The Final Countdown

Posted on May 28, 2019 by Carrie Dalby

Two weeks to go until Murmurs of Evil is in the wild and my emotional state reflects that anticipation. I did the final look through after formatting and now it’s just waiting for that pre-order option to go live. Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter to be one of the first to get that ordering link.

My readers group on Facebook is a great place to learn about the behind-the-scenes information and tidbits about The Possession Chronicles, as well as my other writings. Take the link or search for Dalby’s Darklings. It’s a closed group, so you’ll need to request to join.

Another place for more visuals and fun is Pinterest. I have boards for all my books and more, plus one for The Possession Chronicles as a whole and several character inspiration boards for the main characters thus far.

You’ll hear from me next on release day. Until then, stay cool and keep reading.

Coming Soon

Posted on April 23, 2019 by Carrie Dalby

I’ve finished the final edits and seven weeks from today is release day for Murmurs of Evil, the second book in The Possession Chronicles. My May newsletter will have the cover reveal, but members of my insider readers group got a sneak peek of it yesterday. What did they say?

Love it!

Delightfully creepy!

Air of mystery.

And more. Can’t wait to share it with you–and more importantly, share the story. Here’s a tidbit for you paired with an Edwardian era photograph that reminds me of main character Magdalene.

Watch for it on June 11, 2019.

A Lull in the Storm

Posted on March 25, 2019 by Carrie Dalby

It’s been a whirl year of books so far, but now things are settling down. This month–besides the release of Fortitude–I worked a round of professional edits on my next release. Murmurs of Evil, book two of The Possession Chronicles, will be available June 11. After finishing that editorial pass, I slipped into book three for a tightening round and now I’m on book four for the sixteenth time. I’m pleased to report the series is still as enjoyable for me to work on as ever–and that feels great.

I’m excited to share more of The Possession Chronicles with readers, so much so that I started an insider’s readers group on Facebook for those looking for more facts and inspiration behind my stories. To join the fun and learn more about my writing process in regards to all my stories, check out Dalby’s Darklings.

If an online group isn’t your thing, be sure you’re registered for my monthly newsletter. I send it out the first week of the month (next week for April), highlighting upcoming news/events, what I’ve been reading, and more.

Sneak peek: next up, I’ll be at Gulf Coast Children’s Book Festival in support of Fortitude on April 4.

Perilous Confessions Soundtrack

Posted on January 24, 2019 by Carrie Dalby

Perilous Confessions, the first book in The Possession Chronicles, has been out in the world for just over two weeks. You know what that means, right? It’s time to unveil my soundtrack for it!

My writing process starts with creating a “mood music” playlist for my project that I listen to almost exclusively while I’m first drafting the story. (Perilous Confession‘s playlist has 474 songs, so I didn’t get bored with the music.) From that list, I create a soundtrack once the first draft is complete. Once I work edits–which has its own “editing playlist”–I adjust the soundtrack further until final edits are complete through the publisher.

The following is Perilous Confession‘s musical journey.
Spoiler:
If you listen to each song in order, you will known the story line, so you might want to save until you’ve finished reading.

1. Fools Rush In by Rick Nelson

2. New Love in Town by Europe

3. When You Love Me by Martina McBride (who the book is dedicated in part to.)

4. I’ll Cry For You by Europe

5.I’m the One by Mitch Malloy (my favorite singer, who I got to see in concert and say hello to last weekend. He’s the new lead singer for Great White but I love his solo work.)

6. Sweet Salvation by The Cult

7. Wait for Sleep by Dream Theater

8. Mr. Ego (Take Me Down) by Helloween

9. When I See You Smile by Bad English

10. Where I Used to Have a Heart by Martina McBride

11. Lucy by Hanson

12. Love is on the Way by Saigon Kick

13. Let It All Go duet by Birdy and RHODES

14. Father Time by Richie Sambora

What songs would you add to the Perilous Confessions soundtrack or mood music playlist?

Hometown Heroes Release Day

Posted on December 4, 2018 by Carrie Dalby

It’s release day for this collection of romantic shorts. Find Hometown Heroes: A Christmas Anthology by Bienvenue Press in ebook and print.

I’m happy to share “Courtship and Courage” with you as part of the transitioning of my historical works to Bienvenue Press. This all new short continues the story of Claire O’Farrell and Joe Walker from Fortitude. If you’re new to my writing, these two characters will make appearances in The Possession Chronicles, so you’ll want to catch up with them.

While Fortitude (and my other publications to date) have been primarily targeted for teens, “Courtship and Courage” is my bridge into writing for an adult audience.
Since it’s the first story in the book, the “Look inside” option on Amazon allows you to read the first several scenes, so enjoy!

As always, I’m open for questions and would love to hear from you after you read it.

Taking Over

Posted on September 25, 2018 by Carrie Dalby

Mark your calendars!

On Monday, October 1, I’ll be doing a “take over” on A.L. Vincent‘s author group page. She writes Southern contemporary romance as well as Southern paranormal romance with vampires, ghosts, and the like under the pen name Jolie St. Amant. (Yes, she’s a Bienvenue Press author, among other things.)

The topic of the day will be The Possession Chronicles (my Southern Gothic family saga) to kick off the spooky season.

Join the group to be part of the fun.

Here’s a sneak peek at a vintage visual I used for inspiration for several scenes in Perilous Confessions, book one of The Possession Chronicles.

P.S. If you haven’t signed up for my monthly newsletter, now is a great time to do so. October’s news will be headed your way next week.

Literary Reflections

Posted on June 26, 2018 by Carrie Dalby

Last Saturday I gave my “Kid Lit 101” presentation to a group of writers in Gulfport, Mississippi. While what is categorized as (upper) middle grade is my first literary love, the past few years I’ve been focusing the majority of my reading time on Gothic—classic Gothic, Southern Gothic, Gothic Romance, etc.—to be sure I’m doing the category justice with my own stories.

Revisiting the books I touch on in the presentation (which are everything from baby books to young adult novels) was like visiting old friends. I haven’t given the presentation in about two years, much less dove so deep into conversation about my favorite coming-of-age genre, so it was refreshing. I remembered why I started writing—awesome books like these. And rereading Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson this weekend helped solidify that.

The past few days I’ve forced a separation for myself from The Possession Chronicles. While I’ve been writing and editing the eight books in the series almost non-stop for over two and a half years, I still love everything about it. I’m not sick of the characters or the story lines. I could happily move to round ten of edits on book six, or any other draft, but I know I need to distance myself from this epic project before I tackle professional edits for book one, Perilous Confessions (releasing January 8, 2019.)

So in the meantime, I’ll be exploring the scary world of the MG/YA manuscripts I wrote as a teenager. Maybe I’ll find a nugget of hope within one of the stories that with major resuscitation (thanks to decades of acquired experience) would be able to bring one of them to life. If not, at least I’ll be able to see how far I’ve come as a writer.

What helps you rediscover your literary roots?

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