Author Interview: CM Wright

This week's Author interview is CM Wright!

1. Have you always had a passion for writing? 

Always! If I wasn't writing a story, I would write lists...lots and lots of lists.

2. Does what you read influence what you write and what are some of your favourite authors/books? 

Everything around me influences me. Everything! I can turn something incredibly boring into something crazy in my head. And of course, I have to share it! Stephen King, V.C. Andrews, Eric Asher, Joshua Guess, Karina Halle...the list of favorite authors grows steadily since I got my Kindle

3. What are your biggest inspirations? 

My husband, Bill, and my sons, Bryson and Austin. The rest of my family inspire, support, and encourage me too, which means so much to me. And then, of course, my fans. They are amazing!

4. Do you have a technique in how you choose characters and/or locational settings? 

Not really. Planning my books, I discovered quickly, isn't going to happen. I can decide the basics, like; character names, where I would LIKE my book to take place, and the theme, but other than that, I have no idea what's going to happen. My surprise, shock, and delight comes second-hand just like my fans. I have to go back and read what I've written because I kinda just blank out. Weird, I know.

5. Do you listen to music while you are creating your masterpieces? 

I do sometimes. It's not something I have to have, but it's perfection when I have Thriller playing while I'm writing about zombies.

6. What do you do to stay motivated and avoid writer’s block? 

Umm, you can do that? LOL I actually have had issues with the dreaded writer's block. The best way for me to get jerked out of it, is to read reviews and listen to my fans. I just wish they knew how much they influence me as a writer. I try to tell them, but I don't think they really understand how much I mean it.

7. How has becoming a published author (independent or traditional) changed your perspective on life and is it everything you expected it to be? (If you are not published yet – what changes do you foresee?) 

Oh, wow! It's like I am finally ME! I don't have to hide my craziness, people love it. I don't have to pretend to be someone I'm not. Even with a pen name (which I don't hide my real name any longer, it's Candi Marie Noble. Wright is my maiden name), I can still be me...funny, mouthy, sarcastic, bitchy, and all of the above.

8. What are your biggest challenges as an author? 

Finding time to write when I still have so much else going on. And allowing myself to let go and not worry about, “OMG! My mom and Ma (grandma) are going to read this!”

9. Do you have any pets? 

I have a black cat named Sassy (she actually only likes my hubby. She's a bitch.) And my son, Austin, has a dog named Chaz. He's a goofball...well, the dog and the boy both are.

10. What hobbies do you have outside of reading and writing? 

Nope, none. Sorry. That's it. I'm boring.

11. Where is the most exciting/memorable place you have been in the world? 

Probably when I went to Canada with a bunch of my family. Canada was awesome, but my family made it AMAZING! And then of course, my honeymoon with Bill in Tennessee. We stayed in our own little cabin in the mountains. I want so much to do that again, but take our boys this time.

12. Tell us about your latest work in progress or most recent published work… 

My WIP is book 5 in the Zombie Overload series, Will To Live. I was supposed to write a vampire book, but my main character refused to let me. She wasn't ready to be pushed aside yet. I would literally start shaking...hard!...whenever I tried to write, or when I would be driving (that's when ideas come to me. Scary, I know). Frustrated to tears and pissed off, I finally opened a new page and let Canada (my main character) loose. And she was off! Vamp book is still waiting – patiently, I might add – for me to come back to it.



Amazon Author Page amazon.com/author/cmwright

Facebook links www.facebook.com/writercmwright and https://www.facebook.com/cm.wright.9

Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/WriterCMWright

Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/CMWzombie

Website www.zombieoverload.com

Twitter https://twitter.com/CMWzombie