This is a Paranormal Romantic Suspense Novel suitable for readers 15 and up.
About the Book
About the Book
Book Links
Goodreads • Amazon • Barnes&Noble
Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
About the Author
Gary Caruso lives in northern Virginia with his wife Jill, but their
favorite place is in Ohio with their three beautiful grandchildren. Although
Gary is exhilarated when he sits down to write, teaching middle school science is
his first love. He’s passionate about empowering students to make thoughtful
decisions and positive choices in life. Gary enjoys reading, especially fiction
that blurs the line between what’s real and what’s fantasy. He never imagined
becoming a writer until an ordinary car ride on a spring day jolted an unlikely
thought into his head. Gary’s early experience writing is a reminder that no
matter how intimidating the challenge, action and determination are the
foundations for fulfilling any dream. Gary has an insatiable love for writing,
a blessing he’s excited to share with his readers.
Author Links
Website • Facebook • Goodreads • Twitter
|Guest Post|
Hello and thank you for having me as a guest on your blog. I’m very excited for the release of Our Souls to Keep. It’s a beautiful story about love and redemption that will touch your heart as much as the action will make your pulse race. I’m often asked where I came up with the idea for this novel. The overall plot for Our Souls to Keep really came last. It was the final scene of the story that popped into my head first. I saw it so vividly in my mind, like I was watching a scene from a movie. I knew readers would find it strikingly emotional and gripping. I couldn’t wait to build an in-depth and engaging plot that would equal the powerful ending. After all, it’s the journey to the climax that makes reading a book enjoyable. At the time, I was working on a different novel. I jotted down some notes (I forget more ideas than I remember.) and put it aside. But as much I tried to focus on the novel I was writing, Our Souls to Keep kept pecking at me, begging for attention. Once I was finally available to start writing this novel, it was like running down hill. Plot ideas came and went, but at the core of the story was this reluctant, forbidden love between two seemingly different characters.
When I
started writing Our Souls to Keep, I
recognized that the plot was highly charged and twisting. I knew the story
would fall flat unless the main character had a strong personality who wouldn’t
fade within the strength of an in-depth story. Wake Reynolds turned out to be
the perfect main character. At the start of the novel, his actions make him so
easy to despise. Yet, I fell in love with his character immediately, probably
because he had fallen so far. I thought it would be fun watching him rise up
against the bonds of Hell. After many revisions, I handed the manuscript to a
few early readers for feedback. As their comments began to flow in, many of
them asked me why I hated Wake so much. At first, I was surprised. They said,
“Every time it seems like things start to go well for Wake, you throw him down
again.” I guess I’m guilty of taunting him with “happily ever after.” He’s a
demonic bad-boy, but as we search within him, we discover someone who is
intensely loyal and tragically vulnerable. He wants a chance to experience
everything he’s lost—love, friendship, a family, even a future. I hope you
enjoy watching Wake struggle through this journey as much as I enjoyed making
his life Hell.
An important
part of the writing process is getting feedback from people with an eye for
detail. When critique partners and friends finished reading an early version of
this novel, many were surprised by the dark, sometimes violent nature of the
book. Not that it’s over-the-top violent, it’s just that people know me as a
calm and happy person (on most occasions.) But that’s what makes creativity so
addictive. While writing Our Souls to
Keep, I was able to explore a tragic, paranormal life of Wake Reynolds without
leaving the comfort of my home. That’s not to say I was able to detach from
Wake’s horrible situation. In order to believably stitch together fantasy and
reality, it’s important to engage in the character, to feel what he feels, to
know what he wants and what he’s willing to do to get it. It’s like how an
actor prepares for a role. At times, Wake’s deep, conflicted emotions made me
push away from the computer, sometimes feeling the same emotions. Wake is a
powerful and vulnerable character. He searches for happiness while being
tormented by decisions of life and death. I hope as you ride through the twists
and turns of Wake’s extraordinary journey, you enjoy getting to know the
passion and desires that make him a special character.
People ask me
what I think is the hardest part of writing a novel. For Our Souls to Keep, it was including a strong romantic element in
the story without being overtly sexual. Most people don’t experience the
heightened level of romance that fiction presents so well. I suppose that’s the
allure. Creating a believable and loving relationship between two very
different characters was difficult. It can easily fall into a corny, redundant
pattern. “I love you” and holding hands isn’t nearly enough to express the
intense emotions that develop between Wake and Annemarie. Born within a tragic
journey, surrounded by secrets, their relationship becomes complicated. That
made every interaction between them so important—the nature of their touch, the
hesitancy in their words, and finally the birth of their spoken and unspoken
love. I’m very pleased with how well the novel represents their tenderness. I
hope it sparks a wide spectrum of emotions within you. I know it did for me.
In fact,
after a few early drafts, I changed the beginning to be more jarring, kind of
punch in the gut. Because it involves teen suicide, I was challenged to write an
engaging, realistic scene with paranormal violence, and still respect a serious
issue. I worked for many days before I was comfortable that it in no way
triggered or promoted suicide. Initially a couple editors said the YA market
wasn’t ready for that kind of realistic imagery. That was two years ago and
since then, the market has changed and many YA authors are addressing difficult
topics, like drug use, bullying, and eating disorders, in a responsible way. Wake
Reynolds is an unlikeable character in the beginning of the book, mostly
because he does horrible things to defenseless, vulnerable teens. As he
searches for his lost humanity, I don’t think he ever truly forgives himself.
The responsibility and regret he has for his actions and the effect it has on
the people around him is what makes Wake so endearing.
It’s fascinating
how people lock into the relationship that develops between Wake and Annemarie.
I understand, their relationship is tender and uncertain. And it’s probably the
aspect of the story that readers can easily relate to. For me, the background
conflict between Heaven and Hell is just as engaging. In our lives, too often,
good is good and bad is bad, but in a fantasy world, theses lines can get
blurred. After all, is anything totally good or evil? And what is each side
willing to do to get their desired outcome? It isn’t so clear-cut when both
Heaven and Hell are both strongly motivated to succeed. As Wake and Annemarie
search for safety and salvation, they find themselves caught in the center of
something much larger than they can ever understand. How they struggle against
these two powerful forces is one of the reasons readers will be gripped to Our Souls to Keep until the very end.
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