Did you manage to read this month's CSR Feature, In His Image, by ChromedOutCortex? It was very short, under 4k, so you can also go read it now! Be sure to share your thoughts on the story below, after you also check out my interview with this month's featured author! 

Chocolate or Vanilla?

** Vanilla, then you can pile on whatever you want. 🙂

If you were an animal, what would you be?

** Wild horse - they run free, not worried about what's around the corner, exploring their environment at their own pace.

What’s one location you’d love to visit to research for a story?

** Great question; I haven't really thought about this as I'm so content where I am and travelling within the country. I'm close to my ex and our kids, my partner is close by -- it's really an ideal situation to be in. But if I had to go somewhere, I'd love to relocate to Canadas' West Coast.

What’s something personal about you people might be surprised to know?

** Dad to two amazing adult kids (F18, M20). Also, I have an embarrassing memory from grade school that still makes me cringe. There was a popular, cute guy in school, and I could recognize him just by his backside. One day, I thought I’d strike up a conversation with him at the water fountain. I blurted out, ‘Save some water for the fish!’ He turned around—and it wasn’t him. I’ve never moved so fast in my life!

What brought you to GA? 

** I was posting on Reddit, but wanted to share my writing with more people and engage with them more. Reddit is great, so many people -- but like most social media, most are simply scrolling from one post to another. It's difficult to capture their attention. I also want to continually learn from other more established writers/authors and see what others are writing about.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

** Ideas! There are lots around us, but taking one and putting it into words can be a challenge. Sometimes something comes to me in the middle of the night, and I force myself to get-up and write. Other times, I can stare at the screen for hours at one line an I'm a complete blank. The idea is in my head, I've planned it all out like watching a movie, but when I start writing... nothing comes out.

What’s the best part of being an author?

** Being able to expose yourself, without exposing yourself. I've always felt that a writer (I find it so hard to call myself an author... am I an author? Imposter syndrome at its worst) writes about things important to them—about challenges they’ve faced and overcome, or maybe not overcome. I like to write about my own experiences, as well as the experiences of those I see around me, to provide an alternative perspective. When I read other stories, some are pure fiction or fantasy, but I often wonder how much of the author is in that story. What message are they trying to convey? What part of their soul did they pour into those words? It’s fascinating to think about, and it’s something I hope readers might ponder when they read my work.

Sometimes in stories, you can see the message clearly, but other times you have to read between the lines—it’s complex. I think I like those types of stories best, the ones where you have to really think about the message. They stay with you long after you’ve finished reading, challenging you to reflect and see the world in a new way.

What lead you to explore the angle of religious conflict with coming out in In His Image?

** I come from a "mixed religious family". We never really grew up with religion. My mom, sort-of practiced and some things just stuck with me over the years. As I thought more and more about my roots, I read more about others in similar situations, I wanted to explore how religion can shape your identity and your feelings. On one hand, you've been brought up with deep ties to your faith and community, but you're told to behave in a certain way because faith doesn't align with who you are -- but this causes an internal conflict with who you are. What do you do? Do you give up your religion? Do you learn to coexist? It's hard to do both, and it's also hard to do neither. Along with this you're trying to fit into society as a whole.

Do you have a favorite scene or line from the story?

** Does God make broken people? Haven’t we been created in His image? Having gone through life doubting who I was (and sometimes, am—causes tremendous mental struggles), I remember hearing this from friends who were more religious than I ever was. While I always knew I was gay, I suppressed those feelings until I couldn’t. It’s a question that still lingers in my mind, a reflection of the internal conflict between faith (even though I was never religious), identity, and self-acceptance.

Could you share anything about your current or upcoming work with readers?  

** So many ideas!  I'm working on a murder mystery, but it's slowly getting out of hand. Dozens of characters, world building, character building, several places within the world, trying to build an intricate web between characters and situations while maintaining some mystery about what it all means. Besides this, I'm trying to focus on shorter stories that are easy to read and perhaps allow the reader to pause and think about what they have and to cherish that. I wouldn't say that I am trying to moralize anything, but often we look past what we have and only realize it later in life.