Wednesday, February 08, 2012

VISITING DIGNITARY/C.T. ADAMS

Hi Guys!  It's me.

Yep.  Me.  I am going to open the comments up for questions from the audience, but until then, I figure I'd give ya'll a little more of a glimpse into this side of the partnership.  So at the risk of sounding schizoid/all MPD, here we go.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I've wanted to write since I first learned to read.  In fact, until my water heater went out last year and flooded out the garage I still had files with things I'd written back to grade school.  They were hideous of course.  But the drive was there.

Who are some of  your favorite authors?

There are too many to count, really.  And it really depends on my mood.  Sometimes I will be looking for humor, or a good mystery, or a thriller, or an urban fantasy.  Whichever I want will determine my favorite of the moment.  Still, I can always count on Jim Butcher, Dick Francis, Robert B. Parker, Rachel Caine, Dorothy Parker, Agatha Christie, Charlaine Harris, Shannon Butcher, Janet Evanovich.  I re-read my early Laurell K. Hamilton books frequently and am still amazed at her creativity and skill as a writer.  The worldbuilding is absolutely amazing, and it set the stage for an entirely new genre.  How cool is that?!

Which of the books you've worked on was the hardest?

The hardest was Howling Moon of the Sazi.  It was originally the first book, but it didn't get published first, and we kept dropping hints in other books that led back to it.  But that meant that when it finally DID get re-written (to accommodate all of those changes) the time line was INSANE.  We had a chart with where some of the main characters of the Sazi series were at any given time in 15 minute increments to make sure nobody was in two places, and that we weren't asking them to do the impossible.  UGH.

Which was the easiest?

Every once in a while you'll get a book that just races through your brain and out your fingers.  Touch of Madness (in the Kate Reilly/Thrall series) was like that.  MAGIC.

You haven't been to a lot of signings or conferences the past couple of years.  Why?

Real life has been a little intense the past two years.  Not bad, but definitely busy.  Also, Cathy and I both have a day job -- in the SAME OFFICE.  So it isn't always feasible for us to both be off at the same time.  BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS we have a couple of signing events coming up shortly and each of us will be going to a couple of conferences this year.  So there's a good chance of you seeing either or both of us soon.  Keep an eye out, check the Newsletter and the website for details.

Do you listen to music when you write?

Sometimes.  But more often I run into something that inspires me, then write after in silence.  Sometimes there will be a song that just GETS to me and shows me an insight to a specific character, or opens up inspiration on a whole new world.  Avril Lavigne's "I'm With You" (written by

Christy, Lauren; Spock, Scott; Edwards, Graham; Lavigne, Avril Ramona) inspired a YA series that I'm preparing a proposal on, but current responsibilities have kept me from actually being able to write the silly thing all the way through.  There was an Evanescence song that captured Celia's sense of loss at Vicki's death perfectly for me, and another, "Because of You" by Kelly Clarkson that really hit me as to the damage done to her children by Lana Graves' alcoholism. 

Do you have a favorite character?  Who would you want to be stuck on a desert island with?
I have lots and lots of favorites.  Don't make me choose!
What bit of advice would you give prospective authors?
Work hard.  Work consistently.  Keep working when you're tired and think there's no chance.  Know that there will be golden moments, and leaden moments, but that it's all part of the process.  You may not succeed if you try, but you will DEFINITELY fail if you don't.  So try.  And keep trying. 
Okay -- now everybody else ask your questions.  Since it's Wednesday, and I'm at the day job, you'll have to wait until after 5:00 for your answers, but I WILL answer.  And one lucky winner will get an autographed copy of both Howling Moon (because it was mentioned above as the hardest) and Touch of Madness (because it was mentioned above as the easiest).
Cie

20 comments:

*yadkny* said...

Great advice! Words of wisdom to live by regardless of the situation. I've read a couple of your Celia Graves books (need to get caught up) and I can see that your author relationship with Cathy has worked really well... how did you and Cathy decide to write together?

yadkny@hotmail.com

angela said...

first i wanted to say that i love your books! i especially like you writing style do you ever get stuck? what do you do?

angela2az@aol.com

Rhonda D said...

Hello! Your books sound awesome! I was wondering what made you decide to write paranormal romance? It's one of my favorite genres and I was just wondering!
rhondadennis@gmail.com

C. T. Adams said...

All right guys. Let's see.

Yadkny - Cathy and I were working at the same law office and started talking books and things developed from there. :)

Angela -- thank you! Oh yes! Sometimes I get VERY stuck. Usually it means one of a couple of things (1) I'm tired and need to rest. (2) I've screwed up a little ways back in the story and need to go back and look at it again to see where I ran off the rails. Or Both. So I rest overnight, and re-read the previous pages to see what's wrong, then I fix it.

Unknown - Well, that's an interesting question. I guess I should just say that it's how my mind works. I've always had fantastical stories with monsters running through my head, with mystery elements, and romance (because romance is part of life, really NONE of us would be here if somewhere in the past a couple hadn't gotten it together. Even if the immediate past doesn't show a love story, somewhere back there there was one or the generations would have broken off.) :)

Cie

Jackie said...

