HERE’S THE SCOOP!
Fans of Cora Carmack’s Rusk University, we
have a SUPER
exciting announcement:
ALL CLOSED OFF, Book 4 in the Rusk University
Series, is coming!!!
Check out this message from
Cora!
*WARNING: This letter
contains spoilers for All Broke Down. If you haven't yet read that book, read
at your own peril. SECOND WARNING: this letter talks about fictional
characters as if they are real people. Sorry I'm not sorry. THIRD WARNING:
The letter below broaches a serious topic that could be a trigger for some
people*
Hello beloved readers!
The first person who read one of my Rusk University books was my
older sister. I gave her All Lined Up when I finished, and her first question
was "Are Ryan and Stella going to be together?"
At the time, I told her no. I had plans for both of them that
included their own storylines. I thought they were too much alike. They'd make
great friends. They might even hook-up, but in the end... I couldn't envision
anything serious for them. So I actually rewrote some of their scenes trying to
make that aspect of their connection more obvious. And still, when All Lined Up
released, amidst the chatter about sweet Carson and sassy Dallas, I had people
asking if Stella and Ryan were next. I denied it again (and again and again).
But sometimes in writing, the stars align and a character will
become bigger and more real than you could have possibly imagined. It's a
wonderful experience, but in Stella's case it was also incredibly
heartbreaking. While I was writing All Broke Down, the news was inundated with
information about the Steubenville rape trial and other tragedies and
injustices like it. Tragedies where women have been violated first by an
attacker, then by judgmental and hateful people, and finally by a justice
system that repeatedly fails survivors of sexual assault. Having grown up in
Texas, where too often football stars are treated like gods and can get away
with just about anything, it hit particularly close to home. And since All
Broke Down featured a passionate activist heroine, I felt compelled to
reference this chronic dark underbelly of elite sports.
I can remember vividly sitting on my couch, brainstorming how I
would incorporate such an event into the book. I had thought the assault would
happen to an unknown character, and maybe I would focus on the way it divided
the team and the school and the town. But like I said... Sometimes a character
will become bigger and more human than I anticipated. And it sounds crazy, but
in my mind, I felt Stella push her way forward and say, "Mine. This is my
story." I immediately began to cry. Sob, really. Because I loved her as a
character. She was hilarious and strong and didn't take crap from anyone. She
was everything I always hope to be. And I didn't want her to go through that.
Even as I cried, my brain began to tell me that it made sense. Stella was vibrant
and enjoyed a wild party. She was not afraid of her sexuality, and she had no
problem with casual sex. She was the kind of girl that probably had a
reputation. The kind of girl who could be heinously and violently taken
advantage of, and people would STILL blame her. Because she was in the wrong
place, wearing the wrong clothes, behaving in the wrong way. But just because
it COULD happen to her, didn't mean I wanted it to. But once again, Stella was
there in my head saying, "Someone needs to tell this story. And I'm strong
enough to do it. Let me." And when Stella chose her story, she also
chose the man I'd been adamant wasn't right for her. Because as it turns out...
Those two characters who I thought were too alike aren't so alike anymore. And
Stella needs Ryan to help her hold on to that vibrant and strong girl she was
before.
So I let go of all the plans I had for her, and allowed her to
tell me her story, which is about more than just sexual assault. It's about the
aftermath. Depression. Shame. Guilt. Anger. Injustice. Victim-blaming.
Slut-shaming. It's about the way that kind of event can change everything-- how
you relate to people, how you think, how you dream, how you love. It's about
the way the rest of the world moves on to the next big tragedy, and you're
still left holding the broken pieces of who you used to be, with no idea how to
put them together again or even if you want to. It will be the most difficult
story I ever tell. And the most important. Because it’s a story that belongs
not just to Stella, but to millions of people around the world. It’s a story
that belongs to a new person every 107 seconds*. And that’s just in the United
States. Think about that for a moment. 107 seconds. Stella’s story won’t be any
easier to read than it will be to write. But I hope you’ll help me drag this
story into the light.
So now I’ll step off my soapbox and just tell you about the book…
ALL CLOSED OFF:
Stella Santos is fine.
Maybe something terrible happened to her that she can’t even
remember. And maybe it drives her crazy when her friends treat her like she’s
on the verge of breaking because of it. Maybe it feels even worse when they do
what she asks and pretend that it never happened at all. And maybe she’s been
getting harassing emails and messages for months from people who don’t even
know her, but hate her all the same.
But none of that matters because she’s just fine.
For Ryan Blake, Stella was always that girl. Vibrant and hilarious
and beautiful. He wanted her as his best friend. His more than friends. His
everything and anything that she would give him. Which these days is a whole
lot of nothing. She gets angry when he’s there. Angry when he’s not there.
Angry when he tries to talk and when he doesn’t.
When Stella devises an unconventional art project for one of her
classes all about exploring intimacy—between both friends and strangers—Ryan
finds himself stepping in as guinea pig after one of her subjects bails. What
was supposed to be an objective and artistic look at emotion and secrets and
sex suddenly becomes much more personal. When he hits it off with another girl
from the project, Stella will have to decide if she’s willing to do more than
make art about intimacy. To keep him, she’ll have to open up and let herself be
the one thing she swore she’d never be again.
Vulnerable.
*****
ALL CLOSED OFF will be releasing sometime in early 2016. I don't
have a date yet for several reasons. The first and most important, is that I
want to do this story justice. And as such, I have no intentions of rushing the
process. Secondly, I'll be returning to indie publishing for the remainder of
the Rusk series. As you can probably tell, this story means a great deal to me.
And by having the ultimate control over everything from timing to editing to
price, I'll be able to ensure that I'm able to create exactly the story I
envision. Unfortunately, that means you won't be seeing the paperback of ALL
CLOSED OFF on the shelves in most stores. Nor is it currently available for
pre-order. But I hope you'll add the book on goodreads, follow me on social
media, and/or join
my newsletter. I promise to shout it all over the place when I have
a set release date or pre-order links.
Thank you for listening as I told you the evolution of Stella's
story. When it's finished, I hope you will feel as passionately about it as I do.
All my best,
Cora Carmack
*Statistic from RAINN (Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network)
And an opportunity to add your voice to Stella’s…
If you have a story like
Stella’s, and you want your voice to be heard….
If there’s something you
wish more people understood about what you’ve gone through….
If there’s something you’d
like to tell people struggling with a story like yours…
I’d like to give you the
opportunity to add your voice to Stella’s. Use the hashtag #WhenItHappened and let your voice be heard on your
own by posting on your own social media, or if you’d rather I share your
words fill
out this google document and
tell me your story. You
can fill out this form anonymously or not. I’d like to begin this
discussion now because April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. But my hope is
to include as many stories as possible within the book itself.
So many have stories of #WhenItHappened.
Your voice and your story deserve to be heard. I’m listening.
ABOUT Cora Carmack:
Cora Carmack is a twenty-something New
York Times bestselling author who likes to write about twenty-something
characters. She's done a multitude of things in her life-- boring jobs (like
working retail), Fun jobs (like working in a theatre), stressful jobs (like
teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). She now splits her time between
Austin, TX and New York City and spends her days writing, traveling, and
spending way too much time on the internet. In her books, you can expect to
find humor, heart, and a whole lot of awkward. Because let’s face it . . .
awkward people need love, too.
Website ** Twitter ** Facebook **Newsletter **Author
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