Meet Cara Blaine
Indie Author Spotlight
Welcome to Indie Author Spotlight where I interview talented writers who have valuable insights to share on their writing process, publication, and what it means to be an indie author.
Cara is a native desert dweller in southern Arizona, where she lives with her husband, two children, and their dog MacKenzie. Her biggest dream as a little girl was to be a writer. She has a degree in psychology and creative writing, and has been working with children in many different settings since high school. She is an award winning poet, and she began writing novels in 2022.
When she isn't writing, or working with kids, Cara loves to read, paint, travel, eat really good food, and do yoga. She also enjoys family movie and game nights at home. Her favorite coffee drink is an iced decaf brown sugar oat milk shaken espresso, despite the obnoxiously long name.
What made you become a writer? How’d you get started?
I'm not sure what made me become a writer; I can barely remember a time when I wasn't one. I've been writing stories and poems since the second grade. I took creative writing workshops as an alternative to summer camp in elementary school, and I studied creative writing alongside psychology for my BA.
Your books are often described as “witchy romantasy.” What has drawn you to this particular genre?
I have always been drawn to fantasy and witches, and I've always loved when those stories also have a romantic element. I enjoy a variety of genres but fantasy has been a favorite since I was young. It's a true escape when the story is in an entirely different world, and as a neurodivergent kid who often experienced traumatic events, that escape was a true gift.
Tell us about your latest book, Token of a Wolf.
I'd love to! Token of a Wolf is the first book of a Little Red Riding Hood inspired, romantic urban fantasy duology. What if the big, bad wolf wasn't actually the villain--despite appearances? What if Little Red found herself allying with him... and even falling for him?
That's the premise for this story full of mystery, slow burn romance, magical realism, and diverse representation. It is my first novel set in southern AZ, where I was raised and where I currently live. It also explores some aspects of Latin American--specifically Puerto Rican--culture, as two of the MCs are half Puerto Rican, like me.
What can you tell us about your writing process? Do you have any creative rituals or a favorite place to write?
I typically write at home at my desk, or sometimes on my couch, although I also like writing at the library. My brain doesn't brain very well in the morning, so I save that time for admin work and marketing, typically writing in the mid to late afternoon and evening. I make a playlist for each book and listen to it during the entire process of writing/revising/editing/formatting.
Who are your main influences? Favorite books?
Some of my favorite books as a kid definitely had a long term influence. These include Wise Child by Monica Furlong, The Giver by Lois Lowry, Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume, The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis, Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen, among many others. As an adult my favorite series is the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, and The Hunger Games is definitely in my top three as well.
What criticisms have you received that has helped you become a better writer?
This list would be way too long and I haven't kept track anyway. I think the important thing is being able to accept, evaluate, and apply critique without ego getting in the way. It's trickier than it sounds!
You launched Token of a Wolf as a Kickstarter campaign, which is brilliant. How has this platform proven successful compared with the standard self-publishing process?
Yes, this is my third Kickstarter! I love the platform. It allows me to make beautiful special editions available to readers while also getting my books out in front of a new audience that otherwise may have never known I exist. My Kickstarter campaigns have also allowed me to fund audiobooks for several of my novels.
You are quite active on Instagram and TikTok. How do you leverage social media to build community and gain readers?
I honestly never know what I'm doing on social media; I make it up as I go! Building community has been my main marketing strategy, and all I can say about that is to be genuine and engage--and don't always make it about your book(s) / selling your book(s). Offer content of value to your audience outside of trying to sell, whether it's educational or only entertaining, or a combination.
You offer beta reading, formatting, and other services on your website. How did you get into providing these services to other indie authors and aspiring authors?
Honestly, I had enough people asking me for help with these things that it was a natural next step. I'd love to be able to help my fellow writers for free all the time, but I had to start saying no a lot because I need that time to do work that pays bills. So I decided to combine the two. I still help a lot of indie authors free of charge; for example, I have a free pdf covering the basics of self-publishing available to download on my website.
You have amazing cover designs. Do you hire cover designers for your books or do you design them yourself?
Thank you! I design them myself. I'm naturally artistic but my first few efforts at covers were pretty terrible. It is a skillset that requires learning/research and practice, but I've improved a lot!
What are you working on now?
Right now I am working on revising Promise of a Bruja, which is book two in the Venandi Venator duology after Token of a Wolf. And of course, I am managing the Kickstarter campaign, which takes up a lot of time and energy.
How can readers find you?
I'm on Tiktok, IG, Threads, FB, and Bluesky. I love connecting with readers on TT, IG, and Threads especially. However, given... everything, we might not have viable social platforms in the long term, so I encourage folks to subscribe to my newsletter (which has monthly giveaways!), and also to join my Discord server.
My links can be found here: https://linktr.ee/carablaine
Check out Cara’s Kickstarter campaign for Token of a Wolf!
