Fallen Angel Reviews would like to welcome CJ England. Thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions about yourself and your books.
 

Hey there, I’m happy to be here.

Tell your readers something about you that they'd never guess.
 

Hmmm, something about myself. Well… I have several tattoos, and my belly button is pierced.

I’m an old fashioned romantic who cries at Hallmark commercials.

I’m a Native American of the Ntlakyapamuk people in British Colombia, and my totems are the Hawk and the Doe and my air sign is the Wind.

What made you pick up the pen and write?
 

I started writing so early, I think it was like breathing to me. I wrote my first story when I was in second grade. I kept writing all the way through school. I remember writing a story about a popular singer that I would love to rewrite now that I have a little experience ‘cause it was really bad. I was on my school newspaper and spent a lot of time in the library because I loved books. All kinds of books.

It wasn’t until my kids were older that I started writing professionally. I started out by doing magazine articles for Country Magazine and Homeschooling Today and then branched out into collaborations in Rodale Books and local newspapers. About four years ago, I started my first full length novel called The Peacekeepers Journals: The Joining when I was snowed in during the winter. But it wasn’t until December of 2005 that I submitted my first sensual romance to Silk’s Vault. It was picked up immediately and I’ve been very pleased with the response from my fans.

You write the full gamut of topics, do you ever find it hard to keep everything straight?
 

Not really. I enjoy writing about different things. I have such an active imagination that I can’t imagine writing about only one idea. I adore writing about the paranormal and fantasy worlds I create. Even when I write contemporary, I wind up adding details that make my books just a little bit different.

As for keeping them straight, as I continue to dream, I hope to make my worlds intersect in some way. My fantasy novels will interact with the paranormal ones. And who is to say that my hero Sawyer, in Hot Tubs and Hot Hunks won’t show up in one of my Sci Fi novels.

From what do you derive the most inspiration for your writing?
 

I can be inspired by the oddest things. One reviewer wished she could have been in my head when I came up with Here Comes Peter. I wish she had been, maybe she could tell me where that idea came from! All I remember is riding my bike and wham!... Here Comes Peter was born.

I can be inspired by a picture or another story or even a song. But the number one inspiration for me… are my dreams. I am one of those lucky few who can lucid dream. That is… I can take an idea to bed with me and during the night I can dream up an entire story. Sometimes it is only an outline, but other times it is the whole book. That is what happened with The Peacekeeper Journals: The Joining. I woke up with the whole book in my head and I immediately started writing it down. Now it is the first of an eight book series.

And of course, I can’t forget my husband. For a sensual romance writer…having such a hot hunk of my own is an absolutely wonderful inspiration!

What is your favorite part of a book to write?
 

I have two parts that I enjoy writing. I love to write the first meeting of the hero and heroine, and I love writing the resolution.

The first meeting is so important because it sets up anything else that happens between the hero and heroine. It is a chance for the reader to meet the two characters at the beginning of their relationship. When you know how they start, it makes the journey to the end that much more fun.
The resolution between the two must be rewarding to the reader. It has to be full of all the emotion you can give it and it has to answer all the questions the reader may have. As an author, I want the resolution to be as important and fulfilling as the rest of the book. I want my readers to close the book and be totally satisfied with the ending.

Do you outline your stories or do you just write as you go?
 

I have the dream in my head, but I write as I go. An outline is great for some writers, but for me it stifles my creativity. Once I dream it, I can create it. Besides… my characters refuse to follow a story line, so why bother?

As my worlds get more intricate, I will have to chart things, but I’ll always dream them out first. When I wrote The Mylari Chronicles: The Soulmates, I had dreamed it through and then just followed the dream as I wrote it. Working the way I do, it only took me three weeks to write it out and it is a 426 page novel.

What would you like to accomplish with your writing career?
 

I have several goals I would still like to accomplish. I have been published in magazines and now in e-books. When I was at the Romantic Times Conference, I was asked by an agent and two different print publishers to send in my work to them. Getting published in print would be my next objective.

But overall what I would like the most is to be able to continue to write those stories in my head and make a living while doing it. Jonathon, my husband jokes about me being his retirement plan, but I would love to get to a point where we can do what we dream about… Our dream is to travel and me be able to make a living writing about the places we visit.

What is the biggest misconception about being an author?
 

I think the biggest misconception is that all an author does is write a story. In actuality, that is just the beginning. For me writing the story is easy. It’s what comes afterwards that is hard. Promoting yourself can take up so much of your time that a lot of authors can burn out and forget why they started writing in the first place. I have learned that balance is the key.

