AUTHOR INTERVIEW 49

C.J. Rose

USA

Age 42

C. J. Rose resides in Central Illinois; originally from just south of Chicago. The passion for writing took root in high school where she began writing song lyrics and poetry. C.J. found her inspiration from other fantasy and YA novels such as Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia, and more. On top of literature, Rose has a keen love for all things nerdy and sci-fi. On a quiet night, you can find her curled up with an episode of Doctor Who, Arrow, Firefly, and more. C. J. also belongs to a theatre organization KVTA. The devotion to musicals and theatre has led her to be a part of over 10 shows as an actress, and over 20 as a staff person.

She currently writes YA Fantasy Fiction that tends to be heavy in literary and mythological history. Once she decided it was time to sit down and put thoughts to paper, of a story concept, having played in her mind for long time took place. In the process, it developed into the full-length version that she is proud to call her first published book, Bridge of the Gods – A Generation Son Chronicle. There will be 3 novels in the series as well as a companion cookbook, which will be available soon.

***BRIDGE OF THE GODS***
Move over Percy Jackson; Luthor McAlester is here. Bridge of the Gods, the first book in the Generation Chronicles series, follows Luthor McAlester, a teenage boy living in San Diego, California. His father, dying when he was a child, left him to become man of the house, to care for his mother and younger sister. On his 18th birthday he discovers a power that has been held dormant until now; unsure what to do with it in the absence of his father’s guidance. His best friend Gwen, who claims to be oblivious, knows more than she is telling. With just the help of his best friend, can Luthor figure out how to use his power and help the Gods like they ask? Or will the lack of guidance from his father prove to be more than Luthor can handle?

***TO RESCUE A KING***
France, 1633; a time when women wore tight corsets, men’s boots came to their knees, and weaponry was a common accessory. Fresh off the battle with Hera, Luthor finds himself teaming up with four of history’s most loyal and trusted men. With a new team of heroes, it’s a race to the finish to save the one true king. Come along with Luthor and Gwen as they travel back to a world here hygiene was not the greatest, but parties were incredible.

*** TO BRING HIM HOME***
In the final installment of the Generation Son Chronicles, Luthor finds himself in the most unlikely of places. This time, the heroes that fight alongside him have just come back from a major battle of their own. Can Luthor figure out the final piece the puzzle that is his destiny? Will he finally find the one thing that is missing? Follow Luthor as he teams up with the Knights of the Round Table and fight to save the kingdom from the witches that mean to cause it harm.

***THE MCALESTER JOURNALS***
Have you ever wondered the full story behind Luthor’s ancestry? Now is your chance to venture into the past and traveler with Luthor’s relatives as they go through their own journeys. Whom will they meet? Where will they go? What trouble will they get themselves out of? In this companion novella to the Generation Son Chronicles, travel with Samuel, Isaiah, Jason, and so many others. Each epic adventure will take you to places you’ve only dreamed about.

*** THE ULTIMATE COMPANION COOKBOOK***
You will find some of yummiest recipes this side of the dimension. Each character, each book, each actor, and each staff member has a recipe dedicated to them. Each chapter is a different adventure, from soups and salads, to desserts and drinks. Dive into the BBQ lamb chops, or take a sip of the magic cocktail. Each one will entice your taste buds and bring you to a new world full of tastes and smells. Even those of us who do not like to cook will find something to enjoy.

Move over Percy Jackson; Luthor McAlester is here. Bridge of the Gods, the first book in the Generation Chronicles series, follows Luthor McAlester, a teenage boy living in San Diego, California. His father, dying when he was a child, left him to become man of the house, to care for his mother and younger sister. On his 18th birthday he discovers a power that has been held dormant until now; unsure what to do with it in the absence of his father’s guidance. His best friend Gwen, who claims to be oblivious, knows more than she is telling. With just the help of his best friend, can Luthor figure out how to use his power and help the Gods like they ask? Or will the lack of guidance from his father prove to be more than Luthor can handle?

Romelia: WHAT IS THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF YOUR ARTISTIC PROCESS?

C.J. Rose: I think that for me, the most difficult part of the process is marketing the books. As they say, you have to spend money to make money, but sometimes it’s difficult when there is no money to spend or you cannot get the assistance of cooperation from others to help you.

Romelia: DOES YOUR FAMILY SUPPORT YOUR CAREER AS A WRITER?

C.J. Rose: My father has been very supportive and has purchased all of my novels even though he will never read them lol.

Romelia: IF YOU HAD TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENTLY AS A CHILD OR TEENAGER TO BECOME A BETTER WRITER AS AN ADULT, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

C.J. Rose: Pay better attention in English class lol.

Romelia: HOW LONG ON AVERAGE DOES IT TAKE YOU TO WRITE A BOOK?

C.J. Rose: The first book took a few years because I went through a few different editors, and 2 different publishers before I finally got it the way I wanted it. The remaining 3 took somewhere around a year. The coloring book was a few months, and the cookbook was a few years as I continued to add recipes to it as new books came out.

Romelia: DO YOU BELIEVE IN WRITER’S BLOCK?

C.J. Rose: I have suffered from writer’s block more times than I can count. I think the worst though is my ADD that keeps me from writing continuously.

Romelia: AT WHAT POINT DO YOU THINK SOMEONE SHOULD CALL THEMSELVES A WRITER?

C.J. Rose: I think it is really up to them. For me, I considered myself a writer when I published my first novel. For other’s they may not feel the same until they become successful or have reached a certain amount of sales.

Romelia: WHAT DIFFERENCE DO YOU SEE BETWEEN A WRITER AND AN AUTHOR?

