Author Interview with C.C. Dowling

Today, I’d like to introduce C.C. Dowling to my blog.  She writes gritty urban fantasy and paranormal sci-fi.  Welcome!

Who is C.C. Dowling?  What inspired you to start writing?

I’ve wanted to write since I was a child. I started out writing poetry, short stories, and music lyrics.

What’s your favorite book you’ve written and why?

The Infinity Series is easily my favorite thing I’ve written so far. The first book in that series, Conduit, is the one that kicked it all off for me. It was my first official book published and was a concept and passion five years in the making.

What are the best and worst aspects of writing?

I think this answer depends on where an author is in the process when they answer the question. In my opinion, the best aspects are writing “The End” and when you hit PUBLISH! I would also say that it’s inspiring and encouraging when a reader leaves a review that tells you what you’ve written has touched them in some way.

The toughest aspects are self-doubt. Comparing your career to others. And malicious people willing to hurt your career and confidence with harmful reviews and actions.

How do you balance marketing one book and writing the next?

Oh, man. I don’t know. If you have the answer, please, for the love, share it! I remind myself that I am doing all I can and that I know there’s room for improvement. When I can do it, I improve. When I’m unable, I accept what I can do. Celebrate my wins.

Are you an Indie Author or are you part of a publishing house?

I’m a hybrid, but mostly I self-publish.

What do you enjoy most about being an author?

That I get to explore the human condition through the power of language.

Do read books in the genre you write?

Isn’t that an unspoken requirement? 🙂

When you’re not writing, what do you do to recharge?

I have some of the most amazing friends and community that I get to be myself with. That I get to love and support, and who do the same for me. Life is hard. It’s amazing, and short, and beautiful, and messy. I get to be all of that with them.

Besides being an author, do you have a second job?

I have a first job. A day job, which I actually love. Also, I’m a mom, wife, and dragon trainer.

What makes you laugh?

Comedy. Tickling my children. A good joke. The joy and happiness of those I love.

What (not who) would you take to a lonely island?

The internet and a way to access it.

Who would you like to invite for dinner?

Can I raise the dead? Cause, if so, I’d have my Memaw over for dinner. I would give almost anything for one more day with her.

And while I have the powers of necromancy, I’d also raise my sister. Let her meet her niece and nephew, let her see the family. Make sure she knows how much we miss her.

It’s time to meet one of your characters.  Which book is your character from?

Hi, I’m Liv. I’ll take over from here. I’m the main character in Mana, Book 2 of the Infinity Series

Who are you and what is your name?

As I said, I’m Liv. But my full name is Vivienne Imogene Hartley. Well, that’s my name in this lifetime, anyway.

Are you a fictional or historical figure?

Wow. Really? You wanna know if I’m real or fake? Isn’t that like asking a woman how old she is? Rude.

What should we know about you?

That I’m dead. Well, no. I’m not dead. Not anymore. I did die, though. Now I’m a Conduit. I reap souls for the Otherworld, deliver messages to demons, and try to keep my caseworker happy.

Tell us about your story.  When and where is your tale set?

Mana is set in modern-day Fallbrook California—a quaint town north of San Diego that’s triple-digit hot in the summer, greener than a desert has a right to be, and is just the right mix of Mayberry meets Berkeley.

Mana takes place about two months after the conclusion of Conduit. The ghosts from my past chase me hard. I can’t escape them, just like I can’t escape my mistakes or the stalker angel intent on making me his. It’s a proposal I resist, at first. But after a mission goes wrong, and those I trust stab me in the back, the only place left to turn is to my angel. To the only place that feels safe. Problem is, absolutely nothing is as it seems, and the price of that safety might mean the death of me. Again.

What is your personal goal?  What do you ultimately want?

Before I died, all I wanted was to be noticed. Now, it’s all I can do to blend in when everything about me and my life as a Conduit stands out.

If I want to get real honest, dig deep, I’d say what I crave most is the self-esteem to love myself enough. To be enough, despite what others would have me believe.

What is standing in your way?  What conflict(s) do you face?

I am my own worst enemy. Sure, there are plenty in my world who look to take advantage. Ultimately, I’m the one who causes myself the most harm. I refuse to see what’s in front of me, insist on living life in blinders, cling to the naivete that all is sunshine and roses.

C.C., thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions.  I will let my readers know which Mana has been released. 

In the meantime, how do they connect with you?

Website: https://ccdowlingauthor.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ccdowlingauthor/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CCDowling/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CCDowling

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/c-c-dowling

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/C.C.-Dowling/e/B076MFCS2F

When college senior Jane Lamb dies suddenly, she discovers that the afterlife is less pearly gates and fluffy clouds and more standing in line at the DMV. But before she can spend eternity lamenting over her short, unremarkable life, she’s offered a do-over—as a Conduit, a reincarnated messenger contracted to reap souls.

Determined to do things right the second time, Jane takes the job and reincarnates as eighteen-year-old college freshman Liv Hartley. Only, the excitement for her new life doesn’t last. There are consequences to bearing the coveted infinity symbol tattoo marking her as a Conduit, and Liv quickly finds that getting a second chance doesn’t mean getting a better one. Possessive demons, stolen assignments, and a love life that’s decidedly complicated are all a far cry from the mundane existence Jane led. But with more questions piling up than bodies, there’s only one thing Liv knows for sure: life doesn’t get any easier after death.

Filled with sparkling wit, conflicted romance, and more spirit than a haunted mansion, Conduit is a fun-filled paranormal that explores the idea of regret, love, and what we would give to live twice.