Tevun-Krus #25 - Romantic SF

Author Spotlight: @ItalRT4u

Because there's always room for more!

If you had to describe yourself in one word, what words wouldn't you use?
-I wouldn't use the words "bully" or "mean". I'm the kind of person that believes that you get back what you put out there. Yes, basically karma. It's why I don't bully but rather go to the rescue of someone who is.

What was your nickname at school?
-Oh my! I had 2 actually. Carebear was one in grade school, and somehow I graduated to Elmo in high-school. To this day, I'm not sure which one is worse! Carebear I get since it's a play off of my first name (Carey) but Elmo...I was once told by "the gang" that it was because I laughed a lot (and no I don't sound at all like that little red fellow). That explanation did a lot for them in the way of forgiveness.

When you were a young padowan, what did you want to be when you grew up?
-Would you believe astronaut? Nope, neither would I nowadays but it's what I strived for, followed closely by paediatrician, and veterinarian. LOL

What is your favourite quote?
-"Tomorrow is always fresh with no mistakes in it." I was obsessed with Anne of Green Gables as a little girl and since she's a fellow Canadian to boot, why not quote Lucy Maud Montgomery's own words?

Other than writing, what hobbies do you have?
-If I'm not writing, I'm reading. In truth, I like the outdoors so you'll pretty much find me in the fresh air, hanging out on my own, with my family or friends.

As your crew cast your lifeless body into the core of the nearest star, list three pieces of music likely to be rattling the bulkheads.
-Just 3? That makes it harder than a more extensive list. I've got to have a classical piece in there somewhere so I'm going with Johann Pachebel's "Canon in D Major" for the first of all songs. Might as well get the sappy portion done and over wiht. 2nd, I'm a small town Northern Canadian girl with a love for country music, so these days, I'd go with Luke Bryan's "Shake It For Me". As a 3rd, because everyone who knows me to my core knows that I'm a force to be reckoned with, I'm choosing AC/DC's "Thunderstruck".

If you were one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, which one would you be and why?
-I'd say Conquest, mainly because I don't know the meaning of quitting. I'm the kind of person who sets her mind on a goal and I will do what I have to in order to achieve it.

What was the first piece of writing you were ever truly proud to have written?
-It was nothing I published, believe it or not. I'd written a poem I wrote back when I was 16 in honour of my parent's 20th wedding anniversary. It struck a chord with the entire family and that was all I had ever hoped my writing could ever achieve. The thing is still framed and set up in a special spot at my folks place.

Who is your all-time favourite author? How much - if at all - have they influenced your writing style?
-Again, just one? Hmm...I'll go with Lucy Maud Montgomery. I know I write romance with a steamy kick to things but she was the first Canadian author I'd stumbled upon at a young age and she was also the one to make me fall in love with reading as well as writing. I can't say she's influenced my writing style, that's something that still to this day is evolving, pretty much on its own.

Do you have a muse?
-I wouldn't pick one set person as a muse. I believe that everyone in my life deserves that title. They're in my life for a reason and it's to shape the person I was last year, the one I am today, and the one I will be further down the road. I try and write stories that are realistic. A lot of my ideas come from my dreams but sometimes I'll take an experience I've either lived through, or seen through the eyes of relatives or friends and tweak them. I suppose that's why I have so many readers that can relate to what I write quite frequently.

Walk us through your writing process. How do you begin and how do you decide when a story is done? What do you use to write, and whereabouts do you use it?
-Typically, it starts with a dream. No, I'm not Martin Luther King by any stretch of the imagination but all of my works have started with a dream. I like to plot but I'm more of a pantster (writing by the seat of my pants). Sometimes I plot things out on paper but most of it is all in my head. From the getgo, I usually have the beginning, the turning point and the end figured out; the rest is just filler. From those key things, I start to write and some of you writers out there will understand when I say the rest of the pieces fall as if I'm seeing a movie play out in my head. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't and I go back to the drawing board for rewrites when I get to the editing phase. I write on my laptop but if the thing isn't wherever I go and I get a great idea, I'll sometimes enter it on my phone or even write it out the old-fashioned way. That way, the idea is still there in its detailed form when I do get time to write. I also enjoy music a lot and have various playlists that I use when writing. It helps me set the right "feel" for a particular scene.