Episode 251 – The Author Journey with C. J. Anaya
Mark interviews C.J. Anaya, a USA Today bestselling and multi-award-winning author who enjoys assisting authors in writing, publishing, and marketing books with her YouTube channel Author Journey.
Prior to the main content, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update, an ad he recorded with Julie Strauss for the release of their new novel Lover’s Moon, and a word about this episode’s sponsor.
You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.
During their chat, Mark and CJ talk about:
How by the time she was eight months old CJ was singingWriting short stories for her friends at the age of 10 because she wanted to give them all Christmas presentsThe singing and performing she did, including starting to writing songs at the age of 18Going through three incidents of cancer. First at the age of 18, then at 26, and more recently in the past yearHow her writing journey began shortly after running into Jennifer Griffith when CJ was in a bookstore signing copies of her CDWriting short stories for her friends at the age of 10 because she wanted to give them all Christmas presentsDreaming about a spirit trapped in a Japanese statue which lead to writing THE HEALER which ended up being the first book in a seriesHow the Paranormal Misfit series started off as a 10,000 word short storyThe specific themes and issues that this YA series deals withThe book and course CJ created about writer’s blockSpecific genres that CJ works on as a developmental editorCJ’s experience attending Superstars Writing Seminars alone (as opposed to always previously going to conferences with a friend)Advice she would give to her youngest selfSomething that she hadn’t expected when taking Kevin J. Anderson’s Western Colorado University’s Masters in Publishing programWriting songs for characters in her booksAnd more…After the interview Mark reflects on when CJ spoke about learning to deal with constructive criticism and appreciating that it’s not that there’s anything wrong with the work, but about what can we improve upon and how can we make this even better.
Links of Interest:
CJ Anaya’s WebsiteCJ’s YouTube ChannelCindy Savage Music on ReverbnationFindaway VoicesBuy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark ReflectionsBest Book Ever PodcastLovers Moon PodcastTikTok Video – Mark’s Skeleton Author PropFrench River Trading PostThe Relaxed AuthorBuy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook DirectPublishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author’s Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark’s Canadian Werewolf BooksThis Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover’s MoonC.J. Anaya is a USA Today bestselling and multi-award-winning author. She also enjoys assisting authors in writing, publishing, and marketing books with her YouTube channel Author Journey.
She’s a huge fan of The Mindy Project, Hugh Jackman, and binge eating any and all things chocolate.
As a mother of four awesome kiddos, C.J. is usually helping out with endless amounts of homework, attempting difficult and harrowing crochet projects with her daughters, and getting schooled in basketball by her teenage son.
She loves writing entertaining reads for everyone to enjoy and dabbles in singing and songwriting for kicks and giggles.
The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
