Project Backlist- Carrie Ann Ryan
Project Backlist: Start Your Journey with Carrie Ann Ryan’s
Welcome to Project Backlist, Buzzing about Romance’s guide to must-read backlist books! This week, we’re spotlighting Carrie Ann Rayn and her On My Own Series!
Meet Carrie Ann Ryan
Carrie Ann Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary, paranormal, and young adult romance. Her works include the Montgomery Ink, Talon Pack, Promise Me, and Elements of Five series, which have sold millions of books worldwide. She’s the winner of an RT Book of the Year and a Prism Award in her genre. She started writing while in graduate school for her advanced degree in chemistry and hasn’t stopped since. Carrie Ann has written over one hundred novels and novellas with more in the works. When she’s not losing herself in her emotional and action-packed worlds, she reads as much as she can while wrangling her clowder of cats with more followers than she does.
Get to know Carrie Ann
Becky: What initially drew you to the romance genre as a writer?
Carrie Ann: I started my life as a chemist and physicist. I spent years with my head in data, my imagination only focused on what I could discover, learn, or prove.
And because I skipped grades, did multiple focuses at once and worked 1.5 full time jobs…I was totally burnt out.
Then a friend gave me Twilight.
And every single flashback of being an eager reader as a kid came back. Why I always skipped to Logan and Mary Anne’s parts in the BSC rereads. Why I also would focus on the believe of hope in a book about hell on earth. I I liked that promise of a happy ever after—even if I broke down inside and felt as if the world was ending along the way.
Becky: You have been publishing for quite a few years now… is it hard to keep your ideas fresh?
Carrie Ann: Honestly yes and no. Haha. I’m 150+ books in (though not all are published as of this post) and I strive to ensure each is different. Even if I have the same tropes and path as a few other books, I need them to be different.
Sometimes I’ll get tired of a certain idea, but in the end, I have SO MANY things I want to write and haven’t yet.
If you looked at my spreadsheet for the upcoming Cage Family, Ashford Creek, and Montgomery Ink Legacy books, I’m stretching myself and testing my writing skills. I’m writing ideas I haven’t ever before and I am SO EXCITED.
Becky: Can you share any writing rituals or habits that help you stay focused and productive during the writing process?
Carrie Ann: These always change, but right now, a text from Becky in the morning is a perfect way to start the day haha. I have goals for each month > week > day and writing them out for another person helps me sway on goal. I also write in the morning and do admin work after lunch. Because admin work will always be there, but I need to write the books first before my day is taken over by the countless things I need to do.
Becky: What challenges do you face when writing romance, and how do you overcome them?
Carrie Ann: Honestly the outside world is the biggest challenge.
They look down on romance as if knowing an HEA will always be there like it’s a crutch. (Talk to me about genre expectations in horror and mystery. I’ll wait.)
But the idea that we can have JOY and HOPE and LOVE is scary. Finding those aren’t a given in real life. Trusting someone that much is HARD. So loving a book where people can actually fall in love and stay there in a world that is full of hate and hard is incredibly brave and difficult. I I will always strive for that joy. Even when the stress and loss of the real world doesn’t make feel real.
Becky: How do you handle romantic tropes and clichés to keep your stories fresh and engaging for readers?
Carrie Ann: A trope is just an idea. A promise of a tiny hook that looks familiar. Everyone will write it differently. We can mix and match them, spin them on their head. A trope is only the beginning, so of course it will stay fresh on it’s own. Because you’re trying to prove the promise of an HEA for THIS couple, not the 57 you’ve written before.
Becky: Romance readers often have strong preferences when it comes to tropes (such as enemies-to-lovers, friends-to-lovers, etc.). Do you have a trope you love to write, and if so, what about it appeals to you?
Carrie Ann: I love Best Friend’s Little Sister. Because the idea of it is silly lol. I mean, if the dudes are best friends, why SHOULDN’T your best friend fall in love with your sister. If you’re a good person, you surround yourself with people you trust. So why would you hang out with a guy who isn’t good enough for your sister?
That’s why I love it. Because when I write it and when my favorite authors write it, we add a complexity to it so it’s not that cut and dry. There are reasons rather than the big brother being an idiot trope haha.
Becky: What is one thing you want your readers to take away from your books when they are finished?
Carrie Ann: That you deserve love. No matter how you find it, what shape it comes in. You deserve it. My characters have big families. That love exists. And finding that trust along the way is magical,
So, as you walk away, you might have cried, you might have cursed me out for what I did to your favorite character, but you can walk away knowing I’m striving to fulfill that promise of an HEA.
About the On My Own Series:
Becky: What inspired you to write your earliest novels? Were there any particular themes or tropes you were drawn to?
Carrie Ann: I love writing Pack romances and the dynamics of fated mates. Exploring the world of magic where I could make up my own rules was enlightening. And I was always drawn to the broken down hero and the woman who didn’t need to heal him, but stand by him as they figured out how to heal themselves.
Becky: How do you feel your writing has evolved from your first release to your most recent books?
Carrie Ann: I feel like I can only grow as I learn. My writing has changed in the past 14 years so I hope there is growth. Though I still stand by and love those older books.
Becky: What about this series/story that holds a special place in your heart? Why do they resonate with you?
Carrie Ann: The Promise me series was the series that just CLICKED for me. It had all the elements I loved: 4 growly brothers, a girl group of friends with a friendship of steel, suspense, and heat. (And I’m totally feeling that way with the Cage Family right now and it’s giving me JOY!)
Becky: Which of your characters in this book or series are you most proud of, and what makes them stand out to you?
Carrie Ann: I can’t answer that honestly because it changes all the time. But perhaps Harmony from Shouldn’t Have You. She was my first widow and I had no idea if I could write her. Because part of me didn’t want her to have an HEA. Because she had her first one and it was cut short—just like mine. So proving to myself that a widow could have a second chance was more for ME than the readers. And I am so damn proud of that book.
Becky: Have there been any books from your backlist that you feel didn’t get as much attention as they deserved?
Carrie Ann: The On My Own series and Elements of Five.
In the On My Own series, I wrote about 4 sets of roommates and was able to write tropes and ideas I hadn’t before. Plus there was the bad boy next door that I fell in love with—more people need to know Tanner!
And the Elements of Five series is my romantasy series that fell under the radar since the Wilder Brothers exploded at the same time lol. It’s ACOTAR meets Avatar the Last Airbender and I miss writing in that world.
Becky: How do you approach balancing standalone novels with series? Do you find it easier to revisit characters in a series, or do you prefer writing new stories?
Carrie Ann: I don’t know how to write a stand alone haha. Because I like writing big families.
However I do have a pure stand alone—not connected to any series—that I’ve been working on for awhile now. However I think I need to shop it rather than publish it myself. It just feels different.
Becky: What was the most challenging book in this series to write, and what did you learn from the experience?
Carrie Ann: The Aspen Pack series was the hardest because I took such a long break from writing PNR and in that world, I got scared lol. I was afraid no one cared. (I was wrong.)
But if I ever go back to PNR, I’ll start from scratch. I learned my lesson with my nerves.
Becky: Do you ever see yourself revisiting (second gen or expanding) on this series/story’s characters in future projects?
Carrie Ann: I love me some second gen and am currently writing the Montgomery Ink Legacy series.
And part of me really wants to do it again for a short series of mine…if anyone wants it haha
Becky: How do you stay motivated to create new stories after having such an extensive backlist?
Carrie Ann: I love reading romance and I have too many stories in my head. You aren’t getting rid of me any time soon.
Thank you so much to Carrie Ann for taking the time to answer our questions. Happy Reading!
