by: Christine Karper-Smith
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 27, 2017
The August day was like an another day Corrie had been called in to work an extra shift at the radio station until British rock legend Josh Evans and his band came in to be interviewed. Her life changes when they go on a date that night, but she doesn't foresee what is ahead of her - exes, groupies, tours, and marriage - all the things she remembers, as she attempts to write a speech for his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.
Hi Chris. Welcome to Read Your Writes Book Reviews. How are you?
I’m good. Excited to be speaking with you.
Thank you. Congratulations on being a newly published author.
Thank you.
You’re welcome. Tell me about Uncharted Course. What can readers expect from it?
Uncharted Course is Corrie remembering her life with British rock star, Josh Evans. She’s been asked to give a speech at his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. She has a difficult time writing it, but is reminded of how they met and their life together.
Readers can expect to see Corrie go from an inexperienced girl in life to a grown married woman, with children…and her husband just happens to be British rock star, Josh Evans. Hopefully, they’ll get a laugh and tear or two, too.
How did you decide on your characters’ names?
I drew from many sources when I named my characters. Corrie came from me always liking the name. I wanted to use the name for one of my children, but my husband disagreed. So, I used it as a character. Corrie’s brother is named Jed. I have three older brothers; John, Earl, Dan. I used phone books, baby name sites, and would tell my kids to name a male character and they’d do it. One character changed names four times, until I found one that fit her. I sent a text to my beta readers asking them for a name. Then I picked the one I liked best.
Tell me about your heroine, Corrie Crenshaw.
Corrie starts out as a young radio producer/DJ who is protected by her father and close to her mother. She’s shy and naïve, so she doesn’t understand why someone like Josh Evans likes her. As time progresses, Corrie finds her place and confidence as a wife and mother.
This is a contemporary romance, told by Corrie from her point of view. Why did you choose to have her tell the story, as opposed to a dual POV or in third person?
I wish I could say that it helped tell the story or showed Corrie better, but I can’t. The truth is it was my first book and I had an easier time putting myself in Corrie’s head and writing from there then trying to tell it from a third person. Dual POV never even cross my mind.
I read somewhere that it took you about 7 years to write this story. Over the course of the years how much do you think the story has changed?
That’s true. I wrote the first draft between September and December of 2010. After failed attempts to get an agent with it, I put it away, but kept going back to it. The major change was the ending. It was the opposite of what it is now. Other than that, there wasn’t much of the story that changed, I took out few scenes that didn’t progress the story.
Are you an author who controls the characters, or do the characters control you, telling you how they want their story to be told?
My characters control me. I tried controlling when I began writing, but my characters ended up saying or doing things that did not match who they were. Once I listened to them, my stories came together and my character’s actions fit their descriptions.
Tell me about one of your favorite scenes from the book and why is it one your favorites?
One of my favorite scenes is one right after Corrie and Josh are married. Josh is producing an album for Roger Tomlinson, a singer friend of his. He’s gone all day, into the night for days, so they’re not seeing each other. Corrie calls him and tells him to come home. I love the line she says to get him to come home and the sentence he says when he gets there. Those two lines made the entire scene come together for me.
What’s next for you?
I’m currently revising my next book about a girl who is raised by her father. On his deathbed, he confesses he kidnapped her. After he dies, she goes to the town where he said they lived to find out if he really kidnapped her or if it was the painkillers talking.
Sounds interesting. Chris, thanks for answering some questions for me.
We cleaned up the mess when we finished eating. He led me down the hall to the living room. On one of the bookshelves and on the mantle, were some of his awards. There were two of his gold records hanging on the wall. I walked around looking at them. He sat on a loveseat which faced one of the fireplaces in the house.
“Come sit down,” he said and indicated with a nod of his head.
“I’m looking at this.”
“You can bring it over here.”
“I don’t want to touch it. I might break it.”
“Corrie? Are you afraid to be here with me?”
“No.”
“Did I do something to anger you?”
“No.”
“Then why aren’t you coming near me and cowering when I touched you?”
I shook my head. “I can’t tell you.”
“Why can’t you tell me?”
“Because if I word it wrong, you might get angry with me.”
“Is it bad?”
“No. I don’t think so.”
“Okay, then tell me. If it sounds bad, I’ll have you explain it to me.”
I nodded. “You’re Josh Evans.”
“I know. I’ve been Josh Evans since I was born. I didn’t know it was a bad thing.”
“No. I mean you’re Josh Evans, lead singer of Evantually.”
He was more confused. “Yeah, I know that, too.”
“No, what I mean is when we went out I knew who you were. But on the phone, you were Josh. And seeing all this, you’re Josh Evans again. I don’t want you to be Josh Evans. I want you to be just Josh.”
“I like you seeing me as just Josh. Too many people only see me as Josh Evans.” He paused. “Come here.” He motioned with his finger, as he stood up. I hesitated before I walked to him. Josh put his arms around me. “I promise you. I’m the same guy who’s been on the phone. All of this is just where I live. I am just Josh.” I smiled. He kissed me. We sat on the loveseat. The conversation began to flow the way it had since we met.
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Christine Karper-Smith lives in New Mexico with her husband, Shawn, a rescued spaniel-mix named Jay, and a rescued cat named Kitty. She has four adult children and a son-in-law. Before Christine started writing, she worked as a radio producer/DJ, for an AHL hockey team, and was a cheerleading coach, among other things. She holds an English degree from New Mexico State University where she graduated from in 2015.
Places to find Christine Karper-Smith:
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