Hello! Today with us we have Barbara Madsø-Vuegen (reader) and CJ Rose (author)! *Applause*
Barbara: Could you please share with us your journey as an author and what inspired you to pursue writing?
C.J Rose: My writing journey actually started in high school. I started writing poetry and song lyrics my senior year and kept everything in a blue binder. When I lost that binder I was so devastated that I stopped writing. That was until about 20 years later when I made a fellow song writer. We wrote and sang multiple songs together and it all began again. The book writing didn’t start until around 2012 when I got the idea for Bridge of the Gods during one of my many insomniac nights. From there I have gone through 2 publishers, at least 3 versions of each book, 2 different covers for the first 3 books, doing a novella, then changing it to be part of book one, and it goes on from there. Now I have six novel, a grimoire, and a companion cookbook ten years later.
Barbara: What themes or messages do you aim to convey through your work, and how do you believe they resonate with your readers?
C.J Rose: I had book one reviewed by the local paper when it first came about and the journalist called it a “thinking man’s novel.” I kind of took that as a compliment because I want people who read it to know and understand the struggles the characters are going through and what it takes to overcome them.
Barbara: Can you tell us about your latest book/project and the creative process behind it?
C.J Rose: My most recent WIP is actually on the backburner at the moment. I started a small crystal/apothecary business so that has taken up a lot of my time over the past few months. It keeps me pretty busy. Once I pick it back up though, it is a new story about a town created around a mansion hidden in the woods where a creature guards the kidnapped woman.
Barbara: How do you handle writer’s block or challenges during the writing process, and what strategies do you use to overcome them?
C.J Rose: The best way I know how to handle writer’s block is to walk away. If I sit there and stare at the screen I do not feel it is doing my brain any good. Usually I need some sort of spark to get me going again. I will clean, make some jewelry, watch a show, etc.
Barbara: Are there any specific genres or writing styles you haven’t explored yet but would like to in the future, and what draws you to them?
C.J Rose: Romance is the one genre I have not ventured into and I really have no plans to ever do that. I know it is a very popular one, but I feel that if you can’t relate to what you are writing, then you have no business writing about it.
Barbara: Are there any specific authors or literary works that have influenced your writing style or storytelling approach?
C.J Rose: I have a whole list of authors and writers that I love, but to keep it to my top three it would be E.A. Poe, Maya Angelou, and Shakespeare.
Barbara: As an author, what role do you think research plays in creating believable and immersive fictional worlds or narratives?
C.J Rose: If you are creating your own world, I do not think a lot of research is necessary because you can make it whatever you want. It is fictional after all. On the other hand, if you are utilizing a realistic place that you are tweaking for a fantasy version, then making sure specific aspects are correct could be crucial.
Thank you for both for participating in Support An Author event!!!
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