G.S. Glow Requested Interview:

Three things you love besides writing/reading?

1) Family. I have a fantastic husband who spoils me with attention and affection. 
2) All things creative.  I tend to obsess. In the past it was scrapbooking, and then creating jewelry, custom furniture, drawing (I drew my profile pick) and now of course, writing. My favorite aesthetic is steampunk.
3) All things logical. Math. Problem solving. This trait is super helpful for my daytime job as a CFO of a life insurance brokerage firm. I know it sounds stodgy as hell, but I thrill when successfully negotiating on behalf of a client.

Three things you hate?

1) Monotonous tasks. I'm not a repetitive kinda person. I always prefer 'new' and 'different'.
2) Lack of time. There never seems to be enough. 
3) Snow. I don't like being cold. It's handy that I live where it only snows about one day per year.

Why do you write?

It feeds my addiction for creativity.

Out of all your stories, which one is your favorite?

'I Am Only One'. It was my first original work and these characters are well established so it's my favorite, for now.

How do you create your characters?

Sometimes I create them, other times, they create themselves.  I start with a main set of characters with very broad emotional characteristics. As the plot progresses, their personalities become more defined, even to me. Talon in 'I Am Only One' is the perfect example of a character that created himself. I never planned for him. It wasn't until I was in the middle of a chapter that I decided to incorporate a male pet, so wrote him in. I had no idea at the time, how integral he would become to the main character and the plot. Now I can't imagine the story without him. 

Out of your characters, which one are you the most like? Which one would you most want to be like?

I guess Raine from 'I Am Only One' would be the answer to both questions. I am definitely a strong-willed female, so I relate to that type of character.

What do you do when you have writer's block?

If I'm stuck on a plot line, I don't try to force it. Instead, I let the story 'simmer' in the back of my mind. I wait, and let my subconscious work on it. And eventually, inspiration strikes.  If I'm stuck in the middle of writing a chapter, I start by writing out the character's dialog.  Even if it's just part of sentences, I jot it all down and then begin to arrange it. 

How do you plan out your stories?

I like to incorporate twists and turns in my stories, surprises and shocking events for the reader.  To do this, I plan backward. I determine the 'truth' of the story first. And then I fill the book with intrigue, clues and misdirection.  My foreshadowing and wording are very specific, so that when the truth is finally revealed, the reader can see that all of the clues did really point to the truth.   After I have the primary arcs of the story mapped out, emotions drive the sub plot. I decide what emotions between the characters I want to portray and then come up with plot to illustrate it.  Ass-backward, I know, but there you have it.

What are your writing weaknesses?

I hate writing descriptions, like what the room or clothing looks like. I know it's necessary, so I do it, but I hate it. It bores the hell out of me.

What are you writing strengths?

I try really damn hard not to be cliché.  I use plot nuances to give readers emotional payoffs, and dig deep into each character's emotions, showing several layers, so I can take the reader in unexpected emotional directions. My characters are flawed, they screw up, but they work through their shit.  Just like the rest of us.

What genre do you read?

Fantasy is probably my favorite, but I like any book with strong emotional/romantic connections and a happy ending. I love the book even more if there is strong physical interaction. I hesitate to categorize it as erotica, because while I love the occasional clit twitch while I read, I get super distracted by overly-descriptive terms. I can't read things like, 'He thrust his steel weapon into her weeping palace'.  I just can't.

What genre do you write?

Sexy fantasy.

When do you plan on updating COAL? Do you know how it will end?

I'm guessing I will update it in another 7-8 days, but not sure, as I'm doing the whole 'plot simmering' thing I mentioned above.  As far as the end, I have the basics plotted out, but I need to work through some specifics to get there.

What inspired I Am Only One?

I wanted to write a story that wasn't cliché, something I hadn't read before.  Primarily, I didn't want to have a male lead that was emotionally or physically abusive/girl 'fixes' him, nor did I want them to have a vamp/pet relationship. So the opening club scene came to mind, primarily because the male was chasing her right from the beginning; I thought it would draw the reader in.  I was nervous about having royal vamps because the whole Vamp Prince/King has been waaaay overdone. But royalty worked best for the structure/plot I wanted, so to try to diffuse it, I mention that Cage thinks the term is pretentious and for the most part, it's just a part of the background.

COAL had a much more specific park of inspiration. It came from @wowchilee book 'Shatter'. Her story focused on a mate who accidentally got another she-wolf pregnant. She painted a world where the unborn pup was not likely to survive the act of the father bonding with his true mate, and certainly would never be accepted by the mate if survived to be born.  There was no situation as 'co-parenting' among wolves. The pup would always be at risk for the mate's wolf to kill it. It was then that I thought the idea of writing a story about a 'female bastard pup' would be compelling and different from other werewolf stories I had read.  Then I just added in my own folklore to fit the plot points I wanted to incorporate and voile. 

When did you know you were a fellow Claire/Myrnin shipper? [I haven't read one of your fics yet, but I plan on it!]

I got frustrated while reading The Morganville Vampires because I wanted her to be with Myrnin.  This was actually the catalyst to my beginning to write.  I Googled to see if Claire/Myrnin ever happened. I happened to stumble on a fanfiction website while I was Googling.  I was thrilled to find other people liked the couple as well, but I couldn't find a story that I really liked or that was finished. My thought at that point was, well then, I'll just write it myself. After writing a few fanfics, I was hooked. I adored the creativity of writing, and the logistics required to make a plot, so I began to write original works.

Include a small blurb/summary of your story so people can see your work.

This blurb is from 'All The Queen's Horses'. 

"I want  you...I've wanted you for months," he said with a low growl. "And now that I know I can have you, it's been killing me trying to keep myself from taking you."

"No...You can't have me," I stuttered in confusion, my brain trying to catch up with the radical shift in our relationship.

"Oh Cariad, yes I can and you know it. You feel it hard and strong right now, coursing through your veins." His words caused the undeniable heat in me to flare hotter. My chest heaved. I tried to calm myself down.

He was just inches away from me now, but made no move to touch me. I trembled. He leaned his head down to my ear and whispered, "I can smell your arousal. The scent gets sweeter and sweeter the closer I get to you. I know what your body is doing to get ready for me."

Images of him moving inside of me, flooded my brain. The muscles in my abdomen contracted violently.

"Hmmm...just like that," he said knowingly. He lifted his head away from my right ear and brought it back down close to my left ear. His breath tickled my neck as he murmured, "Your scent is mouthwatering...I want to taste  it on my tongue." He licked his lips.

A small whine escaped my throat as desired rocked through my system, stronger than I had ever felt before. He continued unrelentingly, "I can do things to you, you haven't even imagined."

My breathing came in short pants, trying to keep up with the blood hurtling to my core.

His eyes glittered wickedly. "Would you like that, Cariad? Would you like me to touch you in ways that will make you scream my name?"