Writing is as necessary to my wellbeing as breathing and eating chocolate. So I have learned that it has to come before all the other business stuff. I do it for my readers as well as myself. I am happiest when I am creating.

You mention having just submitted a book, Changes in Latitude / Changes in Attitude. Can you tell us a bit about it?
 

It is a pair of short stories for Whiskey Creek’s torrid teaser line. They tell the tale of a brother and sister who leave New York when tragedy strikes their family. They move to Key Largo, Florida hoping for a change in their lives.

In Changes in Latitude, the love Bethany thought she lost shows up unexpectedly. But can he convince her that this time his love is for real?

In Changes in Attitude, Derek, Bethany’s brother meets his match in a sassy dive instructor. Can their new love stand when she finds out that he is keeping dangerous secrets?

These stories were the first of my Florida series. I have several other works in progress about Florida since that is where I am living right now.

Can you tell us a little about your other upcoming works?
 

I have three full length novels ready for publication, as well as several short stories that are ready for submission.

One is The Peacekeeper Journals: The Joining. A war is coming, and Kira, the Peacekeeper has been sent to stop it. Created by an unknown Power for good, she is sent into the lower city of San Francisco to join with a group of supernatural leaders, in order to find a way to prevent the war.

But her way is fraught with distraction and danger. In order to complete her mission, she must join with different men. As she does so, she finds herself surrounded by the Chosen…six handsome supernaturals, two of which want more from her, than just a magical joining. As this group begins to blend in a force ready to fight for good, she is confronted by her own yearnings, confused by desire she doesn’t understand. Should she give herself to Gallegar the vampire, who owns her heart? Or to Lucas, a wolf shapeshifter, who has brought passion into her life? And how can she do either, when she has been called to chastity?

As Kira struggles with these questions, evil attacks her, and it is only the love of her Chosen that can save her. But this evil is clever and wants her dead. Will their sacrifice be enough?

The Peacekeeper Journals: The Gates of Life is the sequel to The Joining. A battle has been won, but the war is just beginning. Kira, the Peacekeeper and her Chosen set out to answer their next challenge. Who or what has shut down the Gates of Life?
Mystery and danger follow the company as they seek the answers to these questions. There are forces of evil that will not allow Kira to complete her mission.

And what of the mission of her heart? Will Kira find the man who completes her? Will Lucas, the wolf shapeshifter, convince her that passion should rule the day, or will Gallegar, the vampire king, show her that he truly does own her heart?

A third book that has just been submitted is the first of a series. It is called Second Chances: Waiting in the Wings. It tells the tale of Callie, a lighting designer and Jordon, a country musician. When they meet… sparks fly, but any chance of happiness they could have is snatched away when someone plots against them. Can they sift through the lies to the truth beneath? And once they do, will it give them a second chance at love?

The other short stories in submissions at this time include my first stand alone werewolf story, called The Mythbusters: Son of the Moon, Don’t Spank the Vamp… a fun look at sex games from a vampire’s point of view, Damned if you Do…Damned if you Don’t… a novella I am writing with Annmarie Ortega and Do You believe in Magic?... a trio of stories about magic in other worlds.

I also have been asked to submit to a new print journal that will be published in the fall. I am very excited about this new opportunity, and am working on my story as we speak. It is another werewolf tale set in Florida introducing a true alpha male bad boy that will steal your heart.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?
 

First off, I want to thank Fallen Angel Reviews for interviewing me and allowing me to share my worlds with everyone.

Second, I’d like to invite everyone to join my chat group. We have a great time together and I keep everyone updated on everything that is happening in my life. Just go to these links to join…
Chat group... http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CJsaysFollowYourDreams/
Newsletter group... http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CJsDreamtimeNewsletter/
Or email me at restlesswindpublications_england@yahoo.com
Lastly, let me share a few links that you can learn more about me.
Author’s Den… http://www.authorsden.com/visit/author.asp?AuthorID=37849
Road to Romance… http://www.roadtoromance.ca/first_timers/cjengland.htm
Silks Vault Publishing… http://www.silksvault.com/authors/CJ_England.html
CJ’s Blog… http://essenceoferotica.blogspot.com/2006/05/beginnings.html
My Space... http://www.myspace.com/82325315

Thanks again for sharing your answers with us. If you'd like to read more about CJ England take a look at her website at: http://www.cjengland.com/.

Interviewed by: Serena

 

 

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