10 Q Tuesday with C.R. Moss

Where do you dream of traveling to and why?

I’d love to get back to the western part of the Caribbean. DH and I traveled there a few years ago, and I fell in love with the islands, the sun, the abundance of water. I’d love to go to Hawaii and Australia, get back to Catalina Island, too. My current interest in vacationing on islands probably stems from the fact that I live in a landlocked desert area. 

Does travel play in the writing of your books?

It does on occasion. I’ve used places I’ve visited in stories and plan to write some more stories set in places I’ve been to. In fact, Sunset Desires (for the 1NS series), my first story to be released via Decadent Publishing, is mostly based in Grand Cayman and starts off in a pub loosely based on a beach hangout hubby and I went to when we were there. 

Do you believe in ghosts?

Sure do. I’ve seen and felt presences in my home and other places. It was neat when a friend and I both saw the same thing at a ranch we were staying at and were able to share the experience.

What is your favorite color?

Normally, it’s a toss-up between black or deep blue. Love dark, deep colors.

If you could spend the night anywhere, where would it be?

The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, CO. I think it’d be neat to see what kind of experiences I could have there and see the place that inspired Stephen King.

What was the scariest moment of your life?

Hmm… I have a few… There was the time I almost drowned in the ocean at the Jersey Shore when I was a kid. Then in my early 20’s I was traveling from OH to NJ on I-80 in PA in February and spun out on black ice. Car hit the guard rail twice. I ended up perpendicular on the interstate looking at oncoming traffic through the passenger window while trying to get traction to get out of the way. Luckily I was able to get to the emergency lane without further incident. Also in my early 20’s I almost got lost in the Swiss Alps. Good thing I have a pretty decent sense of direction & was able to find my way back to the town before I caused problems. But at the top of my list is a tie between two events. Both involve accidents my husband was in while out on training rides for triathlons. The first call was seven weeks after we had moved cross country. I barely knew the area, still had yet to meet people I could count on, and I got a call that he’d been hit by a car. Bicycle was totaled. He had a broken bone and road rash but otherwise was okay. Second call was a couple years later. He went down and hit his head on the curb. When I went to meet him and the ambulance, he was gray and repeating the same questions and statements over and over. That was worrisome. Thank God he’d been wearing a helmet. He had a concussion & still doesn’t remember about nine hours of that day, but if he hadn’t been wearing the helmet, I hate to think what would have happened.

New York or LA? Why?

Los Angeles. I grew up in NJ and have been to NYC plenty of times. Plus, the city was never one of the places I cared to go to. (I actually preferred to go to Philly over NYC.) Now that I live on the west coast and am used to sunny locales, it’d be LA all the way. I still have yet to visit the famous parts of LA, but I’ve been close…been to West Hollywood and drove through/near the area to get to Long Beach to go to Catalina. And now, if I start missing NYC for some reason, I can just drive south several blocks and go to the mini-version of it here in town. 

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

There was a very short time period when I was young that I wanted to be an astronaut. Then I thought of teaching. But when it comes right down to it—the one constant throughout the years—I’ve always wanted to write, be a published author. And, here I am. Here’s a pic of my upcoming Decadent Publishing release…

What songs are most played on your mp3 player?

Anything by Rush, Seether, Disturbed, Maroon 5.

What are your favorite TV shows?
My absolute favorite show at the time of answering this question is American Horror Story (http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/ahs/). I also can’t wait for the next installment of Spartacus to start on Starz (OMG, talk about hot, almost naked men filling up the screen. Yum! http://www.starz.com/originals/spartacus) Then under those top two faves are the ghost/paranormal shows (yes, even the three screaming guys.) The Big Bang Theory is a hoot. I’m looking forward to Being Human coming back on, and I like a handful of shows on Bravo, History, Discovery, Science, TLC… Good thing I have a DVR!

Happy Reading!
C.R. Moss ~ www.crmoss.net

Spotlight Sunday with C.R. Moss

How did you start your writing career?

I’ve been working toward a career in writing for as long as I can remember. I had been creating stories since I started to read, but the thought of writing for a living solidified when I was in middle school and received an A in English. I looked at the grade and that’s when my life was defined. I realized I could do it. From that point on, I put pen to paper to get my thoughts down and made sure to take classes appropriate to learning and honing the craft. I was on the middle school newspaper/creative writing committee, did Creative Writing and Drama in high school and participated in a couple of Fine Arts competitions for writing, then took Creative Writing in college, too. My BA from Rutgers College stems from a concentration of courses in Communications and English. I’ve even taken a couple of novel writing workshops where I was mentored one-on-one by a Kensington author. Now, there are the classes at conventions, conferences and meetings at the local RWA chapter that I attend, which helps to keep me writing. So, yeah, it’s been in my blood a long, long time.

When in the day/night do you write? How long per day?

I check email, do promotion stuff. I'd love to write during the day, but I get tripped up with the promotion and marketing aspect of writing and other stuff. I end up writing at night, which is all right. The house and world is quiet and that makes it great for concentration.

Do you have critique partners or beta readers?

My crit partners will do either depending upon what I need. I belong to a crit group of eight people, three of which are my core go-to people and one of the three is an editor which is a boon.

Does your significant other read your stuff?

He does once in a while. One time he read one of my creepy stories and said he wonders where my mind goes sometimes. But he loves me anyway.

Do you have any suggestions for beginning writers? If so, what are they?

For all wannabe authors—learn the craft. This means grammar, characterization, plot, etc., all the good things that go into a story. You might be able to ‘tell’ a good story, but if you can’t write it by showing what the characters are doing/feeling and making it read well, your story won’t be the best it can be. Get involved in a critique partnership/group. Learn the non-creative side of the business as well. Be prepared. 

Happy Reading!
C.R. Moss ~ www.crmoss.net
Coming Soon to Decadent Publishing ~ Sunset Desires