Remember to enter the giveaway at the end of the post to be in the running for an e-copy of CJane's books. Tour is hosted by Pride Promotions.
Check out what I asked CJane Elliott....
Can
you tell us a little about yourself?
I live in the Pacific Northwest
with my husband and son. I grew up in the Washington , DC
What
started your interest in writing? I made up stories all the time as a
child and started writing them down as a preteen. When I was 12 or 13, I wrote
a racy tale about a girl who went to a boy-girl party and “all the other girls’
blouses were off.” My girl got herself out of the situation. I even illustrated
it! Unfortunately for my muse, my older brother found the story and read it out
loud at the family dinner table, and I stopped writing fiction for years and
years. I was busy doing other things. About five years ago, I stumbled across
fanfiction after falling in love with a singer, and something got stirred up in
my soul. It started me writing again and gave me the connection to a community
of writers and readers. I have two novels, four novellas, and a short story
published through Dreamspinner Press.
What
is your book about? Wild and Precious is a contemporary, new
adult novella set in Washington , DC
What
are you currently working on? I’m currently writing the third novel
in The Serpentine Series, which are
stories set at the University of
Virginia
What
genres do you write in? Contemporary is my genre, although I
did make a foray into urban fantasy with my short story, Stepping Through. I love to read mysteries, but I’ve never tried to
write one! So far in the contemporary genre, I’ve written mostly college-aged
and twenty-somethings. I’d like to write some older characters and also some YA
at some point.
Is
there anything you will never write about? I probably will never
write main character death or on-page abuse or violence. I won’t write a book
where there’s no hope of redemption, because even though my characters can be
clueless, lost, and sometimes unlikeable, I believe they can grow and gain
self-awareness and that this is the key to their finding love.
Is there anything you would tell
aspiring writers? Keep writing and don’t stop until
you’ve got a first draft. As Anne Lamott says, it’s going to be a “shitty first
draft” but that’s how it’s supposed to be. So even if the little voice in your
head is saying “this is utter crap” with every word you write, keep writing.
Once you have your first draft, you can make it better. The other advice I’d
give is to find other writers/readers who will read your work and give
feedback. Use them to get better. I’m the writer I am today because of the
generous people around me who read and critique my writing. I love my
Dreamspinner editors! p.s. I just went
on Twitter and saw this latest nuggest of wisdom from Anne Lamott: @ANNELAMOTT
You
don't have to write, no one cares if you do, & you won't be remembered. But
if something inside won't let you off the hook, just do it.
If
you write a series do you reread your previous books before you begin the new
one? For my Serpentine Series, I read and refer to
the previous books often, especially when dealing with the same timeframe and
events from a new main character’s point of view.
When writing, how do you keep track of timelines, ideas, inspiration
and such? By notes on the computer, a notebook perhaps? I do a timeline/outline in a Word file
and update it as the story changes and grows. I also have a journal and I write
out ideas for what’s happening in the story. For the Serpentine Series I have a white board display of timelines for
several of the main characters and secondary characters across all the novels,
so I can keep track of their life events and see intersections of events
between different characters.
I’m always looking for book recommendations. What books have you been
reading? Would you recommend them? I just got a Kindle this year and so I’m
catching up on loads of e-books. One writer in the m/m genre I absolutely love
is Eli Easton – her Sex in Seattle
series is great and so are her other novellas. I also just read all of Skyler
Cates’ The Guy Series books and
really enjoyed them. Something both these writers have in common is humor. I
just love a writer who does humor well. Another book I’m sure everyone has
already read that had me laughing so hard is TJ Klune’s Tell Me It’s Real. For well-written books that are more serious, I
have loved all the K.Z. Snow books I’ve read. Other than m/m books, I’m
currently reading Elizabeth George’s latest mystery novel from her Inspector
Lynley series. Intelligently written, intricate, fascinating psychological
studies, and characters whose story arcs she’s continuing throughout the
series. If you haven’t read her, pick up the first book. You’ll be hooked.
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover
Artist: AngstyG
Blurb(s):
Aspiring
writer Brent Granger has good friends and a great job at an arts magazine in
DC, but he’s batting zero in the arena of love. Brent begins to get a clue why
things aren’t working with women from his strong attraction to his gorgeous,
gay, and already attached boss, Graham Stoneford. When he sees a personal ad from a man that
quotes his favorite poet, Brent decides to do something wild and answer.
Enter
Cody Bellstrom, easygoing bisexual musician, who is happy to initiate Brent in
the ways of gay sex. Brent now has a new problem: he realizes he’s gay and no
one in his life knows it. Cody tires of hiding their relationship, but Brent
finds it challenging to come out to family, friends, and especially to Graham.
In the end, Brent must confront the truth of where – and with whom – his heart
lies.
Categories: Bisexual, Contemporary, Erotica, Gay
Fiction, M/M Romance
Excerpt:
As
Brent sat cross-legged on a pillow, tearing pieces off the rubbery bread and
dipping them into various dishes he couldn’t identify, he realized he was
having more fun than he’d had in ages. Along with being thoughtful and smart,
Graham was one of the most hilarious people he’d ever met, and Brent was in
stitches for most of their lunch.
“If only my dates could be like this,” Brent said, after
another bout of laughter between them, then widened his eyes. “Oh, wow, man,
that sounded dumb.”
Graham didn’t seem fazed. “They’re not? But why? You’re so
fun to talk to. Any woman would be nuts not to appreciate you.”
“Uh, well, tell them
that. But I guess I don’t really appreciate them either. I don’t know, it’s
like, awkward and boring most of the time. Whatever. Ari keeps trying to set me
up, but…. Anyway, how did this get into talking about my love life, or lack
thereof?”
Graham regarded him, warmth in his eyes, and said softly,
“You’ll find it, Brent. Everyone deserves to have love in their life. You’re
young. You’ll find it.”
Graham’s words touched Brent, but the intensity of the
moment made him uncomfortable. Even worse, he noticed he was getting aroused.
He shifted on his pillow with a weak laugh. “Hey, no more of
this ‘young’ crap, okay? You’re not that much older than I am.”
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About the Author
After years of hearing characters chatting away in her head,
CJane Elliott finally decided to put them on paper and hasn't looked back
since. A psychotherapist by training, CJane enjoys writing sexy, passionate
stories that also explore the human psyche. CJane has traveled all over North
America for work and her characters are travelers, too, traveling down into
their own depths to find what they need to get to the happy ending.
CJane is an ardent supporter of gay equality and is
particularly fond of coming out stories.
In her spare time, CJane can be found dancing, listening to
music, or watching old movies. Her husband and son support her writing habit by
staying out of the way when they see her hunched over, staring intensely at her
laptop.
Where
to find the author: CJane at
cjaneelliott@gmail.com. Her
website is http://www.cjaneelliott.com.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CJaneElliott
and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cjane.elliott
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3 comments:
Thank you so much for the great interview, I truly enjoyed it especially your suggestions to aspiring writers. Much success with your newest release!
taina1959 @ yahoo.com
Hi! Sounds like a great story!
A new-to-me author, and this book sounds great! Wild and Precious is going to have to go on my TBR.
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