Author Cora Zane was kind enough to drop by the blog
today.
I’m so honored to have you here, Cora. I absolutely love your books! Tell us about
your latest releases.
I’ve written across several genres over the years, but I
primarily write erotic paranormal romance and literary erotica. My latest book is an erotica paranormal
romance called Chasing Moonlight. It’s book six of the Werekind werewolf
series. It’s available at most major online US based booksellers, Barnes and
Noble, Amazon, ARE, etc.
I’ve also recently had several short several published in
anthologies for both digital-first and traditional publishers. I have stories
appearing in Ultimate Angels: Tales of
Winged Warriors, Coming Together:
Hungry for Love, and Morning, Noon,
and Night: Erotica for Couples.
What is a typical writing day like for you?
I write at night, usually from about 9pm to 2 in the
morning.
I used to write during the daylight hours, but there were
too many interruptions and distractions. I shifted my schedule to give myself
the daylight hours for home and family. At night, once my son is asleep, I take
care of the dishes and laundry then head to my office to write.
What does your writing office look like?
I have an office at one end of the house. My desk is a
simple, wooden pre-fab desk right inside the doorway. The desk faces a window
overlooking the front yard, I have to keep that main window covered with
curtains and a blanket; otherwise, the sunlight would hit me directly in the
face throughout the day.
If you’re sitting in my desk chair, to the left of my
desk, stands the official “keeper shelf”, a half-bookcase that contains all my
writing related reference books, my address book, and Kindle. To the right of
my desk is the door to the hallway. On the back of that door, I have a large
bulletin board for notecards, and a dry erase board. I reset at least one of
those boards whenever I start a new novel.
Honestly, my office stays cluttered most of the time.
It’s organized well enough at the front end, but all the spare furniture from
the rest of the house has somehow migrated here over the years. The back half
of my office has built in twin closets and shelving, and there is a full-sized,
massive curio cabinet filled to the brim with family treasures against one
wall. Across from the curio cabinet, there is floor to ceiling industrial
shelving that hold bins of books, shipping materials, office supplies, and
stuff like that.
That sounds so creative.
What other things inspire you?
Inspiration is everywhere, but I think reading is
probably my largest wellspring. I get inspired by reading about author’s
processes, collecting quotes, and by reading outside my genre. Most of the
books I pick up are non-fiction or writing craft related, but I also like to
read category romances and horror novels.
When I can afford it, I like to travel, take photographs,
explore—that sort of thing. I’ve used vacation destinations and events in my
books before. There is always inspiration to be gained by going out into the
world and opening yourself up to new places and experiences. What may otherwise
be a mundane event, such as driving across a bridge or sitting through a summer
thunderstorm, can leave a completely different impression on you when it
happens in an unfamiliar place.
Are you a plotter or a pantster?
A little of both. I used to spend a lot of time plotting, but I
don’t do that now unless I have subplots to work with. Whenever I start a new
project, I typically spend a few days, up to a few weeks, brainstorming. That
includes researching settings and figuring out who my characters are. Once that
is done, if the project is longer and seems complex, I might write out a
synopsis to use as a loosely built road map. From there, I simply turn my story
over to the characters and let them run with it.
How can readers find you, website, blog, etc.?
Readers can find my website at www.corazane.com. The site is always up to
date with all the pertinent information and social media links, such as my
Twitter and Facebook accounts. I also have a blog at http://corazane.blogspot.com where I talk about anything and everything
that pops into my mind: what’s going on, books and writing, and just about
everything else under the sun. I welcome readers to drop by and say hello.
Thanks so much for dropping by, Cora!
Thanks for having me, Nancy. It’s been a pleasure
visiting your blog.