Getting to Know the Authors: Featuring C.J. Redwine!

Bio

She loves fairy tales, Harry Potter, and Sherlock. She lives in Nashville with her husband and children. If the novel writing gig ever falls through, she'll join the Avengers and wear a cape to work every day. C.J. Redwine writes speculative fiction and is represented by Holly Root of Waxman Leavall Literary Agency. She's spent the last five years teaching workshops on all areas of writing. C.J. regularly offers workshops online and can also be booked for teen workshops at schools and libraries, as well as adult workshops at conferences, writing chapters, and book festivals. To learn more about C.J., visit her website: http://cjredwine.com/

What has she written?

She is the author of Outcast:

(Defiance 0.5),

 Defiance (Defiance #1), 

Deception (Defiance, #2), 

and Deliverance (Defiance, #3)

Now onto the Interview!

1)    How old were you when you started writing, in your opinion?

I've been writing stories since the 2nd grade. I began with short stories, added poetry when I was 11, and then started working on novels when I was 17. I got serious about writing novels and pursuing publication when I was 30.

2)    What do you want a reader to gain from reading your works?

I hope to transport readers to another world, to give them an intimate connection with my characters, and to show them the hard lessons my characters learn along the way.

3)    What are your three top suggestions on becoming an author, or being a pleasure writer?

Write often, read often, and don't censor your voice. Let yourself write what and how you please. It's okay if it sucks at first--it always does, but the stories you have to tell in the way you want to tell them are what set you apart from the rest.

4)     What is your favourite novel, why?

I don't have just one! Ack! This question is causing me stress, lol. I love so many books across the spectrum. When I was younger, the Chronicles of Narnia were hugely instrumental in opening my imagination and giving me a taste of what it was like to completely leave my own world behind for a while, so I will say that they are my favorites.

5)    Who is your favourite author, why?

C.S. Lewis, and not just because of Narnia. If you've ever looked up quotes from him, you'll find a man with a fierce intellect, an instinctive understanding of what it means to be human, and an unshakeable belief that fairy tales are important and that only the foolish adult scoffs at imagination.

6)    What are your favorite pass times besides writing?

I love watching movies (especially in the theater), keeping up with the shows I love (Hiiii BBC and CW, I'm looking at you), hanging out with my family, and trying new restaurants.

7)    Who in your life do you credit your imagination to the most?

My mom for taking me to the library every week and letting me check out 20 books every time. For encouraging me to read widely. And for not batting an eye when her daughter believed in dragons and fairies and kingdoms unseen by regular people.

8)    What are the top five things on your bucket list?

a) Visit the UK and Ireland

b) Own a little house on a beach

c) Meet Benedict Cumberbatch without making a fool of myself in the process

d) See one of my books be made into a movie

e) Do a tour of European castles

9)    What is your funniest childhood memory?

My dad had a huge drawer full of socks, which my mother would pair off, fold up, and then roll together into perfect little balls. A few times a year, my sister and I would raid his sock drawer, take up fortified positions behind the living room couches, and fire those missiles at my dad when he walked into the room. He would immediately dive for cover of his own, collected the missiles we'd thrown his way, and another Great Sock War would commence.

10)    To the youth of today, if you could tell them one thing, what would it be?

You don't have to have it all figured out. You really don't. Life is the kind of journey where some things become clear pretty early, and other things remain a mystery for decades. Be kind to others and to yourself, and give yourself permission to not have all of the difficult stuff nailed down right now.

Also, you are amazing. You have talents and ambitions and stories to tell that no one else has in that exact combination or in your exact voice. You are unique and special and anyone who makes you feel like you are LESS for any reason is an idiot.