Interview with Christina M.

Weeelcome back, everyone, for another interview!

If you want eight words to describe Christina, try sci-fi, magic, adventure, romance, and insanely-immersing dialogue-writing author.
That's her.
She manages a myriad of genres with the balance of a Cirque De Soleil funambulist, she writes with the mind of a fox, an owl, and a kitten all combined together, plus, she's not afraid to let people take her writing and smash it up with red pens.  Christina and I first began talking about stories in Sunday evening nursery, believe it or not, when I was writing my story on the back of a bulletin while rocking a baby, and, ever since then, she's been a faithful editor and wonderful writing friend who totally gets all the small nuances and complaints of an author's life.  Even outside of writing, Christiana is just a joy to be around, and she really "oozes Jesus", if you will.
Other than that, well, I'll let Christina talk for herself.  :)

What books have you written/are writing?
Get ready.  The list is long.

• The Resented - Christian thriller/ horror.  (The most horrible thing you will ever read.  Never read this, or you will regret it and laugh at me and think I need the gospel.)

• The Blood Books - High fantasy.  (Restoring fallen kingdoms.)

• Defiance - Action adventure, young adult. (Slaves fighting for their freedom.)

• Rage - Urban fantasy. (Modern day wizards.)

• The Job - Supernatural crime series.  (Ghosts.)

• Wayward - Supernatural thriller, romance.  (Vampires.)

• Showpiece - Sci-fi, action adventure, romance.  (Spaceships.)

• The Exodus - Scifi, horror. (Spaceships and aliens.)

• Ten Year Jump - Sci-fi, romance. (Time travel.)

• Breath - Sci-fi. (Androids meets humanity.)

• Space Sirens - Sci-fi, fantasy. (Space ships meet wizards.)

And there are probably a few I’m forgetting about.

Where do you find most of your inspiration?
Boredom and dreams.  Resented, The Blood Books, and Defiance were almost entirely written while I should have been listening to my teachers in school.  Though they are all complete, the latest draft of Defiance was at least written outside the classroom.  The Exodus and Showpiece were inspired by dreams, and the rest were probably spawned from prompts that I received online but took on a life of their own.

When did you first start writing?
The lightbulb for writing finally turned on when I was fifteen, but I’ve always loved stories.  I’ve always loved make believe and used to make up stories in my head ever since I can remember.

Do you have a favorite/least favorite word?
Favorite - love.
Least favorite - lust.
People often confuse these in writing (as well as life), and I really like to use my stories to draw the clear lines of what each look like.  One is hard to do and often doesn’t look like what you would expect it to look like.  It comes in many forms that are just amazing to explore.  The other is often mistaken for something it isn’t, always has consequences, though sometimes delayed, and in the end destroys who we were really meant to be.  I love using my characters to illustrate the difference between the two, and I don’t always use romance to do this.  Sometimes, it’s in the family and friendships that we learn what true love really is!

Do you have a favorite character (from your stories)?
DAMIEN.  (No last name.)  Damien is from The Blood Books.  He was the first love interest I ever wrote, and his character has kept its integrity over the many years that I’ve written him.  He’s not soft spoken, but many think he’s mute because he speaks so little.  (But because he’s one of the main characters, you pretty much get to see him every time he does talk, lol.)  Due to injuries he incurred as a child-slave, he has a severe stuttering problem around most people.  However, he doesn’t consider himself a victim and would most likely slap you silly (unless you were a lady) if you tried to make him into one.  He’s one of my favorites to write, especially in his childhood.

Do you have a favorite character (from any novel)?
Not just a favorite character but a few and most of the time, they’re not the main character.  They’re a side character who seems so unimportant but end up shaping and changing the MC’s character in the best possible ways.  They have morals.  They work hard.  They might not always seem perfect at first, but the more you get to know them, the more you respect them and realize how important they really are.  They’re the Molly Weasleys, Sirius Blacks, Kenspeckle Grouts, Ghastly Bespokes, the Samwise Gamgees, Merrys, and Pippins!  The list goes on and on, and, if I had time, I’d go through each book I’ve ever read and tell you them all.  (These are just from Harry Potter, Skullduggery Pleasant, and LOTR.)

When you get writer's block, what do you do?
Listen to music OR read a devotional.  I get so many character ideas by realizing my own flaws in my own character.  I often like to put Christian principles into my story, so this actually really helps me direct my characters into their proper positions in the stories I write.

Have you ever considered naming one of your future children after a story character?  If so, which character from which novel?
HAHAH, NOPE.  I mean, I love all the names I’ve chosen for my characters but I know my husband would hate all those names, which is why I use them for fiction.  XD  I’m sure there are a few exceptions, like Emily, Ashley, and Peter...but I’ve got a fair many “strange” names as my husband calls them.  Names like Colt, Riley, Jettem, Sal, Hayden, Peyton, Landon, Damien, Wesley...etc.

Write on!
Clove