Have you downloaded your March Signature Background? If not, there's still time and you can do so, here. Cia's always asking everyone else the questions, and now it was time for the tables to be turned. Hope you enjoy this little question and answer session with Cia!
Author Interview: Cia on Two of a Kind
Do you eat your fruits and vegetables?
Some more than others.
I love raw baby spinach and bananas. I even like combining them in smoothies. Don’t knock it til you try it! Add some almond milk, a tablespoon of peanut butter, milled flax seeds, and ice and you have a very filling—and good for you—breakfast.
What are you wearing? (no lying )
Jeans, black shirt with rolled up black/white striped cuffed sleeves and one of my hubby’s black hoodies, with the hood up to avoid the sun coming in through the big living room window. It burns!!!
Are you a person who makes their bed in the morning, or do you not see much point?
Gotta make the bed. We have a California king waterbed, and it’s heated. Year round we have a soft blanket, bottom sheet, top sheet, Egyptian cotton blanket, and 2 handmade quilts. Hubby likes it cold in the room, and I like to be warm when sleeping, so that’s our compromise.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Dedication. I swear, if I could just make myself focus for 1-2 hours a day on nothing but writing, I’d have so much more done.
Do you have any writing rituals?
Not really. I tend to fly by the seat of my pants. Music via ear buds helps me drown out my 2 monsters if they’re home while I’m writing, but I might listen to country or rock or pop, depending on my mood and how close I am to muzzling them if I don’t block their inane chatter and bickering.
What brought you to Gay Authors?
A story I’d had recommended to me, Beloved by Don H. After that, I made my way through the Hosted. Eventually, I joined up because I wanted to yell at Lugh to finish Vega-5. Lol
What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?
I once had a reader I respected tell me they were critiquing the way I write by comparing it to the work of a high school student, without sharing any examples. Later, I asked them for specifics and was told it was the disturbing content of the story more than my writing that bothered them—even though that was clearly stated as not part of the critique. It felt unfounded. I love critical feedback, because not everyone loves everything and we all have room to grow, but I also like a reason why someone feels a certain way about something I’ve written. Without that, the information is about as useless as tits on a boar.
The best compliment I’ve heard a few variations on but the first time, a reader told me they’d stayed up most of the night to read one of my stories twice in a row because they enjoyed it so much. I’ve had some eBooks suck me in like that, and I know just how amazing I thought they were. That someone felt that way about my work was very gratifying, and continues to be as well.
How did you come up with the idea of the Carthera?
I was reading a werewolf story, and my cat curled up on my shoulder. I rested my face against him, and he began to purr. It felt soft, warm, and soothing. I wanted to replicate that feeling in a character. I’d written a small bird Carthera hetero story once, but hadn’t really nailed down the mythos other than part person/part Clan animal. It just sort of flowed onto the page after that though.
In “Two of a Kind”, did the characters or the plot come to you first?
I knew I wanted to do two rare cats. I was working in Photoshop on some fire photos and saw the black cat faces in the charcoal that blended perfectly into what I could envision as a temple. And where do we still find hidden cities and temples? The jungle. Thus, Bashta’s ancestral temple in the Amazon was born into being, and then Cavel entered the jungle to look for something—anything—that might save his Clan. The rest is history.
What’s your favorite part of “Two of a Kind”?
Definitely the visual of the temple. I love that sort of thing in paranormal stories.
How much research did you have to do while writing “Two of a Kind”?
Tons. I had to figure out all the plants and animals from the jungle, so I looked all that up, with images and multiple sources. I had to figure out flying times from Brazil to California, then driving and flying times from the main airport to the small town I set as Cavel’s Clan home. Medical stuff comes easier, but also refreshed my memory on creating vaccines from immune individuals to combat disease. I usually spend just as much time researching—sometimes more—than I do the actual writing. For instance, it took me 2 hours to determine the type of flower, the superstitious meaning by locals, and the possible sizes and color variations for one of the flowers set in a carving. That element came into play in 3 paragraphs of the story.
Which Carthera character would you say is your favorite? (even if it’s not from ToaK)
Oh, definitely Davis Retic, The Snake himself, from Hypnotic. I don’t care to handle them, but I find snakes to be very elegant, yet often singularly reviled, yet solitary creatures. I really wanted to incorporate all that into my next story, especially after I introduced the Snakes as such negative creatures in Bonds Unbroken, the first Carthera story in this trilogy. I think Cap, from Escaping the Pain, was a big ole sweetheart, too!
What are you working on now?
Well, a secret project which I shall not divulge to anyone. Sorry! I’m also writing and posting updates each week to both my not-very steampunk-but kinda-steampunk flash fiction story posted every Wednesday with my off-site Briefers group (Fortitude) as well as the third novel in my Saving Caeorleia sci-fi series (Cosmic Inception). I think my next short story will be a continuation of a very short story I wrote for a contest in a Queer Science Fiction group I joined on Facebook. You can read First Contact here:
The wall burst open. I trembled, retreating to my corner.
“Hey.”
I huddled into a ball. Men! Where did they come from? Earth was so far away.
“We found another, Zeke.” One crouched down, creeping closer. Another man came in, and I cringed. They were too close. “What’s his file say?”
The new one looked at the square device my captors always carried. “Species deprivation for asexual reprogramming.”
“Sadistic bastards. How long?”
“Seven years, Captain.” The men cursed and stared. I wanted them to stop looking at me like that. “He’s barely eighteen. He was just a kid—still is.”
“You speak? Can you understand me?” Captain was so close I could smell him. Spicy, with a whiff of the scent I got after waking up screaming. It’d been so long. The aliens smelled different, bitter and cold, and they never came into my room.
No touching.
“I won’t hurt you. Understand?”
I shook my head, sure the green ones were testing me again.
“Sure you do. We’ll get you out of here.” Captain reached out slowly.
“No,” I whimpered. I’d never be free. They’d told me, over and over. Even if I wanted to—
“Just grab him.”
“After what they’ve done? No. He has to decide, if he has any chance of recovery.”
“Don’t got all day, Captain. Reinforcements are coming.”
“Keep looking. I’ll stay here.” Alone now, Captain smiled at me.
I gasped. They’d wiped out most of my memory, but I remembered smiles. And hugs—before they gave me away. Before I’d been turned into an experiment.
“You’re safe.” Captain’s hand ghosted above my arm, so close. So warm. I gasped. The never-ending need, forced down so deep, overflowed. Unable to stop, I launched forward, huddling into Captain’s gentle arms.
I shivered, my heart racing. “Out. Please.”
) 
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