Interview With... Coey Cain
To all who are reading this,
Join me on this mystical journey as I meet fellow Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly author, Coey Cain and learn about her fantasy novel, The Elite: Unveiled.
---
Name: Coey Cain
Age: 31
Living in: Indiana
Hi Coey, thanks for joining me! So what are three interesting facts about yourself that you'd like to share with the readers?
1. I've written about fifty books that no one will ever see. They've been thrown away or lost forever during my life adventures.
2. My name is the result of my niece being unable to pronounce my real name when she was a baby. She couldn't say it and "Coey" stuck like glue.
3. I hate flying and every step of the process that goes along with flying from start to finish. Also, I've been kicked off more flights than anyone else that I've heard of or met. If you can beat five, we should have a conversation. I'm scared to even attempt to book a flight Southwest. They probably have blacklisted me now.
What made you want to be a writer?
Wishes and wants got me into writing. A desire to have, and do, whatever I wanted drove me to become a writer. It was a God complex from an early age combined with the lack of cable television. I guess it all started with a little pink diary that my parents bought me when I was seven years old. I didn't have anything to talk about, and so I started making things up. By the time I was eight, these were four hundred page novels.
What motivates you to write?
I figure the stories are going to play out in my head no matter what. I might as well write it down and keep myself busy!
Do you have a particular writing process?
No, I don't think I do. I just sit down and write. I study and I write. When I'm bored writing, I do something else. When I lose interest in something else, I write. It all starts with a scene that plays out in my head and I build a novel around that scene. I guess that's my process. I start with a single statement or exchange of words, and the whole book is built on it.
How do you handle the deadly problem that is writer's block?
I manage it with a lot of stress and anxiety. There's been a lot of times I've thought my imagination was broken. I've had the thought, "Maybe I'll never write again," and I lose sleep over it. It's scary. When you live your life with stories always playing in your imagination and it all comes to a screeching halt, it's terrifying. You're going along just fine and all of a sudden you hit a blank wall. You can't go around it, over it, under it... Everything stops. I close my eyes and there's nothing there. The only thing to do is wait it out.
What is a piece of writing advice that you will always remember?
Oh man... Ugh... One of the bad things about me is that I'm self-taught. I didn't take creative writing classes or anything of the sort. In high school, my English teacher hated me, to my dismay, because English was the only subject I was most interested in taking. She was impossible to deal with and even harder to learn from because she simply couldn't stand me. I've thought about her countless times over the years and to this day, I don't know if we got off on the wrong foot or what. I mean, I got in trouble if someone else in class spoke to me! That's how bad it was. I ended up having my mother buy me a bunch of college level dictionaries and I studied those on my own time. I've learned what I could, where I could, and I'm still learning every day.
What is the most influential book you have ever read, and why do you think so?
The Elements of Style. I came upon that book later in life, but I remember thinking, "This is exactly what I've always wanted!"
Have you derived inspiration from your home or from anywhere you have visited?
Of course. Everything inspires me. Settings, buildings, cars, a couple walking down the street, a pair of shoes... Everything I see and hear can be used for inspiration.
Your first major publication is The Elite: Unveiled. Have you had any publications prior to this?
Nope. I've never attempted to publishing anything before. I didn't plan to become an author. Writing was a hobby, that's all. It was a hobby that I was really into, but it's like collecting stamps or figurines. I loved it, but didn't see how or why anyone else would enjoy looking at my hobby. The last thing I want to do is to stare at someone's coin collection for hours but that's what I thought about my writing. It's great fun for me, but no one else would be interested.
What is The Elite: Unveiled all about? It certainly sounds interesting!
Everyone assumes that Joelie Baudelaire lives a charmed life. She has a generous benefactor in Warren Jardine, and a glamorous lifestyle in the exciting city of Las Vegas. Everyone is wrong. When Warren is arrested, Joelie has the ability to escape the emotional jail he's held her captive in for two years. Her father's house should be her refuge, but it's another kind of prison altogether. All Joelie wants is a normal, peaceful life. Discovering that she is one of The World Elite, a genetically superior race, puts a whole new set of shackles on her life. Her destiny is planned, and her future marriage is pre-arranged. While Joelie still remembers her childhood crush on the Elite, Sender Stelle, it isn't easy to accept a betrothal to a man she barely knows beyond his photograph. Warren doesn't want to release his control over her. The World Elite would force her to fulfil her destined duty, and Sender has gone from resigned acceptance to benign co-operation with the powers that be. Freedom is just out of reach. All Joelie must do is defy some of the most powerful people in the world, and survive.
This is the first book of the saga and it’s the unveiling of the truth. I wanted to start from scratch and keep it raw. I wanted to show the turmoil and tribulations that result from lying and keeping secrets. In this case, we have a woman who’s in her late twenties and she has to cope with the truth of what she actually is, which is one of the World Elite. There’s all kinds of people walking around on earth and she’s one of the rare few who are genetically superior. Now, I’m not introducing anything that’s too far-fetched, and I want people to know that when they pick up my book. There are real super-humans walking around with us every day, and they’re my inspiration when I started writing this. Mathematicians, clinical geniuses, telekinesis... the list goes on and on with real people in the world who have amazing abilities. I pay attention because I’m not making everything up. A lot of research went into my Elites. From animals to humans, the possibilities are endless. From Eidetic memory, Kim Peek is the perfect example of this, where he can remember everything, and I mean everything! Then there’s Wim Hof who is cold-proof. Isao Machii is a Japanese man with superhuman reflexes. There’s Das Uberboy who has bona fide Super-Strength. These folks have real live superpowers. Ben Underwood has the power of Super Echolocation. Human echolocation is not really new. So, in a way, this is my idea of paying my respects to these amazing people and I thought it would make for a great story. And so it begins. My interpretation of what goes on in my imagination. Because there is no Science Fiction, just science.
What drove you to write fantasy?Unless you're writing a biography, it's all fantasy!
On your Amazon.com page, it says that you have a love of fast cars. Can you tell us how you got into racing and precision driving and what you love about it?
Earlier, I mentioned having a god complex and this part of my life is a fine example of it. I have no idea where my fascination with cars came from originally, but I was the toddler who was always playing with Hot Wheels. Sports cars are gorgeous and shiny and powerful. I can tell you it hit me like a ton of bricks the first time I watched The Wraith as a child. This is way before Fast and the Furious, and really shows my age. I always wanted to drive. When I was three-years-old, my dad would sit me on his lap and let me steer the car through residential neighbourhoods. My number one priority in life was getting my driver’s license. It meant freedom and control. My biggest fear was dying before I was old enough to drive, I kid you not. I got my permit, at the earliest age possible, and then proceeded to take my parent’s car out, without their knowledge, every time they went out of town, which was frequent. My dad was a truck driver and they would go on runs together. I was raised in Indiana and the potholes are horrendous. At first, it was all about trying to dodge potholes. Then, it was all about how fluidly I could dodge the potholes, then it was how fast and fluidly I could dodge them… and so on, you get the point. I made a game out of it. I was always pushing myself. Always getting closer and closer to objects to get a feel for how much space was around the car when I couldn’t see it. Keep in mind, I was raised by two parents with CDL licenses, and to this day, one of my dad’s famous quotes is, “An inch is as good as a mile.” I think what really helped me excel in the sport was that I had to learn to drive in a 1979 Lincoln Town Car. I had to manoeuvre a huge-ass boat when all my friends got to learn how to drive in little Hondas and hatchbacks. I wasn’t going to be discouraged by anything. I’d been in and out of a semi since I was born. I’ve seen my father booking it between concrete barricades on both sides with hardly an inch between the truck and the concrete. I figured, if he had the skill to do that in a semi and I had the skill to manoeuvre a huge Lincoln, a little sports car was nothing… and I figured right.Are you planning on continuing The Elite as a series, and what does the future hold for you as a writer?
Yes, The Elite will go on. Book one was intended to setup the saga, like a very long prequel. You’ve definitely not seen the last of them. The second is on its way and there’s plans for the third. I’ve got a lot of other work to get to, but I do want to give people book two before I finish anything else. There’s going to be some space between two and three. I hate to be that way, but I have other stories to tell. I’ll try to keep people entertained either way.
Thank you for such a fantastic interview, Coey! Be sure to check out The Elite: Unveiled on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com. You can also find Coey here:https://www.facebook.com/CoeyCain?fref=tsTwitter: @CoeyCainhttp://iwassociation.com/ ---Yours, with eternal ink,Zoe--- Currently reading: Sword of Darkness by Sherrilyn Kenyon, writing as Kinley MacGregor
Join me on this mystical journey as I meet fellow Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly author, Coey Cain and learn about her fantasy novel, The Elite: Unveiled.
---Name: Coey Cain
Age: 31
Living in: Indiana
Hi Coey, thanks for joining me! So what are three interesting facts about yourself that you'd like to share with the readers?
1. I've written about fifty books that no one will ever see. They've been thrown away or lost forever during my life adventures.
2. My name is the result of my niece being unable to pronounce my real name when she was a baby. She couldn't say it and "Coey" stuck like glue.
3. I hate flying and every step of the process that goes along with flying from start to finish. Also, I've been kicked off more flights than anyone else that I've heard of or met. If you can beat five, we should have a conversation. I'm scared to even attempt to book a flight Southwest. They probably have blacklisted me now.
What made you want to be a writer?
Wishes and wants got me into writing. A desire to have, and do, whatever I wanted drove me to become a writer. It was a God complex from an early age combined with the lack of cable television. I guess it all started with a little pink diary that my parents bought me when I was seven years old. I didn't have anything to talk about, and so I started making things up. By the time I was eight, these were four hundred page novels.
What motivates you to write?
I figure the stories are going to play out in my head no matter what. I might as well write it down and keep myself busy!
Do you have a particular writing process?
No, I don't think I do. I just sit down and write. I study and I write. When I'm bored writing, I do something else. When I lose interest in something else, I write. It all starts with a scene that plays out in my head and I build a novel around that scene. I guess that's my process. I start with a single statement or exchange of words, and the whole book is built on it.
How do you handle the deadly problem that is writer's block?
I manage it with a lot of stress and anxiety. There's been a lot of times I've thought my imagination was broken. I've had the thought, "Maybe I'll never write again," and I lose sleep over it. It's scary. When you live your life with stories always playing in your imagination and it all comes to a screeching halt, it's terrifying. You're going along just fine and all of a sudden you hit a blank wall. You can't go around it, over it, under it... Everything stops. I close my eyes and there's nothing there. The only thing to do is wait it out.
What is a piece of writing advice that you will always remember?
Oh man... Ugh... One of the bad things about me is that I'm self-taught. I didn't take creative writing classes or anything of the sort. In high school, my English teacher hated me, to my dismay, because English was the only subject I was most interested in taking. She was impossible to deal with and even harder to learn from because she simply couldn't stand me. I've thought about her countless times over the years and to this day, I don't know if we got off on the wrong foot or what. I mean, I got in trouble if someone else in class spoke to me! That's how bad it was. I ended up having my mother buy me a bunch of college level dictionaries and I studied those on my own time. I've learned what I could, where I could, and I'm still learning every day.
What is the most influential book you have ever read, and why do you think so?
The Elements of Style. I came upon that book later in life, but I remember thinking, "This is exactly what I've always wanted!"
Have you derived inspiration from your home or from anywhere you have visited?
Of course. Everything inspires me. Settings, buildings, cars, a couple walking down the street, a pair of shoes... Everything I see and hear can be used for inspiration.
Your first major publication is The Elite: Unveiled. Have you had any publications prior to this?
Nope. I've never attempted to publishing anything before. I didn't plan to become an author. Writing was a hobby, that's all. It was a hobby that I was really into, but it's like collecting stamps or figurines. I loved it, but didn't see how or why anyone else would enjoy looking at my hobby. The last thing I want to do is to stare at someone's coin collection for hours but that's what I thought about my writing. It's great fun for me, but no one else would be interested.
What is The Elite: Unveiled all about? It certainly sounds interesting!
Everyone assumes that Joelie Baudelaire lives a charmed life. She has a generous benefactor in Warren Jardine, and a glamorous lifestyle in the exciting city of Las Vegas. Everyone is wrong. When Warren is arrested, Joelie has the ability to escape the emotional jail he's held her captive in for two years. Her father's house should be her refuge, but it's another kind of prison altogether. All Joelie wants is a normal, peaceful life. Discovering that she is one of The World Elite, a genetically superior race, puts a whole new set of shackles on her life. Her destiny is planned, and her future marriage is pre-arranged. While Joelie still remembers her childhood crush on the Elite, Sender Stelle, it isn't easy to accept a betrothal to a man she barely knows beyond his photograph. Warren doesn't want to release his control over her. The World Elite would force her to fulfil her destined duty, and Sender has gone from resigned acceptance to benign co-operation with the powers that be. Freedom is just out of reach. All Joelie must do is defy some of the most powerful people in the world, and survive.This is the first book of the saga and it’s the unveiling of the truth. I wanted to start from scratch and keep it raw. I wanted to show the turmoil and tribulations that result from lying and keeping secrets. In this case, we have a woman who’s in her late twenties and she has to cope with the truth of what she actually is, which is one of the World Elite. There’s all kinds of people walking around on earth and she’s one of the rare few who are genetically superior. Now, I’m not introducing anything that’s too far-fetched, and I want people to know that when they pick up my book. There are real super-humans walking around with us every day, and they’re my inspiration when I started writing this. Mathematicians, clinical geniuses, telekinesis... the list goes on and on with real people in the world who have amazing abilities. I pay attention because I’m not making everything up. A lot of research went into my Elites. From animals to humans, the possibilities are endless. From Eidetic memory, Kim Peek is the perfect example of this, where he can remember everything, and I mean everything! Then there’s Wim Hof who is cold-proof. Isao Machii is a Japanese man with superhuman reflexes. There’s Das Uberboy who has bona fide Super-Strength. These folks have real live superpowers. Ben Underwood has the power of Super Echolocation. Human echolocation is not really new. So, in a way, this is my idea of paying my respects to these amazing people and I thought it would make for a great story. And so it begins. My interpretation of what goes on in my imagination. Because there is no Science Fiction, just science.
What drove you to write fantasy?Unless you're writing a biography, it's all fantasy!
On your Amazon.com page, it says that you have a love of fast cars. Can you tell us how you got into racing and precision driving and what you love about it?
Earlier, I mentioned having a god complex and this part of my life is a fine example of it. I have no idea where my fascination with cars came from originally, but I was the toddler who was always playing with Hot Wheels. Sports cars are gorgeous and shiny and powerful. I can tell you it hit me like a ton of bricks the first time I watched The Wraith as a child. This is way before Fast and the Furious, and really shows my age. I always wanted to drive. When I was three-years-old, my dad would sit me on his lap and let me steer the car through residential neighbourhoods. My number one priority in life was getting my driver’s license. It meant freedom and control. My biggest fear was dying before I was old enough to drive, I kid you not. I got my permit, at the earliest age possible, and then proceeded to take my parent’s car out, without their knowledge, every time they went out of town, which was frequent. My dad was a truck driver and they would go on runs together. I was raised in Indiana and the potholes are horrendous. At first, it was all about trying to dodge potholes. Then, it was all about how fluidly I could dodge the potholes, then it was how fast and fluidly I could dodge them… and so on, you get the point. I made a game out of it. I was always pushing myself. Always getting closer and closer to objects to get a feel for how much space was around the car when I couldn’t see it. Keep in mind, I was raised by two parents with CDL licenses, and to this day, one of my dad’s famous quotes is, “An inch is as good as a mile.” I think what really helped me excel in the sport was that I had to learn to drive in a 1979 Lincoln Town Car. I had to manoeuvre a huge-ass boat when all my friends got to learn how to drive in little Hondas and hatchbacks. I wasn’t going to be discouraged by anything. I’d been in and out of a semi since I was born. I’ve seen my father booking it between concrete barricades on both sides with hardly an inch between the truck and the concrete. I figured, if he had the skill to do that in a semi and I had the skill to manoeuvre a huge Lincoln, a little sports car was nothing… and I figured right.Are you planning on continuing The Elite as a series, and what does the future hold for you as a writer?
Yes, The Elite will go on. Book one was intended to setup the saga, like a very long prequel. You’ve definitely not seen the last of them. The second is on its way and there’s plans for the third. I’ve got a lot of other work to get to, but I do want to give people book two before I finish anything else. There’s going to be some space between two and three. I hate to be that way, but I have other stories to tell. I’ll try to keep people entertained either way.
Thank you for such a fantastic interview, Coey! Be sure to check out The Elite: Unveiled on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com. You can also find Coey here:https://www.facebook.com/CoeyCain?fref=tsTwitter: @CoeyCainhttp://iwassociation.com/ ---Yours, with eternal ink,Zoe--- Currently reading: Sword of Darkness by Sherrilyn Kenyon, writing as Kinley MacGregor
No comments have been added yet.
