Showcase: Cari Kamm author of For Internal Use Only and Fake Perfect Me

Chloe Kassidy has just been accepted into one of Manhattan’s most exclusive art exhibits, Love Through Light. However, with her singular dedication to her career, she soon realizes that in sacrificing her personal life, she has never been in love. A hopeless romantic who is terrified of heartbreak, Chloe begins to enlist the help of her circle of friends to learn about love through their very different stories and experiences. 

In Chloe’s emotional rollercoaster to having the greatest love story ever told, she’ll learn that like her photography she must use the negatives in life to develop and prove that she’s a strong woman who found her way to love through light.

Inspired by the notion that women grow up with ideas of true love and destiny, For Internal Use Only approaches those ideas with a decidedly twenty-first century viewpoint. A humorous love story with an edgy and dramatic twist, For Internal Use Only is a vastly entertaining novel that gives each of us a new fairy tale to look forward to: our own.

Isabella Reynolds seems to have it all the former Southern belle with big dreams is the head of her own skin care company and is the self-proclaimed queen of all things beautiful in New York City. Then her world comes crashing down, and she is stripped of everything she loves her man, the Italian litigator "Saint" Santo; her company, and even her beloved dog, Potato. With her penchant for bingeing and purging, how can she turn her life around when she still feels the need to maintain her "perfect" fa ade? "Fake Perfect Me," author Cari Kamm's heart-warming--and often heartwrenching--tale of a successful New Yorker and her inner circle, offers an inside look at a world of excess. Isabella Reynolds may seem unlike anyone you've ever known, but at her core, she's instantly recognizable. Her trials and tribulations, her ups and downs, are much the same as anyone's. Her world may have a high price tag, but its true value comes from its losses and lesson...to love one's self

Q.  What inspires your writing?

A. I’ve always been a storyteller or that person that loved to entertain and make my friends and family laugh. It’s a characteristic I get from my father. Life inspires me to create a character. This character leads me to the story. Then over several months, I begin to realize where the character is taking me. When a theme moves me, I sketch out an outline breaking down Act I, II & III and write up descriptions of the characters. Then, I just write. I don’t look back. I don’t reread. I would say it’s a crappy first draft and then I spend months on revising – editing – revising – editing.

Writing isn’t my job. It’s my daily habit. I begin first thing in the morning. I make coffee and hit the keys. Writing is my big morning stretch. I write from anywhere, anytime, and on anything. A notebook, a cocktail napkin, or even taking a photo of a person, place or thing that inspired me. I take a lot of photos to capture details that I want to write about later and add into a scene or character description. I love being surrounded by music, strangers, voices… simply just life. Throughout my own daily life, a moment may capture me and I think, “Wow... my character would eat that, do that, say that, adore that.”

Q.  What is your favorite thing about being an author?

A. Creating words that when a reader connects to them, they pause, smile or even become melancholic. They may become inspired or see something familiar as even sweeter. In a world so huge that can make us feel so small, writing reminds me how tall I truly am and the heights that I’m capable of reaching. When I imagine making a total stranger laugh after a bad day, that’s what drives me.

Q.  What is the toughest part of being an author?

A. Not giving into fear. For Internal Use Only took me two years to write. This wasn’t because I had writer’s block. It was a matter of allowing my heart to control the keys without second guessing myself. To open myself up as a writer and tell the love story I wanted to tell. I overcame it by hitting it head on. I told myself if I was going to be a writer then I better just write!

Q.  If you could not be author, what would you do/be?

A. A singer! I adore words and writing them, but to sing would be amazing. The way a singer can hypnotize an audience is absolutely breathtaking to me.

Q.  What would the story of your life be entitled?

A. The creative, educational, inspirational, humble and truthful journey of CK.

Q.  What is your favorite book of all time?

A. Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
. I’m a huge hopeless romantic. I blame being born on Valentine’s Day.

However, I must mention Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella. I adore her writing and am obsessed with her novels. This book inspired me to become a writer. It created the desire to want to humor people through words.

Q. Which character from ANY book are you most like?

A.  Hmm... you’ve stumped me on this one. Honestly, this isn’t the most creative answer, but I’ll go with Carrie Bradshaw. She’s lives in and loves New York City. She’s a writer and loves restaurant reservations, fashion, and her cocktails!

Q.  What character from all of your book are you most like?

A. Chloe Kassidy (For Internal Use Only) is a dreamer. She’s fighting for a passion. She’s a hopeless romantic, but cautious because she’s terrified of heartbreak. On some level, I feel that I’ve experienced a taste of this character. To be successful. To find balance. To be loved. To find love. To live a life with passion.

Q.  What is your favorite season?

A. Fall.  I adore this season in New York City and how it’s set off by a cooler breeze and the changing of the leaves.

Q.  What inspired your book cover(s)?  Or what is your favorite book cover and why?

A. I was lucky to connect with the Book Designers! (http://bookdesigners.com) They are super passionate, creative, and a detailed oriented duo.

Q.  Tell me something funny that happened while on a book tour or while promoting your book.

A. Recently, I was a guest on the Chit Chat Cafe radio show along with author Elizabeth Gilbert of Eat Pray Love! These ladies are fabulous, but the hilarious thing was that we talked more about my mutt Schmutz then my new book. All my Facebook posting of him has made him quite popular! Perhaps, he needs his own fan page.

Q.  Are you working on something new?

A. In November 2012, I participated in National Novel Writing month and completed my third novel. It’s my first romance novel and takes place in Costa Rica. I hope to release it later this year. My 80-year-old Italian grandma will be thrilled! I always caught her reading books with Fabio decorated covers.

Q.  Anything you want to say to followers of this blog or those that are just stopping by?

A. I would like to thank you Emily for this opportunity and hosting me on your wonderful website! Thank you for your time and for being a part of my creative journey and my new book launch!

Cari Kamm has worked in the beauty industry for over a decade, building brands, working behind the scenes, and even selling her own skin care line. She has a master’s in clinical nutrition from New York University. Kamm currently works in corporate social media management with clients in the beauty, fashion, and restaurant industries. Living in New York City with her mutt Schmutz, Kamm loves finding inspiration in the most unexpected places, being a novelist, and convincing her fiancé that ordering takeout and making dinner reservations are equal to cooking. More information can be found on her website, CariKamm.com. To check out the book trailer, click here: http://tinyurl.com/bdr7bfn.