Capturing the Dream

Hey all,

It's Friday and you know what that means. Yep! We have another fantastic guest blogger come to visit us. And this time it's a good friend and colleague, Qwilla Rain who writes with me at Loose Id.  She and I met at another publisher and we've stayed friends even after that publisher disappeared from view.

She's a great gal and a terrific writer, with quite a few stories under her belt, mostly in theBDSM genre.  So if you like to titillate your senses with those kinds of yummy stories, check her out.

But don't just listen to me.  See what she has to say about herself at her website...

Qwillia calls any place she stays...home.  She's lived in Las Vegas, Nevada; Flagstaff Arizona; Anchorage, Alaska; Billings, Montana; and currently dips her pen in Raleigh, North Carolina.  A student of human nature, Qwillia enjoys jumping over the boundaries, and exploring the darker side of man's sexuality.

Sounds great, doesn't she?  So let's get to know her a bit better.  Please help me in welcoming the awesome, Qwilla Rain.
 

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   Thank you for inviting me to join you on your blog. It’s great that I get to show up so close to the end of the month because I love Halloween -- always have, always will. I think because it feeds so well into my tendency to dream up stories while taking the opportunity to play dress up at the same time.

When I was little I loved reading, I still do. I loved the imaginary worlds the authors developed and coaxed me to play in. Perhaps that was what made me fantasize about being an author. Like all little girls, I had a trunk full of “ultimate” dream jobs: long-haul truck driver; center fielder for the Cincinnati Reds; Time Lord -- yeah, I was a Tom Baker-era Dr Who girl. LOL

Throughout all those wonderful future careers, books remained my escape mechanism for reality. Mysteries, fantasies, science fiction, horror, general fiction, classics, and yes -- my favorite -- romance!! I was in alt when sub-genres developed, I could have my cake and eat it too! Romance and all those other genres rolled into one. And I was always scribbling ideas and creating my own little worlds. Eventually logic kicked in and I contemplated being a teacher, which became my career for nearly ten years in three different states.

Eleven years after graduating high school and following a myriad of jobs (lowest being a bill collector, highest being a tie between sales associate in a video store and a bookstore -- gotta love the perks in these two) I went to university and completed both a Bachelors and Masters degree in education. I settled into teaching, first in Alaska, then Montana, and finally, North Carolina.

All through the ups and downs of schools and jobs, writing was my method of coping. I could decompress by creating the wicked stories bubbling in my mind, and they entertained my friends and family. As is probably well known, teachers don’t make the big bucks. With that in mind, I took a step to achieve my secret dream of being an author. A published author. A published author with a 5 Year Plan. (Yeah, one of those plans that maps out how to move from earning money on the side to actually living off your earnings so you can write full-time.) In September 2007, I sold my first novella, with a release date of January 1, 2008, to a new e-publisher that closed up shop in April 2008, but that didn’t deter me or alter my Plan. And I lucked out again a month later.

On Halloween -- did I mention that I LOVE Halloween? -- I opened an email at six in the morning, requesting a full. By mid-November, I had a contract and on December 18, 2007, my book went live. Santa’s Elf was my first book with Loose Id, LLC and as my third anniversary as a published author approaches, my seventh book, Diablo Blanco Club: Rite of First Claim, is tentatively scheduled for release on November 16th.

Even better, at least in my mind, I’m two years ahead in my 5 Year Plan. Much as I enjoy teaching, I quit my day job -- yup, resigned, hung up my eraser and lesson plan book -- and I’m jumping into the full-time writing gig with both feet. I guess fall and Halloween are my ideal season and holiday!

Here’s hoping you find your passion and follow your dreams!


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Pretty cool, huh?  I love her work and am pleased she has taken the time to chat with us.  Please let her know what you think in the comments below!

And check out Qwilla's books at Loose Id.  Her latest story is called Ariel's Pet and is available at http://www.loose-id.com/An-Invitation-Ariels-Pet.aspx.  Or visit her website at http://www.freewebs.com/clubdiabloblanco/ or her blog at http://diabloblancoclub.blogspot.com/.

I'll be back on Monday with another blog about my travels and life.  I hope you'll join me!  And don't forget my FREE READ.  We met Mace this last week.  You'll want to meet him too!

Hugs,

CJ England  

Follow Your Dreams

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