As you know, I snagged a spot at the Second City Signing in Birmingham, UK in July 2015. I decided it would be great to get to know all the other confirmed authors who will be appearing at the event with me.
I hope everyone will share these posts around and comment on them, wishing each author well. Maybe even some of you will come along to the event to meet us all in person.
Up this week is…. C. A. Ellis
C.A Ellis lives in Essex with her husband and her two girls. Turning 40 was the catalyst she needed to write her first book, which up until then had been a lifelong dream, so the release of The Vine is officially her dream come true! Her motive to write is readers enjoying her words, a tear being shed, the corners of mouth’s being upturned into a smile, laughter being heard and hearts being warmed…
And now for the interview:
Questions:
First the ‘business bit’…
Tell me about yourself… the usual, age, name, (penname if different – if it is different, explain your choice behind it), location.
I’m Carol Ellis, I’m 42 and I’m from Essex in the U.K. I write as C.A Ellis as that’s my initials;-)
What genre do you predominantly write in? What drew you to that genre?
I write Adult Contemporary Romance. I used to read all genres of books but after reading fifty shades of grey, I had such a book hangover and I started looking into similar books, after reading many I had a story in mind and thought hey I’m going to write one.
How many books to you have on sale right now?
I have one book on sale right now, ‘The Vine’. It is part of The Entwined in the Vine series, although it is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone, as each book is about a different character.
When do you plan to have your next release available? Tell me about it.
My next release is called ‘Jetson’ and it’s the second book in the series. It is due for release early 2015, Jett Matthews is a rock-star that you briefly meet in The Vine, it is his story.
I have 3 other book ideas and have written the first chapter for all of them. One more is for this series and the other two are standalones.
When did you start writing? Was it for fun at first, or did you want to write for publication from day one?
I’ve always wanted to write a book, and I started The Vine in March last year, it was the first time I ever put pen to paper.
When you decided to write that 1st book, what motivated you to keep going?
I wrote the book initially for myself, I was not planning to self publish, it was just a life long dream to write one. So it was a hobby at first but I loved it so much I thought ‘This is what I want to do’, I adore writing!
Are you a planner or a pantser or a mix of both?
I write brief scenes and then put them altogether to create the book.
Who is the favourite character you have ever written? Why?
All my books are dual pov,
I loved writing a character from The Vine Called Katy because she was ballsy and I’m so not like that so it was fun to say all the things I’d love to say but would never dare.
I love writing Jett to as he is cheeky, cocky and as hot as you like but with a soft streak underneath.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
Many thing but mainly pictures and music, I spend a lot of time on pinterestJ
What do you find hardest, naming characters or thinking of an overall title?
The Blurb/Synopsis – Summing up the book in just a few lines, takes me weeks.
Now for the ‘fun bit’…
Would you rather have hands for feet or feet for hands?
Hands for feet, definitely need more hands for all the juggling of kids, hubs, house, reading, writing and my other job (Beauty Therapist)
If you could have written any book, what would it be and why?
The Thoughtless series by S.C Stephens, because Kellen Kyle in your head can never be a bad thing!!
If you had a superpower for the day, what would it be and what would you do with it?
Read minds, how interesting that would be, lol.
If you could start on your writing journey from the beginning, would you do anything differently?
Yes I would of got it off to the editor quicker, I faffed around with it for months, when I really didn’t need to, just wasted a lot of time.
If someone gave you an elephant to hide, where would you hide it?
In the Garage?
When writing, do you need total silence or background noise?
Background noise (Music) for ideas, silence for writing.
You’re having a dinner party, and can invite 5 authors (alive or dead), who do you invite and why?
Tara Sivec (Funny), E L James (Changed my life), S.C Stephens (Love her), Kim Holden (Makes me cry and C.J Roberts for (craziness) of the dark duet series.
If you listen to music, do you have a specific CD or playlist, or do you live life on the edge and shuffle everything?
Always a playlist!!
If you could have the experience of reading a book for the first time, which would it be and why?
Fifty shades of Grey, I’d love to read that again as a first time read and plus its changed my life
10. Who do you fangirl over? (Doesn’t have to be an author)
S.C Stephens and now Kim Holden for making me ugly cry over Bright Side, the best book of the year with the best female lead. Cried buckets but felt like I had a life lesson.
Finally…
What are your top tips for aspiring writers/authors?
Get a professional Edit, Write from the heart, take constructive criticism, learn from it and use it next time and don’t try to please everyone it is never going to happen.
Can you tell us (and maybe tease us) about your latest WIP or next release?
See attached:
Give us all your social media links so we can all stalk you (legally and pay you money to do so)
https://www.facebook.com/authorcaellis72 | https://twitter.com/CarolEllis1 | https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8338831.C_A_Ellis | http://www.pinterest.com/calellisuk/ | http://authorcaellis.wordpress.com
What are you hoping to gain from attending the signing in Birmingham?
To have fun at my first ever signing, and get readers wanting to know about C.A Ellis and her books.
Thanks for taking part and I wish you lots of luck and oodles of cash at the event. See you there!
Thank-you!!
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