You also published a companion eBook, Recipes from the Darkwater Inn. What inspired you to publish a book of recipes for a suspense series? (Are these your recipes, or where did they come from?)
Whenever I write about Louisiana, I include meals because that’s important in the South. Spices and seafood go hand-in-hand with family and friend gatherings. It’s just the way it is.
I always have people ask me if one of the meals I mention in a book is mine, and if so, can they get a recipe because it sounded great. Since Dimitri in the Darkwater Inn is a chef, food is really mentioned a lot.
And my beta readers would send me notes about being hungry after they read the book. It was time. I went to my publisher with the idea, and they loved it and we moved forward.
The recipes are from my personal use, my family, and my friends. Some have been tweaked from their original version—because all good recipes can and should be customized for your personal taste—after my husband found an original version through friends and/or the internet years ago. I gave credit in the naming of the recipe when I used one from someone who gave me the recipe.
I’m really loving the final product, which also includes excerpts, fun facts about my home state, and photos of New Orleans I snapped during a research trip. I hope to expand it more after the series is completed.
The novel balances elements of faith, romance, and suspense. What are the challenges of getting just the mix you want for your novel?
This series has pushed me as an author because the romance thread isn’t resolved until the end of the third book. And I’ve never written a love triangle before, so it was a challenge to keep the balance between the three main characters in check.
I wanted to focus on the characters more deeply, and the dynamics between them more in the first book, so the suspense was lighter. But the second book took a heavier suspense thread. I keep a running “line” of each of the elements as a visual over my desk to make sure that they stay where I want them to for each book, but also for the over-arching of the series as a whole.
How does your faith impact how you approach writing fiction?
I think Christians have a natural bent to look at the world, and everything in our lives, through our faith’s eyes. Faith is part of all that I think and do, so that spills over into my writing, which I think is a great thing!
What are the best ways that readers can support their favorite authors?
I have a top three “author wish list” for readers—and yes, I follow my own advice with my favorite authors. They are…
#1) Tell at least 5 friends/acquaintance/family personally (not as a social media post) about a book you’ve read and enjoyed. This not only helps get the word out about the author, but it also opens a conversation with someone.
#2) Buy the author’s book. Sometimes price can be an issue, but I make it a point to budget in that cost when I know one of my favorite authors is about to release a new book. One of my favorite authors only releases in hardback, which is quite a bit more expensive than paperback. When I know one of his books is going to release, I’ll skip coffee four times that month, or I’ll have a sandwich for lunch instead of grabbing lunch out. I make it a priority as much as I can.
And #3) Write a review and post it. Reviews don’t have to be long or detailed—just what I liked about the book, my impressions, that’s it. I use the same review and post it on multiple sites. Trust me, these things matter to authors, and are SO appreciated.
Visit Robin Caroll’s author page:
https://www.familyfiction.com/authors/robin-caroll
Darkwater Secrets
Darkwater Inn #1
Robin Caroll
Gilead Publishing
A murder investigation uncovers sordid secrets and haunting mistakes…
The Darkwater Inn stands tall and proud in the French Quarter, the hub of New Orleans. Bourbon Street is bustling, and General Manager Adelaide Fountaine has her hands full with a hotel at capacity. She, along with everyone else, is shocked when a body is found: a hotel guest stabbed with a kitchen knife.
Detective Beau Savoie, Adelaide’s childhood friend, is on the case. As Beau digs into the victim’s past, he unearths a shocking connection between Adelaide and the murdered guest. Beau is hurt that his friend—the woman he’s quietly loved for years—kept the truth from him. To make matters worse, the stress of the investigation has sent Adelaide right into the comforting arms of her coworker Dimitri. But Beau can’t press Adelaide too hard—he’s keeping secrets of his own…
Can Adelaide and Beau afford to hide from the truth with a killer on the loose?