C.J. Archer

Mysteries - Cozy, Suspenseful, Heartwarming… Magical!

InD: Isn’t it amazing the ways readers 4ind authors? I discovered your work and fell in love with it because of your After The Rift series, but it is one of your lesser known works. What is your biggest seller?

CJA: The Glass and Steele series, which begins with “The Watchmaker’s Daughter”, has been my biggest selling series ever since its launch in 2016. The spin off, The Glass Library series, which begins with “The Librarian of Crooked Lane”, has done very well so far too. I’m thrilled with the reader response to it.

InD: Were you born and raised in Australia?

CJA: Yes, I was born in Darwin in the Northern Territory, then moved to a small town in north-west Queensland where it’s hot and dry. I’ve lived in Melbourne, Victoria, for a long time now, however.

InD: What was it like growing up in Queensland?

CJA: It was great. We played outside all day and returned home at dinner time. I lived in a small town where everyone knew everybody, and as kids, you could go on your bicycles and ride around town and feel safe. We would always Oind something to do, like Oinding tadpoles, playing in the creek, or going to the town pool.

I think part of the reason why I’m a writer is because we lived so far from everything. To get anywhere, it would take hours in the car. I would get car sick, so I couldn't read for long periods of time, so I’d close my eyes and dream up stories. I think the ability to let my mind wander for hours, making up stories, carried into my adult life.

InD: For some Americans (myself included), when we talk about anywhere in Australia, other than the big cities, or if an Australian says “out in the bush”, the 4irst thing that we think of are all of scary things, like all the poisonous snakes, spiders, and the crocodiles. Is that true?

CJA: There are plenty of scary creatures here, yes. InD: So as a child growing up there, do they teach you how to stay alive?

CJA: [laughing] We were taught what spiders to stay away from. For instance, with the redbacks, we knew to look for a small black spider with a red stripe on its back. You don't go anywhere near those. And we were taught to stay away from all snakes. You learn to avoid them when you're growing up in the bush. But we have snakes here in suburban Melbourne, too. A few years ago, we had a brown snake in our backyard. Brown snakes are one of the deadliest snakes in the world.

InD: What did you do?

CJA: Snakes usually won’t hurt you unless you bother them, so if you stay away, it's not going to come up and attack you. When we saw the one in our backyard, we actually called a snake catcher because our kids were little and often played out there, and we’re surrounded by other houses with little kids. If you’re out in the bush, though, you would just let it go if it’s not endangering anyone.

InD: Do you see a lot of poisonous things?

CJA: I wouldn't say a lot. It’s not an everyday occurrence here in Melbourne. Maybe in the bush it is. I’m more worried about crocodiles than snakes when I’m up north, though. Crocodiles will live through an apocalypse. [both laughing]

InD: Did you have any brothers and sisters growing up?

CJA: I have an older brother and we’re pretty close in age. He is just 19 months older, and we got along really well growing up. He’s easy-going, nothing fazes him. My parents divorced when I was 10, so he was also very protective of me.

InD: What were you like as a child?

CJA: I was very shy. I was Oine around people I knew, an growing up in a small town, I knew almost everyone, so I don't think I realized how shy I was until we moved. We went from a small town to a big city when I was about 12 years old. I didn’t know anyone in my new school, and it was then I realized how extremely shy I was. I still have that shyness, but you learn to hide it much better as an adult. I learned to be more chatty, but people don't have any idea what's going on inside.

InD: That is so true. I have started to joke the last few years that I am a very high functioning introvert. I am really very friendly and I love people, but they don't understand how much energy it takes to talk to someone I don’t know.

CJA: Exactly! It takes energy and it can be tiring. I am the sort of person that, if I have two functions in a day, I am exhausted, so I try to avoid over-committing socially.

InD: I completely understand! did you read a lot as a child?

CJA: Oh yes. I was that cliché kid. I was reading with the torch under the bedcovers. I loved the Trixie Belden series when I was little. I was reading those as soon as they released them. I think I lost my way a little bit as a teenager because, when I look back at high school, I was just reading the books on the school curriculum.

InD: Did you enjoy writing or just reading?

CJA: Back then, I was just a reader, but when I did start writing, I wrote some really bad poetry. Then in my later teens and early 20s, I got on to short story writing. I sent a few of them off to magazines and some got published in women’s magazines here in Australia and the UK. I cut my teeth on short stories. InD: What was your life like as a teenager?

