10 Things you didn't know about C.J. Fallowfield
I was recently asked to detail ten things my readers wouldn't know about me for a guest post with Christine's Words Blog:
1. The idea for Gabe’s character came from my first crush. I walked into a lecture hall and saw his toned backside as he bent over while he searched for something in his rucksack. Sadly he turned out to be an actual arse, so we parted ways. Gabe is everything that my first boyfriend wasn’t! But I do have to credit him with the idea for the way Gabe and Mia meet in New Leaves, No Strings.
2. I spent years searching for “the thing” that I would enjoy doing. I’ve worked as a Banker, Mortgage Adviser, Financial Adviser, Personal Assistant, Office Manager, Finance Manager and Accountant. I’ve done numerous courses and have qualifications in Social Sciences, Counselling, Financial Planning, Information Technology, Management and Accounting. I finally did evening classes in creative writing, loved it so much that I did an Advanced Diploma in it too, and that’s when I decided to write my debut, New Leaves, No Strings.
3. My cat is my biggest help when I’m writing. She forces me to take breaks with one of three tactics. Lying on my keyboard and smirking. Meowing incessantly for food as she stares at me with big green begging eyes, or depositing the foulest smelling items in her litter tray and then racing out of the cat flap, leaving me with watering eyes to go and clean up the offending item.
4. I’m a lacto-ovo vegetarian. I eat nothing with a face. It started after my Social Science’s University module where I had to watch a film of a cow being slaughtered. I ran from the room and was physically sick. I was so upset that I couldn’t sleep most of that night, then I couldn’t bring myself to eat meat or fish the next day. That was thirteen years ago and I can honestly say I don’t think I’ll ever eat meat or fish again. I never preach to others who do eat it, it’s simply just not for me and I hate when people try goading me into debates about vegetarianism. I wish that they’d just accept my personal decision that I don’t want to eat it. Simple as.
5. I have very crappy instincts when it comes to men. I hone in on arseholes who end up breaking my heart, more fool me for staying with them too long. So I loved writing Gabe Austin. He was the guy I wanted to fall in love with, the guy I wished I’d had, the guy I hope I will eventually. I would prefer he be a bit closer in age to me, I don’t see myself as a cougar!
6. My mother is French and despite having lived in England for over 50 years, still has a noticeable accent. She was a single parent, caring for my older brother and I at a time when divorce was a rarity, as well as being in a foreign country away from her family and friends. I have so much love and respect for her. As my sole parental role model growing up, I learned a lot from her, which is why I guess I’m a feisty independent female and like my female characters to be that way too. Unfortunately one of the things I learned from Mum was the French inability to pronounce their “TH’s”, so I still have this affliction now. Trying to say the number “three” to a voice activated answer system when you suffer from this is no fun at all and frequently leads me to have phone rage!
7. I have mild OCD which manifests in me being super organised, which my friends find hilarious. Everything has to have its place. DVD’s and books are all in alphabetical order (this to me is just logical, how else do people find what they are looking for?!). My wardrobe is organised by colour groups and within the colour groups by length of garment. I have to have the same coloured pins on my notice board and just can’t cope with tubs of multi coloured paperclips. If I eat Jelly Belly’s, I have to separate the flavours into their own piles before eating any. My weird little quirks affect no one but me and don’t take over my life, so I don’t stress about them.
8. C.J. Fallowfield is my pen name. C and J are the initials of my real first two names, but my surname is the street I first lived in as a child. Some of my family are super religious, so I feel like I have to hide my true identity for fear of offending them. I hope that one day I will be brave enough to show my real face instead of my “logo”.
9. I have a phobia with rough cardboard. I can’t bear the feel of it. Some people hate nails on a blackboard, for me it’s rough cardboard. So I can’t buy eggs in boxes that aren’t plastic, and have to wear gloves to unpack printer cartridges, as they always wedge that damn stuff on each end of one.
10. I’m a Joss Whedon fan girl! Or rather middle aged fan woman. Back in the day I was mad on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Dollhouse and Firefly. I went to a Buffy convention in London many years ago and I managed to get to meet my three favourites, Spike (James Marsters), Graham Miller (Bailey Chase) and Rupert Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) and have my picture taken with them. And I’m not even embarrassed telling people! The man is a genius in my eyes.
1. The idea for Gabe’s character came from my first crush. I walked into a lecture hall and saw his toned backside as he bent over while he searched for something in his rucksack. Sadly he turned out to be an actual arse, so we parted ways. Gabe is everything that my first boyfriend wasn’t! But I do have to credit him with the idea for the way Gabe and Mia meet in New Leaves, No Strings.
2. I spent years searching for “the thing” that I would enjoy doing. I’ve worked as a Banker, Mortgage Adviser, Financial Adviser, Personal Assistant, Office Manager, Finance Manager and Accountant. I’ve done numerous courses and have qualifications in Social Sciences, Counselling, Financial Planning, Information Technology, Management and Accounting. I finally did evening classes in creative writing, loved it so much that I did an Advanced Diploma in it too, and that’s when I decided to write my debut, New Leaves, No Strings.
3. My cat is my biggest help when I’m writing. She forces me to take breaks with one of three tactics. Lying on my keyboard and smirking. Meowing incessantly for food as she stares at me with big green begging eyes, or depositing the foulest smelling items in her litter tray and then racing out of the cat flap, leaving me with watering eyes to go and clean up the offending item.
4. I’m a lacto-ovo vegetarian. I eat nothing with a face. It started after my Social Science’s University module where I had to watch a film of a cow being slaughtered. I ran from the room and was physically sick. I was so upset that I couldn’t sleep most of that night, then I couldn’t bring myself to eat meat or fish the next day. That was thirteen years ago and I can honestly say I don’t think I’ll ever eat meat or fish again. I never preach to others who do eat it, it’s simply just not for me and I hate when people try goading me into debates about vegetarianism. I wish that they’d just accept my personal decision that I don’t want to eat it. Simple as.
5. I have very crappy instincts when it comes to men. I hone in on arseholes who end up breaking my heart, more fool me for staying with them too long. So I loved writing Gabe Austin. He was the guy I wanted to fall in love with, the guy I wished I’d had, the guy I hope I will eventually. I would prefer he be a bit closer in age to me, I don’t see myself as a cougar!
6. My mother is French and despite having lived in England for over 50 years, still has a noticeable accent. She was a single parent, caring for my older brother and I at a time when divorce was a rarity, as well as being in a foreign country away from her family and friends. I have so much love and respect for her. As my sole parental role model growing up, I learned a lot from her, which is why I guess I’m a feisty independent female and like my female characters to be that way too. Unfortunately one of the things I learned from Mum was the French inability to pronounce their “TH’s”, so I still have this affliction now. Trying to say the number “three” to a voice activated answer system when you suffer from this is no fun at all and frequently leads me to have phone rage!
7. I have mild OCD which manifests in me being super organised, which my friends find hilarious. Everything has to have its place. DVD’s and books are all in alphabetical order (this to me is just logical, how else do people find what they are looking for?!). My wardrobe is organised by colour groups and within the colour groups by length of garment. I have to have the same coloured pins on my notice board and just can’t cope with tubs of multi coloured paperclips. If I eat Jelly Belly’s, I have to separate the flavours into their own piles before eating any. My weird little quirks affect no one but me and don’t take over my life, so I don’t stress about them.
8. C.J. Fallowfield is my pen name. C and J are the initials of my real first two names, but my surname is the street I first lived in as a child. Some of my family are super religious, so I feel like I have to hide my true identity for fear of offending them. I hope that one day I will be brave enough to show my real face instead of my “logo”.
9. I have a phobia with rough cardboard. I can’t bear the feel of it. Some people hate nails on a blackboard, for me it’s rough cardboard. So I can’t buy eggs in boxes that aren’t plastic, and have to wear gloves to unpack printer cartridges, as they always wedge that damn stuff on each end of one.
10. I’m a Joss Whedon fan girl! Or rather middle aged fan woman. Back in the day I was mad on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Dollhouse and Firefly. I went to a Buffy convention in London many years ago and I managed to get to meet my three favourites, Spike (James Marsters), Graham Miller (Bailey Chase) and Rupert Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) and have my picture taken with them. And I’m not even embarrassed telling people! The man is a genius in my eyes.
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