First-time author Marissa Carmel debuted last month with her YA fantasy
iFeel (
http://goo.gl/MnDYg). As she continues on her blog tour, see what she has to say about the expectations of being a writer and a mother.
You plan, God
laughs. This is the story of my life.
There are ideals and
expectations I assume everyone has; whom you will marry, what your career
will be like, where you will raise your kids. And yes, I had all those
ideologies in my head, except mine were more like, have a career, don't get
married and absolutely no kids. Boy was I
wrong. Today I am married with two kids, and living in a state I
only passed through on occasion. And my career? Well let’s just say, I
have more than one, and I never saw that coming. Who needs more than
one career? Apparently me. To make a long story short, I
started my first career as a logistician, yawn, I won’t bore you with the
details. The second career came shortly after.
I've always loved to
write. Always. My imagination constantly runs away with itself, and I am
without doubt following it. My best subject was creative
writing. So when I would write, it was primarily for me (or a good
grade). As time went on though, I found myself imagining more and
more and wanting to create, but my life was so busy, and what would it get me
anyway? Until one day my mother- in- law dropped a bomb that would change my
life. She was talking to one of my husband’s cousins who was
complaining about getting her college degree (she was already married with 4
kids. Yikes. I’d be complaining too.) And my MIL, the
wise woman that she is simply said, honey, time is going to go by anyway,
so you might as well do it. Well, it felt like the sky fell on me. The
advice wasn’t even directed at me, but it resonated. I started writing that
night. And never stopped.
My husband once asked
where my creativity comes from, and in return I asked him if he ever heard
voices in his head. His reply, I needed to see a shrink. I told him
a keyboard and a curser is the best therapy. I have always loved the supernatural,
thanks in part to my mom; Charmed was one of our favorite shows to watch
together and still is. So when I started writing, it only felt natural
that it took on a paranormal feel. But I didn't want to write about
vampires or werewolves or really anything that had been done. I'm like
that; I always tend to steer towards the opposite of popular and then
proceed to make fun of it. So I started researching, and
brainstorming, and concocting my mix of love, humor and emotion. Liv
was already an entity in my head, festering. I'd often imagine a dark
haired girl with amethyst eyes, suffering and alone.
When I finally established who she really was, and what kind of
supernatural elements she would possess, (an Empath-someone who can feel
the emotions of others- with active abilities) I asked myself,
what would it be like for someone like that to carry the world's emotions?
Torrential I thought. What would it be like for her to fall in love? Even
worse than torrential. The story evolved rather quickly after
that, but I didn't rush it. It took me a little over a year to
write, over two years to edit. I learned a lot about my writing style
during that time, developed my voice and really tried to give it
a life-like feel.
So here I am almost
four years later, a husband, 2 kids, and a home in what feels like
a foreign country; a daytime career and a nighttime career, all
jumbling together, fighting for a piece of my time. Go hard or go home, my
husband and I always joke, if we have a story, it needs a theme and that is
it. I wouldn't change it though, not for anything. Life is nothing, if
not a venture - (I have no idea who said that).
About the author: Marissa Carmel has been writing since a young age and
although it has always been for personal enjoyment, she finally decided to
breakout and share her imagination with the world. She hopes that her universe
is as fun and intriguing to her readers as it is to her. Marissa Carmel is
originally from NJ but moved to Maryland several years ago, she enjoys reading,
writing, and catching up on her DVR library. She is currently working on the
sequel to iFeel, Gravitational Pull, which she hopes to release sometime in
2012.
About the book: Lust. Anger. Hate. Desire. Love. Happiness. Joy. iFeel.
Liv Christianni is isolated, alone, tortured and withdrawn, saddled with the
torrential downpour of the world’s emotions. Accepting of her providence Liv
has lost all hope, until one day fate steps in and spins the course of her life
like a spiraling top. Hunted by a Spirit Stalker, Liv is forced to gain control
of herself and her surroundings, threatened by the touch of her immortal love;
she must find a way to survive both physically and emotionally as her reality
is shaken up like dice on a Craps table. Can she find the courage to accept her
true self? Can she love unconditionally cognizant of the condemning
consequences? Can she rise from the ashes to become the person she was always
meant to be?
Funny, witty, real, and poignant,
iFeel rips into your soul, and sets your
emotions on fire.
If you are a fan of
Charmed or
Supernatural,
The Vampire Diaries or
The SecretCircle this series is for you!
Read an excerpt: I direct my anger towards the mocking bottles of crazy pills
settled in the cabinet. I attack them; clearing all the glass shelves in one
angered fit. Tiny orange bottles fly all around my white tiled bathroom,
exploding an array of colored pills against the walls and floor. It feels like
I am bombing my past; liberating my future and releasing myself from whatever
binds me. I want to be free, and if that means destroying my whole apartment in
the process to get there, I am willing to do that.
I can feel the rage course through my veins; my head throbs and my throat burns
as I thrash at my tiny bathroom. All I can hear are the voices of people who
mean the most to me, those who encourage me, those who support me. To my
surprise, the loudest voice is the one who is farthest away. Justice’s words
echo against the tiled surface, telling me to let go, to accept my fate, to be
magical and not mental. It makes me miss him all the more, but what he said
finally makes sense.
My breaths pulse quickly in my lungs, as if the air is thinning. I have worked
myself up into a crazed frenzy to expel my true self. My enraged fit has
resulted in a bathroom bloodbath, me versus myself.
And I won.
A sampling of 5-star reviews: "I Feel great, on fire, changed, content about this book. This
book is indeed a different kind of writing. I enjoyed the story very much.
Extreme beings combust with contact. One that hides from all public life simply
to keep from feeling every emotion from everyone around her. Destined to spend
her life in lock up inside her own apartment. The other one an angel sent to
protect all that is good and to keep evil from harming this "feeler".
Seraphs and empaths ignite and paint the town in flames in this story.
Characters that will open your heart can make you laugh, show anger in large
amounts and also open your eyes on things we take for granted. Good read for
sure. Loved the flow and design of details. Great for all YA, Angels & Demons, and Fantasy fans alike. Will recommend
to all. KUDOS AUTHOR Marissa Carmel. Happy Reading" - from Tammy @ GREATMINDSTHINKALOUD
"This author finds a way to make this story
relatable to the reader, suspending your disbelief and extracting your empathy
for what the characters endure. An absolute page turner. The character of Liv has been through so much in her
short years. Her friends and family attribute her strange and overtly keen
behavior as having a mental imbalance. Depressed and loaded on a colossal
cocktail of mood stabilizers, her friends stage an intervention and drag her to
one of the many clubs at the shore. Lost in a sea of bodies, music pounding,
she dances with fate and comes face to face with her destiny. As if awaking
from a hazy dream, Liv finds herself without her rose color classes. Now
confronted with a sudden life and death situation, she must find a way to tap
into her strength and new found power. When this book was finished you can't help but to feel enveloped in the tail so
much you don't want it to end. I hope this author produces a sequel. This
literary journey is just simply too good to be finished!" - Amazon.com
Contact the author:
on her blog.
!
to the back of cereal boxes. Today you will find her with an