Today I’m really excited to be part of T.E. Carter’s blog tour for her second book, All We Could Have Been. Since I received a copy and talking about the book at the S&S Big Book Brunch, it seems like more hopeful book that her debut I Stop Somewhere. I admit *ashamed* that I haven’t gotten round to this book yet, BUT it’s on my TBR this month. Finally, I know!!!!!! Last year when I first embarked on T.E. Carter’s first book, it blew me away quite literally and emotionally. If you haven’t read it, I would highly recommend it. You can find me review here.
Today T.E. Carter is sharing her journey to publication and like so many other authors they each have their own story to tell. But before that – here is a little bit more about the book.
All We Could Have Been by T.E. Carter Published by Simon & Schuster Children's UK on May 2, 2019
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Five years ago, Lexie walked home from school after her older brother failed to pick her up. When she entered her house, her brother sat calmly, waiting for the police to come arrest him for the heinous crime he had just committed.
Treated like a criminal herself, Lexie now moves from school to school hiding who she is—who she's related to. She struggles with loving her brother, the PTSD she now suffers from, and wanting to just live a normal life. But how can she be normal when she can’t even figure out how to just live?
This is a powerful look at the assumptions we make about people. Lexie's emotional journey to separate her brother's horrific act from herself is stunning and heartbreaking. This is Lexie’s story and journey—not her brother's—and it will stay with you long after you turn the last page.
My Journey into Publication
Growing up, I always found myself drawn to stories. This meant mainly through reading, but I was also excited about film, theatre, and basically anything that either took me on a journey or helped me feel like I was a part of something. So it was natural that I wanted to tell my own stories. Publication, on the other hand, was something else entirely.
It took me a long time to come around to prose. While I read it obviously, I struggled with the way most stories were written. I struggled even more with writing it, finding the end result of my efforts soulless. It was rare for me to connect to a novel emotionally the way I did with a beautiful image or scene in a film, a painting, or a poem. For a long time, I thought that might be because I was more of a visual person, but then I slowly began exploring new authors who seemed to blend prose with poetry seamlessly.
Once I found a way to tell stories in my own voice, it got easier – but only slightly. Anyone who says there’s such a thing as overnight success if either lying or doesn’t own a calendar! I wrote a novel, and then another and another. I queried some of these, and I put others aside, until I finally made the decision that publication wasn’t in the cards for me. So I stopped writing, dug back into film and other media, and let go of it for a while. Eventually, the stories started again in my head, and I wrote I Stop Somewhere. I wrote it quickly, and I didn’t tell anyone I was writing it. I just wanted to fall in love with the writing process again. When I was done, I figured it couldn’t hurt to send off a few queries, and within a day, my agent had requested the full; she made an offer later that week, my US publisher made their offer three weeks later, and suddenly, I was on track to being a published author. Overnight – through a lifetime of ups and downs.
All We Could Have Been by T.E. Carter is out 2nd May (£7.99 Paperback, Simon & Schuster UK)
T.E. Carter was born and raised in New England. Throughout her career, she has done a lot of things, she has always loved to read and still loves stories in any medium (books, movies, video games, etc.). When she’s not writing, she can generally be found reading classic literature, obsessing over Game of Thrones (100% Team Lannister), playing Xbox, organizing her comic collection, or binge-watching baking competitions. She continues to live in New England with her husband and two cats. All We Could Have Been is her second novel for young adults.
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