You have an eclectic list of authors and funny enough one of my favorites DIck Francis is on it as is my very favorite even to this day Laurell K Hamilton. I agree with you that not only did she showcase a creative genius with her Anita Blake series but opened up not one but actually several avenues to authors in new genres.

I am so excited you ladies are coming to Texas soon and have to ask when you two are going to be at the Round Rock and San Antonio B&N events do fans have to sign up or buy tickets or do we just need to show up during the hours of the event?

Either place for me would work but since Round Rock is actually closer time wise will probably be seeing you on the 17th of March. (I hope)

Suzette said...

I enjoy reading youtwo very much and I guess my question to you both would be, "Do you ever feel that the paranormal genre is being overwritten?" I truly enjoy that genre, I mean its probably my favorite but i am finding that many of the books I am reading are sounding strangely alike. Don't get me wrong, I will not stop reading it but heck even YA novels seem to be full of that genre. Thanks for giving us a little insight into your world.

Miney Moe
Suzette
latinlady6929@yahoo.com

M. Williams said...

How do you mix your writing career with your day job? How long do you write each night, or do you just write in spurts on the weekend?

Pam said...

Do you find it at all challenging to write with a partner? Could you maybe explain a little how you go about it?

Pam
vanillaorchids69(at)gmail(dot)com

Stacey Smith said...

I Love your Books.the one's I have have not got them all yet.is there a books store that sell all of your books for a good price?

sasluvbooks@yahoo.com

Christy said...

Is there another genre you would like to write? Also what authors/books inspired you to be a author? Thanks for the chance to win. christina_92 at yahoo.com

RoseD said...

For someone new to your books, what book would you recommend as a first read?

bn100 said...

I enjoyed your post and your insights into your writing process.

How do you find time to balance everything that's going on in your life?

bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

lindseye said...

I will have to go find Howling Moon. I started this series but I think I got distracted and missed a few. I think any series that goes beyond 3 books requires a timeline and GPS to keep track of flashbacks and overall story arc.
linze_e at hotmail.com

C. T. Adams said...

Jackie B - No tickets, no dress code (LOL) just come as you are within the scheduled hours. We LOVE seeing fans.

C. T. Adams said...

Suzette -- I'm not sure what I think about that. I do feel that right now with so many bookstores closing, and many of the secondary market stores like WalMart cutting the space they offer for books publishers are looking for a "sure thing" and Paranormal is as close to a sure thing as there is right now. I love all kinds of books and would really love to see more space devoted and variety offered in the print versions. But publishers have to make a profit to survive.

I do think that unless a writer is VERY careful to world build in such a way that they don't rely too much on the existing tropes they risk being just one of the crowd.

C. T. Adams said...

M Williams -- VERY CAREFULLY. Lol. Seriously, it is a hard thing to do. Life has a way of crowding out the writing time unless you are VERY careful. Sometimes I feel like I'm juggling sledgehammers and just dropped one.

Vanilla Orchids - It can be very challenging and very rewarding to work with a partner. The three biggest things you MUST have are (1) RESPECT FOR ONE ANOTHER; Yeah, that's in all caps. If you don't treat each other with respect the partnership won't last; (2) Good communication. When you stop communicating, everything will fall apart; and (3) a written agreement that deals with all the business aspects and how you will handle the situation when you disagree. Yup, in WRITING. So that when you disagree you both have something to refer back to.

Stacey - I don't know that one place is cheaper than another unless you hit the used bookstores. Good luck. :)

Christy - I actually also love writing mysteries and have had some short stuff put out in that genre. I have a humorous romance that is currently simmering on the back burner until I have time to finish it. So I do write in other genres, but it is a matter of time. Contracted stuff first.

Rose D - WOW. Um, on the series, probably the best bet would be the first one of the series. So, Blood Song, Hunter's Moon, or Touch of Evil. That said, now that I have more experience I would probably edit the heck out of Touch of Evil, but I still love the premise and the book and the finale is still one of my absolute favorites.

BN100 -- I don't. I'm always forgetting something, or running around in circles trying to get things done. I've been getting up at 4 or 4:30 a.m. to write, exercise, take care of the animals and get ready in time for work, but the past week the body said "SCREW YOU I'M SLEEPING!" So I've "slept in" 'til 6:00. You have to prioritize and hope for the best.

Lindseye - If you think you've missed some, pop by the website and look at the list under the "Books" tab. :)

Dolly said...

I was wondering if you and Cathy had thought about signing up for Kindlegraph?
Since I have all your books, but can't get to see you in person, I would love you have your signatures on my Kindle Fire.
What do you think??

C. T. Adams said...

Dolly -- Please send me info at catadamsfans@gmail.com about Kindlegraph. Never heard of it. :)

what now! said...

I love your books! I have been reading paranormals my whole life. I really like the different ideas you have about your species. Keep on writing and I will keep on buying and reading. Thanks!

C. T. Adams said...

Why thank you What Now! :) We do our best.