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Hey there everyone, Where to start… I am a wife and lover to Jonathon and a mom and friend to Jessaca, Jeramiah and Jasiah. Right now we live next to ‘The Mouse’ in Orlando, Florida. I used to work at Universal Studios as a retail manager, but I quit to write full time last year. I was born under a wandering star. I adore seeing new places, but instead of being like normal folk and just visiting for a while, we pack up and move there instead! We’ve lived or visited forty two states and fourteen countries. We have a list of places still to go including Maine (next year), Seattle, San Francisco, New Orleans, Nashville and China, just to name a few. I’m a Native American of the Ntlakyapamuk people in British Colombia and my totems are the Hawk and the Doe and my air sign is the Wind. My people are healers and empaths and I am very into natural and spiritual healing. I have been writing… forever. I come by it naturally. My Mom is a writer too. It’s just been in the last year that I decided to submit my work and see if I had what it takes to be published. I have to say this was an original storyline, and I 'hopped' through it quick as a bunny. Where did you get your inspiration for this book? LOL I get asked this a lot. I wish I knew. This idea just popped into my head when I was out on my daily bike ride. I had just finished writing Hot Tubs and Hot Hunks and wanted to do another holiday story. I got to thinking about Easter and rabbits… and the rest is history. My son Jasiah used to raise
Netherland Dwarf and Lop Eared Rabbits for 4-H, and they were all
house rabbits, so I’ve been around them. In fact the book is
dedicated to Jasiah since he helped me find all the puns and jokes
that were in it. I write every genre, but my favorites are fantasy and paranormal. I like to keep it in a contemporary setting, but I love how you can use your imagination to build a world that a person can get caught up in. <smile> It’s like that saying… I live in my own little world, but its okay, they know me here. In paranormal or fantasy, you can take your deepest dreams and imagining and turn them into reality. For me there is no better place to be. Do you plot out your book before you begin to write, or do you allow the characters to take the driver's seat? I usually start with a dream. A night or daydream or even a chance meeting may spark an idea. Then next step is to literally take a nap. I am a lucid dreamer, which means I can take an idea to sleep with me and when I dream, I can not only remember it, but shape the happenings in the dream. Every book I’ve written starts out this way. Idea, dream and then the writing begins. But then the characters get
involved. Nine times out of ten, they are the ones that shape the
dream ideas, not me. Peter, the hero in Here Comes Peter, and I
fought over things all the time. Sometimes I win, but usually the
characters know better than I where the story should go. Most of my books and Here Comes Peter is no exception, lean heavily on the hero’s point of view. My heroes are all strong alpha males and so their voice is the one I hear a little louder. I think this stems back to when I read the early Harlequins and you heard ONLY the heroine’s thoughts. Used to drive me crazy not to know what the hero was thinking! Even now, though I’ll sometimes read books with just the heroine’s viewpoint, I’d much rather hear both sides of the story. I loved writing Peter’s character. He was strong, handsome, built and oh so hot, but he had a sensitive side. Like a true alpha male he tried to hide it, but it’s what drew Bunny, the heroine to him in the first place. It’s what made her fall in love with him. Making a sweet little bunny into a hot handsome hunk was a challenge, but from all the rave reviews this book is getting, I must have succeeded. Is there a genre you've
often wanted to write, and haven't? The hard part about mysteries is that you have to plot them and since my characters do what they want, <sigh> that makes it doubly hard for me to do. But I will persevere. Since there was some mystery in Here Comes Peter, maybe I’ll make it after all! I see on your website that you love to travel to many countries. Do you have a favorite spot, or one that inspires you the most? Wow! Ask a tough one, why
don’t you! <grin> I guess (and I can get a little schmaltzy here) my
favorite spot is wherever Jonathon, my husband is. He’s what
inspires me. (Everyone say Ahhhhhhhhhh!) Unless you are on a beach. I adore quiet beaches where all you can hear are the sounds of the waves and a seagull or two. I love the smaller keys in Florida, but my favorite beach spot is the rugged Oregon coast. Love it, love it, love it! But I’d also like to spend time in Africa. What a lot of great book ideas I could dream up there! What's the most romantic thing someone has ever done for you? What is the most romantic thing you've done for someone else? Done for me… when Jonathon
and I got together, we were so poor he couldn’t afford an engagement
ring. Last year, on Mother’s Day, he and the kids took me out to
dinner and afterwards he gave me this wonderful speech about how
he’d marry me again and again. Then he popped out this beautiful
ring and put it on me right there in the restaurant. Everyone
cheered and he got a 10 on the Ahhh factor scale. Done for someone else… One night I set up a bath with candles and soft music. Incense burned and a glass of wine sat by the tub. When Jonathon got home, I met him at the door and told him he was mine for the evening. I put him in the bath and let him relax, while I fed him some chocolate covered strawberries and let him sip his drink. When he was nice and
relaxed, I led him out to the bed and gave him a full body massage
with scented flavored oils. He was properly appreciative. <smile>
And most importantly… I am a wife. Jonathon is and always will be my first priority. Learning to balance everything, once I added the writing into it… is a huge challenge. Writing the story is easy. It’s the other stuff, promoting, edits, submissions, chats and lists that can be all consuming if you let them. I’ve pulled back a lot and
am trying to prioritize. Not an easy task if you are an all or
nothing gal like I am! LOL If you go to my website at
http://cjengland.com and click on
Other Books, you will see a sampling of all the dreams I’ve had. I
keep a list of story ideas and when the winds blows one my way, I
write it out. I always finish what I start, so I don’t have anything
stuffed under the bed gathering dust bunnies. Is there anything special happening or something new you would like to share with your readers? I’ve got a lot going on. It’s been a great month for me. First of all, Here Comes Peter has received two Recommended Reads as well as several other fantastic reviews. The Mylari Chronicles: The Soulmates which just came out, is also doing excellent with both reviewers and readers. I have just received word that Whiskey Creek Press accepted my short story pair, Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude for their Torrid Teaser line. It will be out in the winter of 2007. I also was offered my first print contract. Under the Moon Publications will publish my story An Unholy Embrace in December of 2006. When I was at RT, I was asked to submit a story to a print house in New York. This is a huge step, so keep your fingers crossed. I just found out I’ve been
awarded The Canadian Romance and Erotic Publishers Award. Since my
people originally came from British Colombia, this is a special
honor for me. I’d like to invite everyone
to come and take a look at my website. You will find all kinds of
excerpts, pictures, fun and information about yours truly. I also
want to invite you to join my chat list. It is a fantastic group of
wonderful writers and readers who share their ideas, their work and
their hearts. You can also check out any of these other sites to get
to know me a little better. I appreciate your time and
the chance to give everyone a taste of what CJ England is all about.
My goal is that my books will spark the imaginations of my readers.
That each time they read them, they feel like they are meeting
friends. And that somewhere, in their hearts and souls, they too
will begin to believe that anything can happen… if you follow your
dreams.
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