We recently connected with Carla Damron and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Carla, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Writing my novel, The Orchid Tattoo, was therapy for me. As a social worker and advocate, I’d been involved in promoting anti-human trafficking legislation in my home state of South Carolina. This work introduced me to some amazing people: survivors of trafficking, law enforcement, attorneys, counselors–all who knew much more about the prevalence of this awful crime than I did. So I learned. I heard story after story. I met women who’d clawed their way out of that awful life. I was horrified at how much of it happens so close to my home. And I wanted to DO something–anything!–that might impact this crime.

I came up with the idea for The Orchid Tattoo and decided that writing a suspense novel that accurately portrayed human trafficking might be a way to educate people about it. And I wanted to honor the resiliency of the survivors, all while entertaining my readers. It took multiple drafts to strike the right balance: I needed to honestly describe this crime without being too graphic for my readers. The end product turned out to be an exciting, entertaining read, and many of my readers are FIRED UP about combatting human trafficking.

Carla, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a social worker, advocate, and novelist. These three parts of me weave together in my writing–all of my novels address social issues like mental illness, homelessness, addiction, recovery, and human trafficking. I don’t preach, I tell stories. And while they are fiction, vital truths resonate. My goal is for readers to finish my books satisfied: they’ve been entertained, and they find themselves thinking more deeply, more sensitively, about issues that affect so many of us.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

My “clients” are my readers, and oddly, the best source of new readers are people who have read and liked my work! I’ll do a book club appearance, and someone will approach me about talking to THEIR book club, or Sunday school class, and that leads to another appearance…. I love it that word spreads organically this way. I’m not a big-name bestseller (yet!), but I have a lovely group of readers who spread the word, and that makes me very proud.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

It’s so hard to describe the creative process. It’s part magic and part tenacity. It’s putting my butt in the chair and pounding out words, then revising them. But it’s also having a bunch of people who live only in my mind. They become very real to me, and they tell me their stories. If I’m successful at putting them on the page, they become real to my readers, too. I can’t even describe how satisfying that is.

Contact Info:

• Website: carladamron.com
• Instagram: @carladamron
• Facebook: carladamronwrites
• Twitter: @carlawritesfic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3wyEF-rIKw

Image Credits
Brad Martin Photos