About C.T. Griffith:
A long-time fan of sci-fi and fantasy, C.T. Griffith began developing the world of The Gilded Shackle in the 1980’s as a setting to run Dungeons and Dragons games. She has a total of nine books planned for The Gilded Shackle project, which will be the first of many other series set in the world. An avid tabletop roleplaying gamer and artist, she still plays and draws when she can. Ms. Griffith lives in the Midwest with her three borzois.
What inspires you to write?
I’m deeply committed to my characters, and their stories they have to tell. Although I primarily write fantasy and many of my characters are not human, they’re still people. Sometimes deeply flawed, highly complex people, but people nonetheless. Each character is a universe unto themselves.
Tell us about your writing process.
I’m an outliner – but mostly so I’ll have something to throw away once I get started writing! I’m only halfway joking, too. My characters surprise me often.
I do tend to do character and setting sketches. This whole world was my setting to run D&D games in, and it was handy to have sketches to show my gamers, since I didn’t have any pre-made adventures.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I’ll be typing along, and suddenly one of them will go off-script. It’s like my hands are possessed! And I’ll be “Oh, there goes all my careful planning. What are you doing??? You weren’t supposed to figure that out yet! Grr!”
What advice would you give other writers?
I wrestled with a lot of self-doubt, and I wish I could spare every potential writer that kind of headache. The truth is, you’re not going to be perfect when you write your first book. It’s a journey, and for some people the act of putting themselves and their heart out there in the form of the written word takes great courage. Do it anyway. Get an editor, but don’t be afraid to start where you ARE and grow into your best author self.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I’m lucky in that I know a local (to me) author who has both self-published and has a book contract. (Thank you, Tosca Lee!) She sat me down and helped me see the pro’s and con’s of both sides, and ultimately I ended up deciding that self-publishing was the best choice for me. Your mileage may vary. My decision came down to several factors. First, I have a LOT of material inside my head in this fantasy setting – enough to keep me busy the rest of my life, if it came to that. I didn’t want to lose creative control of it. Second, I have a chronic health condition that is a daily challenge. I can’t always commit to a schedule like I’d like to. I’m just not a good fit for offices, stress or employer-imposed deadlines. So, self publishing seemed the way to go. I’d entertain working with a publisher, if the right one came along, but for now, I’m happy.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
There are so many possibilities, it’s both exciting and terrifying. What I would LIKE to see happen is a system that allows the authors to receive a good portion of the sales of their books, obviously. I’d like to see bookstores in each town that are Print On Demand right there at the source. You go there, you select the title you want from the vast library of digital offerings, and an On Demand printer prints that book right there while you wait – or maybe you could go run errands and come back for it. Wouldn’t that be neat?
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: Fantasy/Sci-Fi Fiction, Memoir, Nonfiction, Pets and Animals
What formats are your books in?: eBook, Print, Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
C.T. Griffith Home Page Link
Link To C.T. Griffith Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
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.
