Yet again, I have the joy of introducing my readers to a delightful new Hallmark author, Cassidy Carter. Recently, her book The Perfect Catch, was published in both e-book and print form, and I not only had the pleasure of reading the book, but I got to interview this special lady. While I was already quite familiar with the movie and the stellar cast, it was sheer delight to savor every moment of this novelization. I am quite honored to share both my review and my interview with everyone today.
RH: Why did you decide to become a writer? What kind of training have you had for writing?
CC: I have been a voracious reader since I was very young, and I’ve written for as long as I can remember. I had notebooks filled with handwritten stuff all through high school. I’ve always been a romance fan as well, so publishing in the genre seemed like a natural choice for me. I’ve been an editor for the last eight years, and I’m pursuing my master’s in English lit, so I’m definitely immersed in books!
What is the first thing you ever published?
I’m actually published under my spicy pen name, Ginny Glass, with Harlequin’s Carina Press. I sold my first book to the imprint back in 2009, and was a launch author with Carina. I have eight titles with them, all in the high-heat contemporary genre.
How did you get involved with Hallmark Publishing?
I’m so fortunate to be involved in a writer’s forum that allowed me to connect with Stacey Donovan, the director of Hallmark Publishing. Stacey and I worked together on editing a few Hallmark projects, and the opportunity came up to novelize one of the movies. I jumped at the chance!
Before writing The Perfect Catch, were you a Hallmark fan? Had you seen the movie?
I love Hallmark. I’m a huge Hallmark fan! Not just the romances, either. I love the mysteries. I hadn’t seen The Perfect Catch, but it’s become one of my favorites. I think the cast has such great chemistry.
What was the process of novelizing this movie? How long did the process take?
It’s a little different than original fiction, which is what I’m used to, but it’s actually a refreshing change. You work from a copy of the movie and script, and as the novel takes shape, you get the chance to go deeper than what you see on the screen. You get the chance to explain all the things that the audience might wonder about. And, for me, being an editor as well, I get the chance to break down the movie timeline and line up the movie scene chronology and make it work logically within the book—a little geeky, but I love doing that!
From script to book, the first rough draft of The Perfect Catch took me about three weeks to write. Then there are a few rounds of editing, which take a bit of back-and-forth, but for me, the process isn’t all that long, actually.
For those who have seen the movie, why will they like the book? For those who haven’t seen the movie, what will they like?
For those who have seen the movie, you’ll like the extra little bits—more between Chase and Jess, a little extra backstory, more between Chase and Wes, developing their connection, and, of course, an epilogue with lots more warm and fuzzy that you didn’t get after the final movie scene! For those who haven’t seen the movie, all of the above. Plus, I hope that the book will make the reader go as fast as humanly possible to buy, rent, or find a new airing of The Perfect Catch, because it’s a fantastic movie. I really can’t say enough good about it. I just hope I do it justice.
Any other upcoming works that you can mention?
Actually, yes! My next book with Hallmark Publishing is an original novel. It’s not based on a movie—it’s something completely new. I can’t share too many details yet, but I’m very excited to continue working with the team at Hallmark.
I also have some independent publishing projects planned for this year, and I’ll be posting more about those as they develop.
Do you have a desire to write in other genres and/or to write scripts?
Romance is my first love. I like genre-hopping within romance, and I’d even love to write some cozy mysteries (as long as there’s a love interest). As for scripts, I think that would be a blast!
What is your typical writing schedule like?
I write every day, even if it’s just a little. Once I get into a project or book, I tend to write pretty fast. I’m a night owl, so though I do get work done during the day, I feel most productive at night.
What is the most rewarding thing about being an author? What is the most challenging?
The most rewarding thing is getting to do what I love for a living. Specifically, for Hallmark, I love giving the viewers (as readers) even more reasons to love the characters that they’re identifying with on screen—more reasons to root for the heroine, more reasons to fall in love with the hero.
The most challenging is making sure you know your audience and make your book worth their purchase. A reader wants to connect with a book, be transported for just a little while. I want a reader to forget about their everyday stresses when they read one of my books, even if it’s just for a short time. The world is hectic and crazy enough. A little happily-ever-after is never a bad thing.
What is your favorite sport? Why?
Is there such a thing as competitive theater or musical watching? I’d participate in that any day!
The Perfect Catch: Based on the Hallmark Channel Original Movie by Cassidy Carter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated and all opinions are 100 percent mine.
This was a delightful Hallmark movie, but it was not an all-time favorite one for me–maybe because I’m not a baseball fan, who knows? But I expected a great novelization, and the author absolutely hit it out of the park! I found myself reliving memorable moments of the film and understanding character motivations in a much fuller sense. I actually feel like putting the movie on and watching it again with a much deeper understanding–something I’ll do in the near future I’m sure.
There are two things that these companion novels seem to consistently provide: comfort reading and mildly profound perspectives. When the typical viewer watches a Hallmark movie, there are sometimes things that don’t make sense at first because the viewer doesn’t know the backstory or doesn’t understand a character’s motivation. In this book, I believe the readers were given both. And with that delightful epilogue to wrap everything up, I couldn’t be more pleased!
It’s truly amazing! I would call Cassidy a girl after my own heart! Her unyielding passion for writing, her intense affection for Hallmark, and her amusing choice of sport 🙂 all resonate with my soul on an extreme level. Furthermore, learning that she will be amongst the first to publish an original Hallmark book thrills me to the core! As much as I adore these novelizations, I greatly anticipate these new romance stories from Hallmark publishing that will be headed our way very soon! It’s flawlessly obvious why Hallmark has chosen to work with Cassidy because the woman is a highly organized and gifted writer who understands how to attract the readers and captivate them as she weaves a tale that is a banquet for the eyes and a dessert for the soul. So please consider checking out all of Cassidy’s links below and perhaps pick up your own copy of The Perfect Catch today. I do believe that Hallmark has added an amiable, talented new author to their roster, and I can hardly wait to read her next book!
FOLLOW CASSIDY
BUY YOUR OWN COPY OF THE PERFECT CATCH
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1 Comment
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sounds like it would be great to read–I enjoyed the movie. Also liked how she explained the process of taking it from script to book.
