About C. S. Johnson:
C. S. Johnson is the award-winning, genre-hopping author of several novels, including young adult sci-fi and fantasy adventures such as the Starlight Chronicles series, the Once Upon a Princess saga, and the Divine Space Pirates trilogy. With a gift for sarcasm and an apologetic heart, she currently lives in Atlanta with her family.
What inspires you to write?
Socrates said that the unexamined life was not worth living, so I like to think a lot of my inspiration comes from examining different things about my life — things I like, things I hate, things I like to make fun of, things I hate to deal with. I mostly write to understand things, or to try to help others understand, and maybe a lot of it also comes from wanting to be understood.
Tell us about your writing process.
I write a lot by taking the questions and ideas I have putting them down into outlines, and then I start to write. A lot of where I like to start is with a character, but sometimes they are not always eager to come. For Kingdom of Ash and Soot, my historical coming of age novel based on Cinderella and a little bit of Mission Impossible, Eleanora did not show up right away and introduce herself, but I followed her shadow around inside my mind for awhile. I think I earned her trust that way!
How do you develop your characters?
Some characters are surprising, but since I don't like surprises, it doesn't happen very often. Usually when I am not sure about a character, it is only a matter of degree. For example, I know who my villains are pretty quickly, but it is another question to ask how far are they willing to go to condemn themselves?
Who are your favorite authors?
I write in a variety of genres, and I have a large collection of strange authors myself. I adore C. S. Lewis and Samuel Johnson, I've enjoyed what I've read of Tolstoy and Tolkien; I like Amy Tan's central journey for womanhood, motherhood, and daughterhood; I like a lot of Nora Robert's takes on romance and what true love really means and really requires; there are magical quirks to J K Rowling's work and I like the deep thoughtfulness that comes from Andrew Klavan's characters as they wrestle with the conflicts they face.
What genres do you write?: Fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction, historical fantasy, fairy tales, alternative history, steampunk, and romance
What formats are your books in?: eBook, Print, Audiobook
Where to find out more about the author
Website(s)
C. S. Johnson Home Page Link
Follow C. S. Johnson On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
Leave a Reply