Thursday, October 16, 2014

In The Hot Seat With H.C. today is C.V. Madison




Welcome , please tell my readers a little about yourself :-)                


Bio: C.V. Madison  is a licensed massage therapist, author, feminist and gamer full of schadenfreude pie and Mountain Dew. She pens urban fantasy, horror and steampunk with a side of heavy romance. Her characters are straight, LGBTQIA  and some shades not on the spectrum. She has been published in both fiction and non-fiction anthologies.
Through the month of November, she can be found in local coffee houses, over caffeinated and armed with her trusty laptop as she strives to bang out 50,000 words in 30 days for  National Novel Writer's Month. She serves as a Municipal Liaison for Columbus, Ohio.
C.V. does book reviews for the  Yeah Books! blog  and  Masquerade Crew  as well as hosting book tours with  Ally Nation. She also writes for the  Caffeine Crew  and is a member of the  D20 Girls.  She often procrastinates  on  Twitter.


Q:  Can you tell our readers a little about your writing? What genres do you enjoy writing?
I write primarily romance, but it comes in the form of fantasy, horror and steampunk. Although I've been known to do contemporary and most of my work has been LGBTQIA. I guess the best word would be “eclectic”.
Q:  Do you write on a schedule or when the Muse decides?
I try to write a little bit every day. Sometimes life doesn't let that happen.
Q: Can you tell us about your writing process, for example, do you write an outline first?
I used to be a pantser, but recently I've found myself plotting a little more. I often get a brilliant idea for an opening scene and write from there until I'm exhausted. Then I go through and plot out the rest.
Q:  What qualities do you instill in your heroes?
That varies from hero to hero. The hero of my contemporary The Layover is a kinky, saucy boy. The hero of With Proper Maintenance is a neat freak with big shoes to fill.
Q. Coffee or tea?
Since working in an indie coffeehouse, I love my coffee. Especially Blue Mountain coffee. However, I've been drinking a lot more tea lately.
Q. Beach or countryside?
Beach. No questions asked. As long as it's warm and sunny.
Q. Do you write about the places you know or prefer to take your readers to exotic places?
I haven't written many of the places I know. I've visited Chicago. I'd like to set something in Toronto, but we'll see what happens there.
Q: Where do you get your inspiration?
Random ideas pop into my head. Sometimes they come from dreams. Sometimes from story prompts. And sometimes I read a book and go, “Cool concept, but I'd rather do it this way.”
Q: Would you change anything in your life to make writing easier.
I've made changes in my life so writing is easier. I suffer with anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder. Without getting into all the symptoms, getting help has made writing much easier.
Q: We have all suffered submission rejections. How do you cope? Do you have any advice to other writers on coping with rejection?
I've been incredibly lucky. I've only gotten three rejection letters so far and all of the advice given was pretty spot on. I coped by joining a crit group to get better. The better you are, the less rejection letters you'll get.
I offer the same advice with rejection as I do with taking critique. Read the rejection. Put the letter or email away for a week. Then go back and read it again. Often the sting is out of it by then and you can make real progress in making the changes that need to be done.
Q: What do you like to read and who are your favourite authors?
I really like Laura Anne Gilman and her Retriever series. I really liked Orson Scott Card's Ender saga. And Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay does emotion like nobody else. I also really like Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Q: Do you write one novel at a time or do you move between works in progress?
If I have a submission call for something pressing, I jump between. If not, I usually stick with one at a time, but I often get ideas in the middle of a novel for another work I've been doing and sometimes pause to jot a scene or two.
Q: Do you have times when the Muse is away on holiday?
Most certainly. I've had a recent three month hiatus. Although I call all my characters who are clamouring for attention my “muses”, so maybe that's not an accurate answer. My characters are always with me. Inspiration, however, is sometimes not.
Q. What motivates you to write?
I have a head full of characters who insist their stories be told. I also enjoy the outlet of pouring words onto a page. It's very cathartic.
Q. What advice would you give to unpublished authors approaching an e publisher?
Write. Revise. Get someone published to crit your work. Revise again. Your friends and family, as much as they love you, are your cheerleaders, not your peers. You need someone who can give you hard advice on what you've written before those dreaded rejection letters come in.
Q: Is there anything you would like to share with us about upcoming releases?
I wrote a post apocalyptic ninja short story that is slated for publication. No release date yet, but I'm pretty excited. I'd like to do a novel from the short story.
Q: Can you tell us a little about your current novel? What inspired you to write this story?
The story was for an anthology submission call and wound up being its own novella instead. Ethan has been with me for a few years and I'd like to write a book about his mechanical adventures in the future. I've always liked odd couple stories and Ethan and Cecil are about as different as you can get. They say opposites attract!



Title: With Proper Maintenance
Author: C.V. Madison
Release date: 09 October 2014
Publisher: Jupiter Gardens Press

Blurb:
Named the youngest head engineer in the history of his company, Ethan Cole’s first voyage on the Platinum Bow is his chance to stand out from his father’s shadow. His dream is dashed by the roguish Cecil Goode, promoted to Ethan’s position just before the ship sets sail. When the Bow is hijacked by pirates, Ethan and Cecil have to work together to bring the pirates’ nearly wrecked ship to safety. Will they make it to port before the ship plummets from the sky? And what will become of the combustible passion between them? Will it outlast the pirate attack?

Book buy links:
·         http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/483202



Author's links


Giveaway codes:

If you buy your copy of With Proper Maintenance from the Jupiter Gardens Press website and use the promo code GAYSTEAM, you get a copy of Angelia Sparrow's steampunk story Sky Rat for $0.99!


Excerpt 1
Ethan signed the bottom of the requisition form and gave the list another once-over. Accuracy was the key to a clean, tight, steam-powered airship. All forms were submitted in triplicate with neat, easy to read handwriting. Two copies would be on the captain’s desk within the hour, just as promised.
Three sharp raps brought him from his work as he finished the final pen stroke. Ethan set aside his quill, careful not to spill ink or make a mis-mark on the copied requisition forms, and pulled open the door.
Captain Quinn, a tall man with a head of thick black hair,  a lantern jaw with a cleft chin and, presently, five-o-clock shadow, filled the doorway. He wore no coat and tie, his shirt was unfastened three buttons down and his trousers hung wrinkled. Ethan hoped he covered his shock at the captain’s attire.
“Good evening, Engineer Cole. I hope I find you well.”
“Indeed. What might I do for you, Captain?”
“Have you walked through the engine compartment? Is everything satisfactory for departure?”
“I found a few pieces in need of attention. I am duplicating requisition forms now, sir.”
“Requisition form?” The captain’s thick fingers pinched the corner and plucked the crisp page from Ethan’s grasp. “I can’t even read this.”
Ethan’s cheeks heated. How could he have been so foolish as to keep the original in hand when he answered the door?
“I will make the submitted forms legible.”
“Tut, tut, tut.” The captain wagged a stout finger and leaned in, his cologne mixing with the bourbon on his breath. “You come highly recommended. I have no worry. Go, find what you need, stop off at the office on the way back and give them your forms. I can’t exactly allow them to see me like this and expect to keep my job, now can I?”
Ethan shook his head and took a step back. The captain weaved in the doorway and, thankfully, returned from whence he came. Once the pervasive odor of stale bedsheets and hair oil dissipated, Ethan drew a breath of relief. If the captain didn’t dry out, Ethan would be certain they wouldn’t leave port. A captain should keep his wits about him at all times. At any point a mechanical failure or invading ship could kill an entire crew. Ethan would not become another casualty of piracy.

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