AP CASTELL INTERVIEWS...
Author - CJ Archer
Today I have
the pleasure of interviewing the lovely CJ Archer about her riveting paranormal
series, ‘The Emily Chambers Spirit Medium Trilogy’. Book 1 -THE MEDIUM is available in EBook and Paperback. Book 2 - POSSESSION is out now.
Hi CJ and
welcome to The Romantic Muse (TRM). I am
sure you must be excited about the recent release of ‘Possession’?
Thanks for having me, Anna. Yes, I'm absolutely
excited to be releasing POSSESSION. This is my first time writing a trilogy,
and although it's been an interesting exercise in juggling plot threads over
three books, it's hugely satisfying too.
I am
curious, how did you come to be writing paranormals or more specifically about
mediums?
I love ghosts and have always been fascinated with
them. Maybe it stems from my love of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir movie, or from
telling ghost stories with my brother around the campfire as kids. I also have
a fascination for history and there's so many old buildings that have ghosts
associated with them. I just adore hearing their stories, not only of their
hauntings, but also who they were when they were alive.
‘The Medium’
is full of twists, turns and great nail biting scenes. What can we expect in the
second book and will there be any surprises?
Loads of surprises! Not only do we learn more about
Emily's father, but also her paternal ancestry. Another family member she
didn't know she had pops up too. There is also a shocking revelation about the
reason behind Jacob's death. The relationship between Emily and Jacob heats up
too, but another gentleman complicates matters.
The
relationship between Emily and Jacob is potent. I love the scene with Aunt
Catherine and later with Jacob’s father. It is steeped in emotion. Jacob is charmingly protective; every girl’s
knight in shining armour. If you haven’t already guessed, Jacob is my favourite
character. I was cheering him on all the
way. From ‘The Medium’ who is your favourite
character and why?
I'm glad you like Jacob so much. He's the guy I want
in my corner, that's for sure. But I think my favourite character is Emily.
She's had to battle against some strong society prejudices but I think that has
toughened her enough that she's learned to stand up for herself. I can't help
cheering for her.
Will all the
main characters be making an appearance in ‘Possession’? You mentioned Jacob is
returning.
Absolutely! This is very much Jacob AND Emily's story,
so all three books will feature them, but the path ahead is a bumpy one for
them. Plus there'll be George, Celia, Adelaide and a few others we met in THE
MEDIUM.
When I write,
it is my characters that guide me through the story, revealing their feelings
and motivations along the way. How do
your stories come to fruition and have you ever discovered something that
surprised you about a character?
I usually plot out the story before I write, and
although I tweak it as I need to, sometimes things happen that completely take
me by surprise but add a new layer to the story. This happened with Emily's
character. When I started writing THE MEDIUM, I knew there would be a cloud
over her father's identity, but I didn't know she had a non-Anglo background.
She appeared on the page as a feisty young woman with darkish skin, brown eyes
and dark, wavy hair. This is something I've explored more in POSSESSION.
What are the
challenges of writing a series of this type?
Remembering what I wrote in earlier books! LOL. Even
though I kept a folder with information on characters, places, and the
paranormal "rules" I'd created, I still found myself forgetting who
knew what information, and other small events in the story. The other main
challenge was simply juggling all the plot threads over three books, and making
sure they got their own "air time" without being left behind or
taking over. It was the most difficult thing I've ever written, but immensely
satisfying too.
Can you
share with us what you’re current WIP is about?
I'm currently editing book 3 of the Emily Chambers
Spirit Medium trilogy. It's tentatively titled EVERMORE, and will be released
in December.
What are you
reading at the moment?
I have two books on the go at the moment - Wool by
Hughe Howey, a dystopian sci-fi which has just been optioned by movie giant
Ridley Scott's company, and The Ugly Duchess by Eloisa James. You probably
couldn't get two more different books, but that just goes to show my eclectic
reading tastes.
Is there anything you would like to share with us about your writing
journey or a piece of advice for aspiring writers? That would be great.
Wear your heart on your
sleeve when you write. Think about what makes you cry, laugh, angry, sad, or
just plain curious? Put those elements into your writing then wrench the
emotions out of your reader with your fabulous word usage.
Thank you for your inspiring words, CJ and all the very best success
with the release of ‘Possession’.
Thank you.
The purchasing links for all CJ’s books can be found on her website's Books page: http://cjarcher.com/cjs-books/
Website: http://www.cjarcher.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cjarcher.writes
Twitter: @cj_archer
C.J.
Archer has loved history and books for as long as she can remember and feels
fortunate that she found a way to combine the two with her historical romances.
Under her other name of Carolyn Scott, she has published contemporary short
stories in women's magazines on two continents including Take A Break, Woman's
Day and That's Life.
She has at various times
worked as a librarian, IT support person and technical writer but in her heart
has always been a fiction writer. She has won and placed in romance writing
contests including winning RWAustralia's Emerald Award in 2008 for the
manuscript which she went on to self-publish under the title Honor Bound.
C.J. spent her early
childhood in the dramatic beauty of outback Queensland, Australia, but now lives
in suburban Melbourne with her husband and two children.
