Author Interview - C. Marie Mosley

Happy Monday, everyone! Wow. Today, I have another unofficial utopYA author interview for you. I know you're all super duper excited (I am!). After the lovely C. Marie, we only have two more authors in the lineup. Then, it's time for utopYA Con 2015 where you'll get to meet them! If you don't have tickets, you need to get them NOW. We're almost sold out! There is NO more room in the hotel where the con is, and people are scrambling for their tickets. Don't be one of them! Get yours here.

Grab a cup of coffee and let's get rolling on the interview with C. Marie Mosley.

Jo: Welcome to the blog, C. Marie! You’re a difficult lady to stalk online, but I managed to find you in the dark recesses of cyberspace! *grin* Are you ready to get going?

C. Marie: Sorry about that…*eeek* But absolutely! Let’s do this!

Jo: All good. It is useless to resist us. You will be assimilated. *grin* Let’s get to it! So, you write under two names: Christal M. Mosley and C. Marie Mosley. Is there a reason you decided to change your author name? What pros/cons have you faced?

C. Marie: I started out writing under Christal M. Mosley – I thought the initial added a flare…*shrugs* Then, I got picked up by a small press publishing company and they had concerns with the spelling of my first name, that it might be too hard to find me with an oddity spelling. I didn’t really want to change it, so I decided against it. My first book was a young adult urban fantasy novel which I had planned to spin-off into a series. While awaiting the publishing timeline, I started writing a young adult contemporary romance novel – which I also planned to spin-off into a series – but the small press I had signed with wasn’t up for that genre. And because I was super excited, I decided to go the indie route and publish under a different name – mostly, this was to differentiate. C. Marie Mosley took the stage…and it just kind of stuck.

Jo: That's so interesting. It's like fate guided you to make the change. haha! I noticed your Empyreal series has been unpublished. What prompted that move, and do you plan to re-release them at some point?

C. Marie: Yes. The Empyreal series is currently unpublished. I do plan to re-release at some point, though I am not exactly sure when that will be. I have a lot going on in my head right now – different stories, spin-offs, continuations, and revisiting plans for current ones. I plan to revamp Empyreal to its most awesome glory, and one day in the future re-release the first book along with the planned stories that follow. Empyreal is a great series, and I can’t wait to share it in its completion to the world.

Jo: It sounds like an intriguing storyline already. I'm sure it'll only get better. Your Amazon author page only has one of your books on it (not sure if you were aware). But I’ve been reading your Twitter feed and notice you have a new release coming up (I can’t view your website *frown*)! Would you like to share the title (maybe a blurb) and projected release date with my adorable readers?

C. Marie: Yes...and no :/ There are reasons for that vast void, I assure you. The majority of my work is on a temporary hiatus right now. I have a few other projects going on, as well as re-working both series under my belt (Empyreal and Harden Fields). I am hard at work finalizing my current project, and I really wish that I could spare some awesomeness (Because…It. Is. Awesome.) But, I can’t right now due to some finality in the works. As for my website, it is in the process of getting a complete overhaul – something I’m super excited about! But I’m pretty active on Twitter (way more than other social sites), and I post a great deal on there. Also, I post and pin a lot of my current project inspirations on my Pinterest wall – so, everyone can be sure to check those out for updates.

Jo: AAArgh! The secretsees burn us! hehe Seriously, I'm excited to find out what you're working on. You have my interest piqued. What prompted you to start writing Contemporary Romance? What’s your favorite title in that genre so far?

C. Marie: Well, really…I wanted a break from the urban fantasy series I was tangled up in. Every writer feels that sense of, “Oh my gosh…where do I go from here?” And I was there…and quite stuck. I just wanted to do something different and fun, to break away for a while, so I did. I had an idea and I wrote a novel in like seven days (Yes, SEVEN). It wasn’t pretty, but it was ready for a second set of eyes… and soon, it was ready for a third, and so on. After just three weeks, I had a polished novel, This Side of Forever – and I was super proud of it. Like I’d mentioned earlier, I decided to go the indie route with this one. Soon, after its release I began working on a spin-off, Never Say Never. It was released a few months later. I enjoyed writing both stories, and I have been planning more stories to follow along in that series. Again, this series is on a break, but will soon return.

Jo: Wow. Seven days is fast! I'm a quick writer when I'm feeling it, but I think my fastest was eleven days. *bows to C. Marie* That's awesome. Kudos to you, lady! Now, I read that your books got picked up by a publishing agency. Are the novels still with that company? How’s it going/Why not?