CJA: One of the problems for an introvert is that you don't join things. If I would have been more brave, I would have tried things. I was such an anxious teenager and really gawky. It took a long time to feel comfortable in my own skin. Because I was so shy, I didn't join anything.

InD: What career did you want to go into?

CJA: I went through a stage where I wanted to be a marine biologist, but I don't like science [laughing]. By my late teens, I knew I wanted to be a writer but didn't know how to go about becoming one. There were no courses or no real internet where you could Google how to be a writer, so I thought, “I am just going to put pen to paper."

InD: So, you wrote some small stuff that went into magazines; where did it go from there?

CJA: In my early to mid-20s, I started writing novels. I didn't have any lessons or guidance, so I didn't know what I was doing, but I was a fast writer, so I would just write and write and write. I knew, at the time, the stories weren’t ready, but I couldn’t Oigure out how to Oix them. Then I found a writers group in Melbourne and met some wonderful authors there, both published and aspiring.

Some of us started a critique group to dive deeper into the craft. I learned a lot from them and we still catch up when we can. I also attended writing conferences here in Australia, and read all the articles I could Oind about novel writing. With the information I learned, and lots of practice, I Oigured out how to craft a story. I also learned more about my strengths and weaknesses as a writer.

InD: Did you have a day job at that time?

CJA: Yeah, for sure. At University, I did a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Geography, but I realized by the end of the course that it wasn’t an area I wanted to pursue professionally. I then went on to do a graduate diploma in library studies. After graduating from that, I went to work at a legal library.

InD: Why geography?

CJA: I don't know. My father was a geologist and I feel like I was inOluenced by his love of earth science. Maybe my childhood growing up in the Queensland bush had something to do with it, too. But I wasn't really science-y. The geography was like a bridge between the sciences and the arts degree, and it incorporated environmental studies which was becoming more prominent in the early 90s.

Looking back now, I didn't have any idea what I wanted to do. I have children now, a 19-year-old and an almost 17year-old, and they are trying to Oigure out what they want to do. I tell them “It’s okay if you don't know and if you need to change courses, it’s Oine. Don't stress, you’ll Oind your path.” I try to let them know it’s okay to Oigure it out as you go, and that things will work out in the end.

InD: You have done beautifully well and you were the same way at their age. You didn't know at 4irst and had to kind of 4igure it out.

CJA: I feel like I didn’t hit my stride until I was about 40.

InD: Working in a library sounds wonderful, but you were working in a law library, and that just sounds about as dull as it could be (sorry).

[both laughing]

CJA: I think maybe the labor market was really off at the time. It was hard to get a job, so I took what I could get. I quickly realized, though, that the law library wasn’t for me. Then the library got new software, and I was the one who implemented the software and I found I liked being involved in that side of it. When the software company had an opening they asked if I wanted the job. I said yes.

It was a very small company and I learned to do everything because there were only four of us. I was the Oirst line of support, and I also wrote the manuals and trained new users sometimes. I was never the technical engineer or anything like that. I was writing my stories at night at that time.

InD: Were you writing at night to get into the business? Or were you just writing because you loved it and it was something to do?

CJA: At Oirst, it was the love of writing. As I got older, I started to think about being published. But I was still obsessed with the process of writing, the storytelling side of it. It even got to the point that, during the day, I would put my work aside when the boss wasn’t looking, and I would pull out my stories and edit them. I did more and more of that as the years progressed. I hope my old bosses don’t read this!

InD: How did you work that all in when you had children?

CJA: I wrote when they went to bed. With one kid it was fairly easy, she would go to bed early and then I would write. I worked part-time when I just had the one child and continued to write part-time when she slept, but when the second child came along, I stopped work altogether and became a full-time mum for a couple of years... but I was still writing while they were sleeping. Once my second child was old enough to go to prep (it would be like your preschool), in 2011, selfpublishing was becoming a viable path for authors.

I should backtrack for just a minute. I had a US-based agent for a couple of years from 2006 to 2008, but when the GFC hit in 2008, she said the publishing houses weren’t buying much from unknown, unpublished writers, they're sticking to what they know, so I sort of gave up trying to get published for a while. The agent and I parted ways but she really helped me hone my craft. She edited a few of my novels that she was shopping around, which meant they were really polished. Then near the end of 2010 with indie publishing becoming more viable, I said to my husband that I want to give it a shot and use a few hundred dollars to get editing and a book cover, then give it a red-hot go for a year. With those polished novels, I felt it was the right time. With our second child starting school, I was supposed to go back to part-time work. But I told my husband if I wasn’t earning enough from my writing to replace a part-time job’s income by the end of the school year, I would apply for work. I just wanted to give myself that year in a last-ditch effort to make my writing pay something for all those years of effort. He was like, “Okay, no worries.” and was totally supportive. I never had to apply for a job.

