One of my favorite places in the country has long been the Pacific Northwest, and even though I moved away from the area many years ago, whenever I get the opportunity to travel back in that direction, I take it--even if it is in the form of a blog entry. This week's author guest in My Writing Corner is C.E. Brown who has lived most of her life in the Northwest, close to her family and friends. She says she loves to travel and is always searching for magical places to help inspire her creativity.
What do you find is the most challenging part of being an author?
Finding enough time to do everything. Most people believe being an author just means writing a book, but there is so much more. There is developmental editing, copy editing, querying, creating a website, doing a newsletter, setting up Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs), creating and engaging in social media, publishing, etc. All while writing the next book (and often multiple next books in different stages at the same time). Most of us have full-time jobs and families as well. While exciting, it can be exhausting too.
How do you develop characters?
I spend time getting to know them. I don’t just write out their goals and motivations, but I also explore what clothes they like to wear, how they talk, their favorite subjects, hobbies, things they are good at, things that scare them, who they are close to, etc. Do I get ideas from people I know or run into? Absolutely! The cat in Seeing Gray has a lot of inspiration from my late cat, Casper, who was an amazing escape artist. Ideas are everywhere, we just need to open our eyes and ears and pay attention.
Tell us about your road to publication.
I’ve always loved writing, but was unfocused. When COVID hit, I suddenly had two extra hours a day since I no longer had to commute to work. I decided to use that time to write. I wrote three books before I was convinced by a friend to submit my latest book, Seeing Gray, to the PNWA Unpublished Young Adult contest. I placed third and was thrilled. When I went to the PNWA Conference, it came with a free pitch, and I pitched to an acquisitions editor with The Wild Rose Press. They asked to see more, and after seeing the full book, gave me an offer for publication. Since then, it has been a roller coaster of new things to learn, but I love it and am so excited to be on this journey!
What is your book that will be featured today and how did you come up with the idea to write it?
My featured book, Seeing Gray, is a YA Urban Fantasy. I work in schools and enjoy writing about teens and wanted to make sure I touched on topics in my book that aren’t always talked about, like losing a loved one. Zoey, the main character in Seeing Gray, is drawn into the magical world by grief and her need for vengeance against the demon who killed her mother. It’s a world she’d always wanted to be a part of, but was kept hidden from by her parents. Once I had that main idea, I worked on brainstorming more ideas until I had an outline for my story. I used to be a pantser (I didn’t do any prep work first), but I’ve changed my writing style. I now loosely map out the entire book before writing, but I let my characters take me in new directions if they choose.
Celestials have been killing Seers for centuries, as prophesy states that a Seer will overthrow Celestial rule. Worried for Zoey’s safety, her parents forbid her from registering as a Seer and interacting with the Celestials, Fae, and Demons who hide among humankind. Zoey is forced to wear a necklace that hides magic from her and conceals her magic from them.
Witness to her mother’s murder at the hands of a Demon, Zoey vows to track down her mother's killer and make him pay. Embracing her magic, Zoey is brought deeper into the mythical world by an unlikely ally and wonders if perhaps her parents were right to keep her out of it.
Will she avenge her mother’s death, or will she meet the same untimely fate?
How about a quick excerpt?
My heart stopped. Hidden in the shadows was a large shape. No, not large—massive. Hunched over, it was a tight fit under the bridge. The two yellow eyes were set in a mud-brown face with a huge potato nose. Floppy ears topped the head, and an immense belly protruded, as well as two curved tusks. I opened my mouth to say something, and no sound came. I swallowed. A low growl came from under the bridge, shaking the ground I was sitting on. I slipped and slid a few feet before catching myself, my side now covered in mud and my foot stuck in a squelching pile of goo. I hoped it was mud. It smelled awful. I somehow had kept hold of my notebook, but my pencil was long gone. I scrambled up the hill half crawling, fingers digging into the grass, terror making me shake. When I was at the top of the hill, I ducked back under the fence and then stopped, notebook pressed to my chest, and waited. No sounds came from behind me. Hands trembling, I shoved my notebook into my bag, grateful it had remained slung over my shoulder.
No pursuit, no more growls. Should I go back? I debated, but the growl made me think that might be a bad idea. He or she had clearly not wanted me there. Was I breaking some sort of rule and invading its territory? The troll had just appeared. Had they come through a portal? Maybe they were just passing through.
So, trolls. They exist. Check. I’d have to draw it when I got home and record what I knew. God, I wish I wasn’t such a scaredy-cat. Before Mom died, the sight of the troll wouldn’t have terrified me. I used to love to See strange creatures when I caught a glimpse. Now, anything larger than a cat sent my heart racing into overdrive and made me break out in a cold sweat. Not a full-blown panic attack, but close. Damn it. Gritting my teeth, I reached into my bag and grabbed the brownie I’d saved from lunch. Everyone liked brownies, right? I ducked under the fence, put my bag on the ground, and crept back down the hill.
What’s your next project or what are you working on now?
My book, Seeing Gray, can be read alone, but will be part of a trilogy. I’m currently working on edits for book two in the trilogy and the first draft of book three. I hope readers will be as excited to continue Zoey’s journey as I am to write it. I’m also working on a middle grade fantasy book. My son, who is in elementary school and wasn't allowed to read Seeing Gray, asked me if I would write a book for him about a troll and his dog, so I wrote a book called Taming Trouble, which I am working on querying to literary agents.
What advice do you have for beginning writers?
First, writing is a marathon, not a sprint. Once you think you’ve got it, there are twelve more things to learn. Take everything a day at a time and know that everyone’s timeline is different, and that’s okay. My first book, Assassin’s Trade (Seeing Gray was the third book I wrote), took me over a decade to write and will probably never see the light of day, but I learned so much from that experience. Take the time you need to do your best work and don’t worry about everyone else. Second, your first draft likely won’t be a masterpiece and will require a lot of editing. Don’t worry, that is normal. There will be time to improve your book, but you can’t fix what’s not there. And finally, find your writing tribe. They will be there with you for the learning, the struggling, the good days and the bad. Writing can be tough and it’s important to connect with the writing community and be there to support each other (don’t worry, a lot of us are introverts too).
Here are the buy links for Seeing Gray and C.E.'s contact information:
Buy links:
Social contact information:
Email: ce@cebrownauthor.com
Thank you, C.E. for being my guest today. Any questions or comments for C.E.?
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