Member Spotlight: C. A. Withey

1. Tell us about your most recent project (written or published). What inspired it?

My most recent projects are my novels Cora and the Dreamer and its upcoming sequel Through the Glass Wall.  This series is starkly different than any of my previous works for a number of reasons.  Taking place for the first time on an alternate modern day Earth, they feature relatable real world characters and events inspired directly from my own life.  It’s also at its core a romance, which is a first for me, and centers around a young, strong, independent female protagonist–a character I very much enjoyed creating.  Also marking a change in this series are the crazy, abstract ideas I’ve thrown into it–one character is literally a god on Earth–grounded by life-like characters, emotions and the series’ central romance.  It was a fun and unique puzzle when I started writing Cora and the Dreamer.  I said to myself, “I have this person with god-like powers who can do practically anything he wants.  While that sounds fun, and it is, how do I keep this story grounded, personal, and relatable to readers?”  The solution to that was Cora Everton–the humble young art student, a mere mortal in every sense of the word, and the crazy romance that blossoms between the two.  It’s through her eyes that readers experience the story and all of its roller coaster emotions and antics.

2. What’s your writing process like? Are you a “pantser,” an outliner, or something in between?

My writing process is sporadic.  I will take notes to help my memory, but essentially I have pictures in my head of scenes I want to include in the future, all while I try to pull the story along the course to get to those scenes.  Sometimes it works out, but sometimes my characters have a mind of their own and go their own way.  I listen to what the characters would do and how the scenes are going and adapt as necessary.  The path may be wayward, and I may have to go back and edit and smooth things out, but I find where I’m going in the end.

3. What’s your favorite kind of story to write?

My favorite kind of story to write is the one I’m currently writing.  If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t be writing it.  If you ask me now or any time in the future which of my books is my favorite, I will always tell you that my current is my favorite.  If I didn’t honestly believe that my current is the best story I’ve ever written, I wouldn’t follow it through to the end.

4. Which character from your work do you most identify with, and why?

This question is tricky.  I love the character of the Dreamer, the aforementioned ‘god-like’ character.  He’s essentially a glorified cartoon in real life, with the ability to do almost anything he wants as long as it amuses him.  It’s led to the creation of some very amusing set pieces and interactions.  But the character I most identify with, myself along with my readers, is Cora the humble art student.  She’s a great character, very intelligent and strong and fun to write, and seeing and experiencing the madness the Dreamer is causing is even more interesting when viewed through someone normal, having to bear witness to it.  She’s my favorite character to date.

5. Which authors or books have most influenced your work?

Stephen King’s The Dark Tower influenced the character of Caleb Everman, who appears in prior books of mine, and makes appearances in Through the Glass Wall.  Other inspiration came from web comics that had a good idea for a story but failed to deliver on good content.  The inspiration for both the Dreamer and Cora Everton came from various dreams I’ve had over the years.  Picturing myself with the ability the fly, such as the Dreamer often exercises, is a reoccurring theme that translates well into this story.

6. What’s the last book you read that you really loved?

7. Besides writing, how do you like to spend your free time?

Write.  Think afterward.  Thinking can ruin a good story.

9. Where can readers find your work?

My newest, constantly updated stories, including Cora and the Dreamer and Through the Glass Wall are here: http://www.protagonize.com/author/CWithey.  My published works are available through Melange Books: http://melange-books.com/authors/cawithey/.  I am currently querying for a publisher to represent Cora and the Dreamer on the marketplace.

10. What’s your favorite thing about the furry fandom?

I embrace the maturity of a good story, one which happens to include furries.  My novel Savagery and the Dreamkeepers series are both excellent examples of intelligently written stories that explore mature themes and topics, which also happen to include anthropomorphic characters.  Breaking the stereotypical mold of ‘animal people are for cartoons’ is a very satisfying thing to see.  Dreamkeepers especially does an excellent job of this.

Check out C. A. Withey’s member bio here!