InD: What was the 4irst book that actually published?

CJA: “Redemption”. It’s still out there. It’s set in the 1880s and it was one of the manuscripts my agent was shopping around. There were a couple others I could have gone with, but that novel was probably the most polished and put together. I felt it was my strongest book. If I were to read it now, I’d probably cringe [laughing].

InD: You said that you were into Trixie Belden as a child. Your books are Mysteries, though, and very many of them are historically based, so what drew you to that Historical Mystery genre?

CJA: I can’t write a book without a mystery element. Even when I wrote Historical Romance, I had to have a mystery. It doesn't feel right to me otherwise! I think sometime in my early 20s, I picked up an Historical novel and just loved it. Historical is a more natural Oit for me and you write what you love, don't you?

I still enjoy Contemporary novels, but with Historical novels, there's a lot more scope to play with, as an author, more reasons for conOlict between characters. For example, during the Victorian period they were very straightlaced, so you can throw in a romantic element where they can't express their sexuality immediately. As an author, you can draw out that push-pull of romantic conOlict and it’s completely normal for that time period. It’s a lot of fun to write, too!

InD: One of the things I admire about your writing most is the fact that you can balance a Mystery with a Romance, and even a magical element in a story so well! And, one does not completely overwhelm any of the others at any point. Another thing is, your gift with characterizations. In my opinion, those two amazing strengths set you apart from other authors. Do you intentionally incorporate those aspects when you go into a book? Or do you start writing and it just comes out?

CJA: I am mostly a plotter, although my plots change as I go. I do start with the hero or heroine’s romantic conOlict and what the core romance is about. I know at least part of their general backstory, as well as the core mystery and the fantasy element, if it’s a fantasy. Sometimes those things come at once, and are very clear, other times they’re vague and need Oleshing out before I start writing. I might get an idea for a fantasy plot Oirst, which is what happened with “The Watchmaker's Daughter”. I had an idea where the hero needed his watch to survive, and the rest developed from that initial idea. InD: That is the genius in it because where did an idea like that come from?

CJA: I don't know. It just comes. With that series, I had the title very early in the process and the idea of a man needing his watch to survive. From there, it’s just a series of questions: How do I tie in the title “The Watchmaker’s Daughter” with the mysterious man and his watch? Who is the daughter and why is she important to the story, and the man? What are the magic rules of the world?

InD: Do you sit back in your chair sometimes and close your eyes like you did as a child and start imagining?

CJA: Absolutely. Sometimes I'll close my eyes in my ofOice and have a little think, but some of my best ideas come as I write. I have to write myself into the zone and then my Oingers just Oly over the keyboard. Things are going on in the outside world, but I'm so immersed in the story, I don't realize it. My best ideas come in those moments. It might be the second chapter or so and a character will pop up, so you start writing them and they end up adding a whole new dimension to the story.

At other times, I may dive deep into the main character's backstory and discover something that has happened to her, but it's not until I’m writing that I discover it. That’s why I say that I'm a plotter, but also a pantser, because my plots are very Oluid. I drill down into them as I go along which expands the story’s scope. I don’t stress too much at the start if the initial plot is looking thin, because I know it will become clearer as I write myself into the story.

InD: It is always interesting talking to authors. Many just sit down and start writing and it just goes from there. I truly stand all amazed because I have no idea how that happens! Then there are others who literally plot every single scene - or part - post it all on a board and then follow exactly what they plotted out.

And then there are people like you, who have the basic plot, then allow it to take them where it wills. It is very authorspeci4ic in a lot of ways, but it still amazes me, and I love hearing your story!

CJA: Something I've learned over the years is that you become more open to the ideas coming at you.

When you open your mind, you see potential plots and characters in everyday things around you. I Oirmly believe that as I’ve become a more experienced writer, I’ve learned to be more aware of ideas when they present themselves. You have to learn to keep your mind open to receiving the input in all sorts of places. InD: The mystery side of writing has always been interesting to me. You said you 4irst think of a plot, so when you 4inally sit down and start writing that idea, do you know who the villain is and what is going to happen?