C. Marie: Yes, I was picked up by a small press with Empyreal in 2012. But no, I am no longer with that press. Truth be told, I was really green around the gills when it came to the ins and outs of this world – publishing, that is. It happened really quickly. And I was so excited to sign with a publishing press that I didn’t take the time to do my homework or to make sure that we were a fit for each other. I had a lot of offers come in right after I signed with said company, and with many lessons learned, I realized that I jumped a little too quickly into the fire. With a lot of uncertain fates and unparalleled expectancies, we parted ways. All rights have reverted back to me, and I have since decided that I would eventually re-release them in some form or fashion. I still plan to do so, but the time table is still out as to when.

Jo: These answers always interest me. I'd say, out of ten authors who signed with a small press (that I've spoken with), nine have backed out within a year. *shrugs* Perhaps I'll do a piece on that. Anyway! Rapid-fire question time! Peanuts or popcorn?

C. Marie: Both. *thinks about Cracker Jacks*

Jo: Blue or Green?

C. Marie: Both. Blue-green.

Jo: Romance or Sci-Fi?

C. Marie: Both. More Nicholas Sparks, than Alien. But I love Star Wars! *grins*

Jo: You may be the most indecisive person ever! hehe! Never bad to love all the things! *winks* Now, we move into the time travel question of the interview. *grins* This one is from stuff I’ve gathered through my research, so brace yourself. Haha! If you could go back in time and inhabit a persona for one week, would it be Jane Austen or Audrey Hepburn? What would you hope to learn from your time? Is there anything you’d do/change?

C. Marie: Wow. Tough one. I love Jane Austen and her works. Her wit and literary genius astounds me. (Can you tell I’m a fan?) And Audrey Hepburn is…just amazing. A humanitarian, a talented actress, a fashion icon…beauty, brains, and personality to match. (Also, a fan.) Both are incredible icons, each equally as talented and remarkable in their own light. So…with all of that said, I can’t choose. I just can’t – in fact, I won’t. I’ll just have to split the trip in half. Besides, I like to travel.

Jo: I'm rolling on the floor laughing. I made that question difficult on purpose. haha! You’re an avid reader in addition to being a writer (aren’t we all?). I saw that you’re reading something like seven books at once right now. Which one do you think you’ll finish first and why?

C. Marie: Actually, that’s just what I have listed on my Goodreads. I’m actually in the middle of like ten. I’ve always got a book in my hand – whether it’s tangible or electronic. Why do I jump around to different books? I don’t know; I’ve always done that. My ADHD kicks in, I guess. Though I read all of the time, there have only been a number of books to really consume me enough to hold me to one at a given time. It takes a super strong tag and unbelievable pull for me to get so engrossed in a book that I’m there for the duration (a couple of hours). The Fault in Our Stars was that for me – two hours and a box of tissues later, I was like, “That was the best book EVER.”

Jo: Yup. Same here. Must read more than one at a time. I hear you’re a huge Austen fan and you have your own Mr. Darcy. Tell us what prompted the comparison?

C. Marie: I do, I do. If you met him, you’d see it the comparison is spot on. Confident, proud, honest, quite easy on the eyes, keeps his heart in check…but only one love (me, of course) was ever able to reach the side of him that no one else gets to see. We complement each other perfectly. Again, when spending time with the two of us, you can totally see this. Pride and Prejudice, Darcy and Lizzie, me and mine…the comparison is quite similar, if not completely parallel. I did, in fact, find my own Mr. Darcy…and I love, I love, I love him.

“In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” – Jane Austen (Yeah, he said something quite like this…but it was more like the Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen version.)



Jo: Awwwwwww! That's so sweet. What a lucky couple you two are! Well, that’s all the time I have for today! Is there anything I didn’t ask that you wish I had?

C. Marie: I love my readers, and I love what I do! You guys are so awesome…and patient. Wonderful and new adventures are coming soon, so be on the lookout – great things, lovable characters and page-turning scenarios are on their way! Jo, thank you so much for having me!

Jo: It was a pleasure! I can’t wait to see you at utopYA! We’re gonna have so much fun!

While your fingers are in the clicking mode, why not give Ms. Mosley a follow on every social media platform I could think of when writing up the template for these interviews (plus some)?

Pinterest: C. Marie Mosley
Blog: C. Marie Mosley
Twitter: @CMarieMosley
Goodreads: C. Mosley
Website: www.cmariemosley.com

If you have any questions, pop them into the comments below. C. Marie will be around to answer and/or respond!

Well, that’s all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo