C.V. has just released her first book, “Ash to Embers”. I took the opportunity to ask her to join me for some Q & A right away because, you know, we paranormal romance authors gotta stick together. Our characters fall in love, and stay in love, under very, er, interesting circumstances. Lucky for me, and you, Tian and Sio are no exception. In fact, Sio sees Tian (though he doesn’t know it’s her at the time) naked, in a fireplace (yes, a fireplace), in the first chapter. Where do they go from there? I had to know. I just had to.

http://www.amazon.com/Embers-Courting-Shadows-C-V-Larkin-ebook/dp/B00JZANZ26/ref=la_B00K6VETD2_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1399926234&sr=1-1

C.V.’s Facebook Fan Page gave me some happy chills when I read this – “Enter a world beneath perception. Live long enough to enjoy your stay, and please remember, villainy is a matter of perspective.”

Villainy is a matter of perspective? If my appetite was wet before, now I need a bib.

I’m honored to ask C.V. some questions so that we can all get to know her better. She inspires me with her creativity, warmth, and courage. Some of you know what it’s like to share controversial writing with family and friends. That moment when someone in your family says that you write something they used to (we hope) consider porn…is not for the timid. So, what did she say? Read on.

 

Gina: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

C.V.: Truthfully? It was about half way through Ash to Embers. There’s a little inky scribbling here and there, and then there’s dedication to making a living as a storyteller. I don’t think I fell into the latter category until I realized I had something to say; until I realized that I was irrevocably and obsessively in love with the Courting Shadows world and everyone in it.

 

Gina: What are some of your favorite parts of “Ash to Embers”?

C.V.: The characters. Always the characters. I am forever in awe of them. For me, getting to really know a character is like getting to know a stranger in confessional. They tell you things good and bad, because they want you to really see them and understand; to write them with dignity. It’s absolutely never a what you see is what you get sort of proposition. No one is.

 

Gina: Do you have any advice for writers who are just starting out?

C.V.: Don’t be shy with your passions. Write what you love. Always strive to improve your craft. And “On Writing” by Stephen King is still the best book about writing that I’ve ever owned.

 

Gina: When can we expect another Courting Shadows Chronicles release? Again with the bib. This is getting embarrassing, C.V.

C.V.: You’re incredibly kind. Book 2, “Silver and Dust” should be out in April 2015, but there will be plenty of interesting things in store for readers on my website, http://www.cvlarkin.com/ in the coming months.

 

Gina: Complete this sentence in your own words – The best things in life are ______.

C.V.: Fey

 

Gina: What are some things you wish everyone knew?

C.V.: I want so badly to talk about The Progeny, Royal and Xavier, here, but…spoilers. They’ll each get their own book.

 

Gina: Where did the idea for “Ash to Embers” come from?

C.V.: Nocturnal wanderings, a childhood obsession with Faeries, and this strange feeling that I’m lucky enough to catch a glimpse through the curtain at the Courting Shadows hidden world. It’s worth sharing.

 

Gina: Who, and or what, have inspired you to be the inspiring person you are today?

C.V.: I’m lucky to have wonderful family and friends who inspire me daily, but beyond that, I am and always have been deeply inspired by good storytelling in all of its guises. I binge on TV shows, watch ridiculous numbers of movies, get embroiled in existential conversations with artists whenever possible, and immerse myself in music of all genres. I read everything I can get my hands on. I’m actively searching, I think. I want to feel it.

 

Gina: We share a love for paranormal romance. What was your first PNR?

C.V. Oh boy, we’re going back a ways. It’s entirely possible that it was “Guilty Pleasures” by Laurell K. Hamilton.

 

Gina: My friends and I all need more time to read, and most of us feel that house chores are the most unwelcome usurper of our precious reading time. Can you help us out with a magickal solution to house chores?

C.V. I am told that Pixies have a deep abiding love for Cream Puffs and can, on occasion, be bribed into cleaning. The downside is they’ll drink your booze, mess with your preset stations, and shiny bits and ends will go missing only to reappear covered in pigeon feathers.

 

Thank you so much for joining us here on www.ginabriganti.com today. It has been illuminating! I limited myself to ten questions, as I always do, but I have so many more. I’d love to have you come back for another ten sometime.

C.V. is a generous soul and will be giving away an e-book copy of “Ash to Embers” to one lucky reader who does these three things: like her Facebook Fan Page, follow her on Twitter https://twitter.com/cv_larkin, and leave us a comment letting us know you did.

The winner will be announced in one week, on 5/19/14.  Good luck!

More about C.V. Larkin:  C.V. Larkin lives in an odd, well wintered, little corner of New England with her husband and their dog that is not a dog, and one that should have been a dragon. There, she drinks copious amounts…of tea, obsesses over imaginary worlds, listens to deafeningly loud music, renovates on a timetable that would put the Winchester Mansion to shame, and steals away to unexplored places whenever the opportunity presents itself.