About CJ Ives Lopez:
CJ spent twenty years touring the world thanks to the United States Air Force. During her career, she earned an associate degree in business management and logistics management, including a Bachelor's in psychology. She became a certified Green Belt process improvement champion and received her Special Education Certification.
Upon Retirement, she followed her dreams and became a published Author in 2018 and an Amazon Bestselling Author in 2022. She has published 20+ books under CJ Ives Lopez, and Auntie Nann combined.
Wherever she is in the world, you can find a dog at her feet and a keyboard nearby.
What inspires you to write?
I am inspired by everyday life, a thought that goes awry in my head and watching how people interact. I am inspired by life and the possibilities of how it can be.
What authors do you read when you aren’t writing?
Nora Roberts, Dean Koontz are my two favorite and Beverly Cleary
When I'm not writing I read a lot of indie authors. I love discovering stories from indie authors because I know the struggle they go through to get their work out there. I want to be someone who reads their stuff. Say I'm paying hommage to my craft in a way.
Tell us about your writing process.
My writing process is all over the place. I would not recommend it to anyone. I say this because I have ADD, which can be a blessing and a course.
I start with an idea that is itching at my brain to get out, and I write down the words until they feel like they're extinguished. Once I do that, I ask if this will be a short story or a novel. That will determine how many chapters, if any, will be written.
If it's going to be a novel, I know how many chapters I want to create, so I segment the chapters, determine what needs to go into what chapter for pacing, and write one or two sentences about what the chapter needs to be about.
Once I have that, then I have somewhat of an outline. So I would honestly say I'm a plotterpantster.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I listen to my characters. I talk to them only to laugh and say OMG, or I can't believe what just happened, but they are telling me a story, so I honor that story the way It is. They shock me all the time. I tell them they are crazy as well, because obviously I'm the sane one.
What advice would you give other writers?
The only advice I would give writers is to remember why they do it. We get so caught up in trying to make it that we forget why we wanted to do it in the first place that we lose our passion for it. We lost the joy. It's all the noise that takes away our passion.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I listened to a podcast called "Author Like a Boss" and it was all about self publishing. I knew then I wanted to control the process and do things my own way. I've been doing that my whole life anyway so why not continue to do so.
I would encourage all authors to do the research. there is a reason to publish both ways, but for me, I love the freedom of working outside the system. Maybe it's because I worked inside a system for 20 years in the military and knew how slow the cogs in the wheel went and didn't want to wait, but either way, the research is out there so just read. Never stop reading.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
The future of book publishing is excellent. People love reading, and they will never stop wanting to escape the world they currently live in. The thing is, escapism has been one of the greatest forms of entertainment since the beginning of time. Write the books. No one is going to stop reading. Whether you want to self-publish, wide or amazon only, direct sales on your website, or seek traditional publishing, I think they are all valid. Things swing one way every 10-20 years but remember that they will turn another course in the next 10-20, so never count one or the other out. Everyone swings with the times. I say you need to have a good plan and pay attention. That's all.
What genres do you write?: Memoirs, childrens, YA fantasy, Womens Fiction, Romance
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print, Audiobook
Website(s)
CJ Ives Lopez Home Page Link
Link To CJ Ives Lopez Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
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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.
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