Author Interview - C J Corbin!

Please welcome Author C J Corbin to the interview seat this week!

Have you always had a passion for writing?

Fortunately yes. I wrote several books in high school. I had an agreement with my favorite English teacher who was crazy about journaling. I would write my stories instead of writing a journal. Several years ago during my long distance work commute (3 hours a day), I began to formulate Eagle's Destiny.

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

Absolutely! I believe in order to be a good writer, reading is essential. My favorite genre is paranormal romance (vampires). I write contemporary romance. I love J. R. Ward and the Black Dagger Brotherhood ... I'm so obsessed that I have each book as a paperback, on my e-reader, and as an audio book. Am I crazy? I have started collecting personally autographed copies of her BDB books as they are published. Yes. I think I am crazy.

What are your biggest inspirations?

Other authors and my readers inspire me. There is nothing like meeting with another author to get my creative juices flowing. After a day with a writer, all I want to do is to run home and write.

One of my biggest thrills is to receive fan letters and social media like Facebook, makes it easy for me to keep in touch. My readers are anxiously waiting for the follow-up to Eagle's Destiny and thinking about that motivates me to go into my writing cave.

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

I write intuitively, which means no layout. I know what is going to happen and I let the characters take over from there. Believe me, there are times the characters have surprised me with unexpected shenanigans. In addition, I write visually. I envision the scene first and then commit it to paper. Once I have decided on a location, character, etal, my research is extensive.

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

Yes! I have a great love of music and listen to mainly new alternative rock (Snow Patrol, Airborne Toxic Event, and Tired Pony are among my current favorites). However, there are special circumstances when I will choose music to fit the scene I am working. I listened to a lot of Zydeco and Cajun music while writing the New Orleans' chapters. My go-to for the love scenes? Barry White. Something about the voice.

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

Hitting my head on the desk seems to work well for me. Sorry. This is what my characters think I do. I talk to one of my muses. I'm lucky to have several close friends who will listen to me while I endless drone on about characters and plot points. I don't write seven days a week either. Usually, I'll take the weekend off and do fun stuff.

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?)

Being an indie is no longer a bad word. E-books and independent authors are the wave of the future. Traditional publishing has to take a good, hard look at itself. The industry is changing with lightening quick speed. Having a published book is my greatest accomplishment (so far). Were there mistakes I made? Yes. Should I have done a few things differently? Yes. However, I've learned from those mistakes and consider them lessons. I will never forget the day my book arrived in the mail and I held it in my hands. I will never forget my first sale, the first good review, and my first lukewarm review, or the first gracious fan letter. These are all things no one can take away from me.

What are your biggest challenges as an author?

Tamping down all the ideas that I have for other books, and sticking to the task at hand.

Do you have any pets?

I've had cocker spaniels for years. Currently, I have Cooper, who is a rescue I adopted three years ago. This past summer, I lost my beloved Samantha (who appeared in Eagle's Destiny). I will adopt another rescue soon because the Coop needs some company.

What hobbies do you have outside of reading and writing?

Wildlife photography (some of my photos can be seen on my website), and I'm a huge advocate of animal conservancy. Aside from music (I have 65 GB on my iPod), I love watching ice hockey and baseball. And, dragons. The fire-breathing kind. Where is the most exciting/memorable place you have been in the world?

I've been able to travel all over the world including Europe, Turkey, India, Mexico, Canada and the U.S. My favorite place, and I would go back in a heartbeat is Alaska. It was in Alaska that my wildlife conservation passion was born. Who knows? Perhaps Eagle's Destiny was born there too!

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

Currently, I'm working on the follow-up novel to Eagle's Destiny, cleverly titled Eagle's Destiny 2 (working title). What happens after "happily ever after"? It should be out by the beginning of 2014. All the characters you love (and love to hate) will be there.

Eagle's Destiny is a quirky contemporary romance novel. The main characters are not in their early twenties! "Oh my goodness! Tell us it isn't so!" As one of my younger reviewers said, "...this is a mature romance..." I still giggle when I read the review (which was a good one). I wrote the characters a bit older because I couldn't find a romance book with a heroine in her mid-thirties. My tag line is: Sizzling romance, dreams coming true, and erotic moments. So yeah, my dad isn't allowed to read it.



my places: Website: http://www.cjcorbin.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/cjcorbin00
Personal Facebook: www.facebook.com/christiane.corbin
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CJCorbin00
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/christiane00/
Email: cjcorbin00@hotmail.com
Amazon author's page: amazon.com/author/cjcorbin ?