange dichotomy where some readers are ready and willing for NA to branch out into other subgenres, whereas other readers are still predominantly interested in the contemporary romance that began the NA boom. This makes NA fantasy still a pretty big risk for publishers (especially considering shelf space for NA in bookstores is still fluid and unpredictable). So for Inspire, it was the perfect choice to go indie. It’s risky to jump into a new subgenre, but also SUPER exciting!!

How many books will be in the series?
As of now, I’m planning on this being a two-book series…but as some of you may know, my characters tend to have minds of their own, so there’s a chance there could be more. 😉

I want to help spread the word! What can I do?
Tell your friends! Tweet about Inspire, post on Facebook, tell random people on the street – every single bit of buzz helps! You can also join Cora’s Crew, which is a Facebook group for all things Inspire-related.


Do you have a time machine to make December 15 get here sooner?
I wish!!

But while I don’t have a TARDIS or the ability to make time move faster, I DO have…..THE FIRST TWO CHAPTERS OF INSPIRE!!!

Eeeep! Hope you enjoyed that sneak peek! Want to read more?

Go to KimberlyFayeReads for Chapter Three! 

And then you can read even MORE at these blogs as we approach release day!

December 8 – Chapter 4
 
December 9 – Chapter 5
 
December 11 – Chapter 6

The One with ALL BROKE DOWN!!! YAAAAAAY!!

IT’S HERE! IT’S HERE! ALL BROKE DOWN IS OUT IN THE WORLD FOR EVERYONE TO READ! I’ve spent all morning doing my own variations of a touchdown celebration.

If this is your first time visiting my blog and you’re wondering what all the fuss is about, ALL BROKE DOWN is the second novel in my Rusk University series, and it released today! You can check it out on Goodreads, or keep reading below for more information. 😀

 

 

Dylan fights for lost causes. Probably because she used to be one.

Environmental issues, civil rights, education—you name it, she’s probably been involved in a protest. When her latest cause lands her in jail for a few hours, she meets Silas Moore. He’s in for a different kind of fighting. And though he’s arrogant and not at all her type, she can’t help being fascinated with him. Yet another lost cause.

Football and trouble are the only things that have ever come naturally to Silas. And it’s trouble that lands him in a cell next to do-gooder Dylan. He’s met girls like her before—fixers, he calls them, desperate to heal the damage and make him into their ideal boyfriend. But he doesn’t think he’s broken, and he definitely doesn’t need a girlfriend trying to change him. Until, that is, his anger issues and rash decisions threaten the only thing he really cares about, his spot on the Rusk University football team. Dylan might just be the perfect girl to help.

Because Silas Moore needs some fixing after all.

 Amazon  
 
Releasing a new book is always thrilling, but I feel extra eager for All Broke Down. A good girl meets bad boy story– it’s the longest book I’ve ever written (beating out Faking It by about 15k words) and by far the steamiest. As always, you can expect some awkward interaction, flirty dialogue, and realistic characters. Though darker than All Lined Up, you can still expect the same Friday Night Lights feel (but with more kissing). And if you haven’t read All Lined Up, that’s okay! Just as with all my books, they can stand alone and be read out of order.

 

If you have some time today, I’d love for you to stop by the Rusk University Pep Rally on Facebook! The party started last night and we’ve had such a blast so far! We’ve got giveaways planned– signed books, gift cards, swag and more! And we’ve got some awesome Guest Authors who will be popping in for visits. People like Jay Crownover, Christina Lauren, K.A. Tucker, Melody Grace, Laura Kaye, Lauren Blakely, Sophie Jordan, Monica Murphy, Tessa Bailey, Chelsea Fine, Caisey Quinn, and Alyssa Rose Ivy. (I adore all of these peeps and hope you’re as excited as I am to hang out with them).  Check out this master post for links to all of the active giveaways, as well as any bonus content, deleted scenes, or teasers that have been posted in the event so far!
Thanks as always for reading! I’d love to hear from you guys today and over the next few days as you get to know Silas and Dylan! If you spot All Broke Down out in the wild, feel free to take a picture. Talk to me on Facebook and Twitter – y’all know I’m going to be glued there all day. 😉  If you’re looking for ways to help support me and the Rusk University series, consider telling your friends about the book and buying your copy during release week (if you don’t pre-order that is)! And if you’re willing to leave a review on Amazon, iBooks, B&N, or another retailer, that can go a long way to helping a book succeed!

Here’s another little snippet of All Broke Down to help get you excited for Silas Moore!
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“You might think you need to stay away from me because I’m not your usual relationship material, but I think that’s exactly why you need me. You need to just have some fun. Be young for a little while before it’s too late.”

She sighs, flipping on her blinker with a little too much aggression, and turning onto another residential street.

“Okay.”

For a moment I think I’m just hearing what I want to hear.

“Okay what?”

“Okay, I’ll stop thinking so much.”

I wait for her to pause at a stop sign, and then I lean over and kiss her. She makes a surprised sound in my mouth, but then she hums when I drag my lips over her once, then again.

Someone honks behind us, but this time they can fucking wait. I throw my middle finger up to the douche behind us and press her back against her seat just long enough to make sure she knows she’s made a good decision.

I hear the car peel out around us, still honking, but I’m not about to let her run on me again.

When she’s making those little breathy noises again, and her hands have left the steering wheel to clutch at my hair, I slowly pull back.

“I think we’re already making tremendous advances in your therapy, Pickle.”

The dazed look on her face lasts only a few seconds before she pushes me back over into my seat and says, “God, you’re so arrogant.”

I laugh and don’t deny it.

She smooths her hair down and pulls away from the stop sign. She glances at me out of the corner of her eye every few seconds for the rest of the drive. Each look is like a shot of adrenaline and by the time she says, “We’re here,” it’s all I can do not to pin her to the seat again.

She slows to a stop behind a truck parked on the side of the road. The street is lined with cars for several hundred yards ahead of us, and a group of people is gathered in a yard a couple of houses down.

“We’re doing something with other people?” I sound like a whining kid because I’d thought I would have her to myself, that I could continue whittling down those walls of hers.

“Come on. We’re running a little late, and we still have to check in.”

I sigh and push open the door. As we get closer, I see tools and paint and hardware, and the picture begins to come together.

I loop an arm around her neck, and though she tenses, she doesn’t push me away. I lower my mouth to her ear and say, “You’re putting me to work.”

“You want to be a better leader for your team. First step to being a leader is learning to put others before yourself. Besides . . . sometimes a little work is good for you.”

“I can think of another way you could have put me to work that’s much more enjoyable.”

She does push me off then, but she’s smiling.

“I’m not talking about you and your . . . You know. This kind of work is positive. We’re helping people.”

“My way is just another kind of helping. And I promise it would be a very positive experience for all involved.”

“Just when I think I’ve got a handle on your ego, it gets even bigger.”

I grin. “I thought we weren’t talking about me and my you-know.”

She shoves at my arm, barely moving me an inch. “Oh my God. You’re terrible.”
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If you’re waiting on the UPS guy to deliver your book, you can pass the time by reading the first two chapters of All Broke Down, as well as all the other teasers I’ve released so far, HERE!

I love you all so much! Like seriously…you guys don’t understand HOW much I love you.

 

<3 Cora