C.J. Rose: I think the difference is that an author tells the story through books. A writer is more of an open concept because it can include things like magazines, websites, newspapers, etc.

Romelia: HOW DO YOU PROCESS AND DEAL WITH NEGATIVE BOOK REVIEWS?

C.J. Rose: I know that you will always have negative reviews. Not everyone has the same tastes, and you cannot please everyone. Take it like a grain of salt. Use that to fuel your efforts to continue to be better at it.

Romelia: WHAT IS THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF YOUR WRITING PROCESS?

C.J. Rose: For me, the most difficult part of writing is remembering what I wrote so when I am writing about it again later, I get my facts right.

Romelia: HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WRITING OR WHEN DID YOU START?

C.J. Rose: I actually started writing in high school but it was song lyrics and poetry back then. When I lost the notebook I had all my writing in, I stopped and didn’t start again until about 15 years later when I started writing song lyrics again with a friend. Fast forward to 2013 and that is when I started my first novel.

Romelia: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A WRITER WORKING ON THEIR FIRST BOOK?

C.J. Rose: One piece of advice I was given that I pass on is to write for you first, then write for your audience.

Romelia: WHAT, TO YOU, ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENTS OF GOOD WRITING?

C.J. Rose: Keep the reader engaged but don’t overdo the details. Less is more works when writing. You want to reader to use their imagination. Always check your grammar, spelling, POV, and whether it is past or present tense consistently.

Romelia: WHAT COMES FIRST FOR YOU – THE PLOT OR THE CHARACTERS – AND WHY?

C.J. Rose: I will decide the MC first, then I will decide the plot. From there, additional characters are added in the outlining process. Sometimes, more is added when I am actually writing.

Romelia: HOW DO YOU DEVELOP YOUR PLOT AND CHARACTERS?

C.J. Rose: My novels are based on time periods that I love. I use those time period and then base it off of something that happened during that time. For me it is reality, but for some, a few novels would be considered mythological or literary history.

Romelia: WHEN DID YOU FIRST CALL YOURSELF A WRITER?

C.J. Rose: From my own perspective, I considered myself a writer when I got my first publishing contract and I saw my novel in print for the first time.

Romelia: HOW DO YOU USE SOCIAL MEDIA AS AN AUTHOR?

C.J. Rose: I am actually really bad at keeping up with social media to promote. I have a Facebook page and a personal page as an author. I also have twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc. but I just never know what to post so I will go days without posting something.

Romelia: WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE AND LEAST FAVORITE PART OF PUBLISHING?

C.J. Rose: My favorite part is getting the books in the main once a novel is finished. My least favorite part is the formatting and how much it costs to buy said novels to have some in stock. lol

Romelia: WHAT WOULD YOU say TO AN AUTHOR WHO WANTED TO DESIGN THEIR OWN COVER?

C.J. Rose: Be careful with imagery. If you are overlapping objects such as a person over a background, make sure your lines are clean. Make sure to use high quality photos to avoid blurry covers.

Romelia: HOW MANY BOOKS HAVE YOU WRITTEN AND WHICH IS YOUR FAVORITE?

C.J. Rose: I now have 3 novels, 1 novella, a companion cookbook, and a companion coloring/activity book for the first series. I think the novella is my favorite because it has a lot of the history of the MC and his family.

Romelia: WHAT PART OF THE BOOK DID YOU HAVE THE HARDEST TIME WRITING?

C.J. Rose: Writing some of the death scenes, and making sure that there is an equal amount of dialogue vs. descriptive paragraphs.

Romelia: WHAT PART OF THE BOOK WAS THE MOST FUN TO WRITE?

C.J. Rose: When I killed off some of the bad guys in book 2.

Romelia: WHICH OF THE CHARACTERS DO YOU RELATE TO THE MOST AND WHY?

C.J. Rose: I think I relate to the MC (Luthor) the most. He struggles in the first novel with discovery his destiny and figuring out who he is as a person. Even at 42, it is still something I struggle with.

Romelia: IF YOU’RE PLANNING A SEQUEL. CAN YOU SHARE A TINY BIT ABOUT YOUR PLANS FOR IT?

C.J. Rose: I am in the process of writing the next series which will be a continuation of the first but this time Luthor’s sister will be the MC and she will be going on her own adventures to Salem 1692, New Orleans in 1880, and visiting Scotland to help Mary Queen of Scots in 3 new novels.

Romelia: TELL US SOMETHING FUNNY ABOUT YOUR ADULT LIFE.

C.J. Rose: I am actually pretty boring in reality. Especially during the pandemic, the most I do anymore is work.

Romelia: Describe yourself in a few sentences. Tell us something we do not know about you and something you hate about the world.

C.J. Rose: I am a hairstylist by trade, with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management. I have a keen love for all things nerdy and sci-fi. On a quiet night, you can find me curled up with an episode of Doctor Who, Arrow, Firefly, and who knows what else. I also belong to a theatre organization called KVTA. The devotion to musicals and theatre has led me to be a part of over 10 shows as an actor, and over 20 as a staff person. The one thing I hate the most about this world is how ugly and hurtful people can be.

Website- authorcjrose.com

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/GenerationSon/

Amazon Author Page- https://www.amazon.com/author/rosecj

French Author Page- https://www.amazon.fr/-/e/B07K8X3C8Z

UK Author Page- https://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B07K8X3C8Z

Email- generationsonbog@yahoo.com
Twitter- @generationson

LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/rozy-labriola-78b11b98/

Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/generationson/

Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/67081681-c-j-rose