CJA: If you looked at a plot of my book before it’s written (because when I Oinish one book of the series, I plot the next one straight away) the main points are centered around the mystery. Overall, the plot outline could be something as simple as eight bullet points or as involved as 20, but they’re almost always the mystery element. I add in other elements if they’re important and I know what they’ll be at the start. Let's say there is an important relationship point that has to be in book two, for example, I'll put that in my plot chart so I don't forget to include it. Sometimes, I know the characters’ personalities when I begin, but it’s usually not in any great detail unless it’s an integral part of the story, like a shy heroine. Most of the time, though, I don't know what the characters are like until I meet them when I start writing.

InD: What about the magical elements? Because you often have those in your stories, too. CJA: I will have some of the broad strokes of the magic rules, but a lot of them will come to me as I write.

InD: I guess in your Glass and Steele series, the magic is very understated and a very small part of the overall story. The little talent the heroine has in magic affects the plot, but the story is not really focused on the magic as much as the mystery. I think it's interesting because if most authors authors use magic, it’s usually a much larger point in the book. Your books are wonderful in that the mystery and the relationships of the characters are the focus, and the magic is just a quiet part of the very fabric.

CJA: Even for my books set in a fantasy world, the magic is really light and that’s because I’m not a huge Fantasy reader. I’m not interested in books with dragons, for example. Somehow, I think I’ve tapped into an audience that appreciates similar stories to me. Stories with a bit of everything, but with no element overwhelming the others. It makes it difOicult to describe to people, though. I usually say I write historical fantasy mystery with romance, which is a mouthful, and more recently I added historical cozy mysteries with a romantic element which don’t have any fantasy.

InD: I think you hit the nail on the head. I think it is that balance of the mystery, relationships, and sometimes magic that makes the books just delightful.

CJA: I think my books appeal to a mainstream audience who are looking for something unique, but not too different. I read all genres, from Literary to Romance to Mystery and everything in between, so I just write what I want to read.

As authors we sometimes hear the words, “Stay in your lane”, write to an audience and write what they want. I've never stayed in my lane, I write where my muse take me. That advice may work for some authors, but it doesn't work for everyone. I’d quickly get bored if I had to write the same thing over and over.

InD: I think sometimes an author can get stuck in a lane and that’s when it gets boring to readers. I like Mysteries but only for so long, then I want something different. That’s what you tapped into so well, you are combining different genre elements into your books and that keeps people interested.

CJA: It’s interesting you say that because I do hear readers who have been with me for years say that very thing. At Oirst, I didn't know if anyone would like my genre-blending books, but they seem to. I think if you change from a genre you have been successful in, there are certain elements you still have to put into your stories to satisfy your core readers. For me, I like a mystery element and a romantic element, so those are my promises to the reader. You'll get romance and mystery with humor and quirky characters, and I'm not going to kill off the hero or heroine. It's not a conscious thing, it’s just what I like and want to read, so that's what I write.

InD: So, there are basics every reader will know they are getting from you within the wide perimeter of interesting stories. The other thing I absolutely admire you for is your characterizations. In every book I've read of yours, the characters are the stars. I love the mystery, but it’s the warm and quirky personalities that readers can really connect with so well. Do you put a lot of work into trying to understand your characters?

CJA: The hero or heroine will generally come to me as I write them. That is not a conscious thing, it is based on their backstory or personalities. For instance, if I want a shy heroine, I will be conscious of developing her that way. You can have a lot more fun with the secondary characters than you can with your hero or heroine, though, so I will generally pick one or two characters in a series and go over the top with them. I have a lot of readers of the Glass and Steele series who love Willie, the hero’s cousin. She’s their favorite. I modeled her on the Doris Day character in the movie “Calamity Jane”. She’s over the top. She comes across as loud and abrasive, but she’s actually very loving, loyal, and funny underneath her crusty shell. I love writing her! I consciously created that character, but she developed even further than I intended. You do have to be careful you don't go too over the top, but you can use those secondary characters to balance the other more serious characters. I can create a lot of fun interaction with Willie and that’s where the humor in the stories comes from and it’s probably my favorite part to write. In the Ministry of Curiosity series, there's a secondary character who is a real dick. He’s lazy, a drunk with a wicked sense of humor, and he doesn’t hold back. He was such fun to write. You can’t do those things with your main characters, but you can really unleash your inner demon with your secondary characters. InD: You seem to prefer series versus standalones. Why?

CJA: I do. I would like to write standalones again, but I don't think my brain works that way anymore. I just seem to come up with series ideas.

InD: I am not complaining because I love your series, but it is very noticeable that almost all of your books end up in a series. Still, one could read most of your books singly and be happy. They do work well by themselves. I don't see a lot of big clif4hangers or storylines that make it impossible without continuing. One just wants to continue because the characters and stories are so good!

CJA: I don't write clifOhangers because I don't like to read them. I think I have one in book Oive of the After The Rift series because it was so long it had to continue into book six, but I have a pet peeve with clifOhangers. It’s probably a Mystery book thing. Generally, Mysteries conclude at the end of every book. You have other arcs that continue over a series, like the romantic arc or a family issue, but each book must solve the mystery by the end.

InD: Have there been any series that have been a particular challenge for you to write?

CJA: My Freak House series are nine books split up into three trilogies, so you need a book arc, then a trilogy arc, and then a nine book arc. That was so hard to do! Never, ever again! I'm happy to do an arc in each book with an overall series arc, but adding in the three trilogy arcs made it complicated. Each trilogy follows a different romantic couple, which was another layer of difOiculty. It was a bit of a juggling act in the end.

InD: What made you decide to do a trilogy, a trilogy, and a trilogy in one series?

CJA: I have no idea. If I went back to read that series now, I know I would just cringe at the mistakes I made, but the third trilogy in that series, I absolutely loved. It was my favorite of all three.

InD: Which series was the easiest to write?

CJA: That would be the Cleopatra Fox mysteries, my ongoing cozy historical mystery series. I released book Oive in December, and books six is available to preorder.

InD: Why do you think those were so easy?

CJA: I think it is because they follow the structure of a Cozy Mystery, whereas the others are more go with the Olow. Other than that, I don't really know, but I love how they just Oly off my Oingers. I really love the heroine, too, so that might be a factor. The last couple of heroines I have written have been shy to start with, but Cleo Fox is a bit more ballsy.

InD: Are there certain moral themes you naturally include in your stories?

CJA: I don't know. I don’t consciously think about them, before or after writing. In the historical time periods, if someone was born into poverty, they generally stayed there, but I like to have a character who Oights against that and rises out of it, so maybe that’s a theme. Also, I want justice to be served and the bad guys to get their comeuppance. InD: What about YOUR love story? I know you’re married, but how did it come about?

CJA: Yes, I’m married and we just celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary. I was in my mid-20s when I went on a tour overseas. I met a female cousin of his, who happened to be in the tour group, and we became friends, so when we got back to Australia, she was having a party and invited me, so I went. He was there, and that was how we met.

InD: What was your 4irst impression of him?

CJA: Talkative. I think shy people appreciate others who are chatty because they can keep the conversation going. He’d been on a tour like the one I went on, so we visited a lot of the same places and we talked about that. Then, several months later, his cousin and I were catching up again, and he happened to be at the same bar with his mates, and we talked some more. The next day he asked his cousin for my phone number and we started dating.

InD: And the rest is 22 years of history, which is wonderful!

CJA: Yeah, we are from very different backgrounds. He comes from an Italian background with a big loud family, and I come from a very quiet, small Aussie family, so it was a bit of a culture shock for me. I have 4 cousins and he has…

I’m not sure, but a lot [laughing]

InD: Does he read your books?

CJA: He has read three of them, but he’s not much of a reader. I think I actually like the fact that he doesn't read them, otherwise it might affect what I write. My kids haven’t read them either. My daughter is 19 and my son is nearly 17, and they’re not big readers. My daughter isn’t creative, and isn’t really into Oiction.

My son and I are more alike. He likes Oiction in all forms. We’ll watch a movie or series together and discuss it enthusiastically, so he deOinitely has that storytelling streak in him that I have.

InD: Did your career grow slowly or did it take off all at once?

CJA: From 2011 until 2016, my income doubled every year. Then "The Watchmaker's Daughter" came out, and that's when everything exploded.

InD: What was your family's reaction when it exploded?

CJA: I didn't really talk about it much with my extended family. They knew that I wrote, but they don't understand publishing at all, and they don't understand the difference between traditional publishing and self-publishing, so they had no idea, at that time, what I was doing. But, as I progressed and they realized I was not going back to work, I talked about it more and more. Then of course, I was hitting the USA Today Bestselling list and I posted that on Facebook. My family follows me on Facebook so they saw it, but I'm not the sort of person that talks about it unless they bring it up.

InD: Do your mom, dad, and brother read your books? Or were they oblivious up until that point?

CJA: I give my mum and dad paperbacks so they’ve read the Glass and Steele series and the Cleopatra Fox mysteries. I don't think my brother has read them. My entire family are really supportive. Even when I was struggling to earn money from writing before 2011, my parents said, “Do it, if you love it.” No one ever told me it was a waste of time.

Even when I Oirst started out, no one said I should get a proper job or that's a nice little hobby you have there. I’ve heard a few other female authors say their husbands told them to get a “real” job when their writing wasn’t earning much money, and that makes me feel so sad for them. Having your partner’s support is so important. InD: One of the reasons I asked is because it is so wonderful to hear that a husband is very supportive of his wife, even though he's not into reading himself. I think that is wonderful. What do you enjoy doing, when you are not writing?

CJA: I enjoy reading and watching TV. We enjoy traveling, both in Australia and overseas. Writing is my hobby, as well as my job; I Oind it hard to switch off. I don't know if that's good for me or not. Even when I go on holidays, I'm still answering emails or readers' messages. I Oind it very hard not to take my laptop with me wherever I go.

InD: So, what are your favorite TV shows?

CJA: I have so many! Anything historical, especially if it has a mystery too.

InD: When you travel, where are your favorite places to go?

CJA: I’ve been to Europe three times now, so deOinitely Europe, especially the United Kingdom. I think I love the UK because there's a familiarity with the language and culture, but it’s also quite different. There are so many interesting and beautiful places packed into a tiny area. I’ve always enjoyed historical places, especially ancient Roman ruins and places like that, so Rome is also a favorite city.

InD: Do you take your kids with you?

CJA: Yes, even the 19-year-old! She’s not too old to go away with mum and dad if we’re paying [both chuckling] We went to Europe about 4 years ago. My youngest was 12 then, and he would say “Not another ruin or cathedral!” But he looks back now and still talks about the sites we saw and how much they loved it, and wants to go again. He’s going through his Oinal two years of school, however, and it’s a bit of an effort traveling from Australia to Europe or the United States. You can't go for a week, it's not worth it because it’s such a long and exhausting Olight. You need to go for 3 weeks minimum. But taking three weeks out of his high schooling would be extremely hard. Our long summer break is from December through to January. That's when we went to Europe 4 years ago, but it was cold and we missed our summer that year so we want to go at a different time of year next time.

InD: Okay, let's do some favorites! What is your favorite food?

CJA: When I was younger, I was such a fussy eater, but now I will try anything, so I don't know if I actually have a favorite food. My mother-in-law cooks traditional Italian lasagnas and meatballs which are delicious, so I guess I would say those.

InD: What about desserts?

CJA: I don't have much of a sweet tooth anymore, but I do love chocolate especially dark chocolate.

InD: What is your favorite color?

CJA: I love red, even though it doesn’t look good on me, but I like to have a hint of red here and there in the house. I have a Oiery red vase in the lounge room which I love.

InD: Why do you think red?

CJA: I don’t know. It’s a bold colour, which is probably why I only like hints of it. A little bit of boldness, but not too much.

InD: What is your favorite time of day?

CJA: I’m not a morning person. I’m quite fond of 5:00 in the afternoon because I have that time to myself. That’s when I’ll reread what I’ve written during the day. I usually stop writing and take a break around 3:30, then at 5:00 I’ll sit with a drink and reread what I wrote. I’m trying to cut down on gin and tonic, so it might be mineral water nowadays. [both chuckling]

If it is a warm day I'll sit outside under the umbrella by the pool, or if it's a bit fresh, I'll sit in my comfy chair. I love writing and editing; it doesn’t feel like work to me.

InD: Where is your favorite place to be?

CJA: Probably down by the pool, on a nice day, or up by my study in the wing-back chair in my ofOice. InD: Okay, last question, what is the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you?

Professional, personal, or even both?

CJA: I used to have a little sticky note that said, “Just go there.” I can’t remember where I Oirst saw it or who said it. It basically means don't be afraid. In writing, don't be afraid to take your character into a dark corner or a place where you think you can't write them out of, just go there and see what happens. It might be painful for the character, but the story will be better for it. The saying works in life as well. That bolder side of me telling the shy me to just get out there, be a bit braver and do things even if they’re scary. So it works on both levels.

InD: I think that is absolutely perfect!

By: S.L. Carpenter