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Q. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Currently a resident of the hot, high desert in the southwest, I
knew I wanted to write at a young age, as early as I learned to read, cooking
up stories to entertain myself in the rural area I had lived in. But I took a
roundabout way to settle down as a fiction writer, having worked in the
corporate and real estate realms writing newspaper articles, press releases,
corporate newsletters, etc. Now that I’m settled in the desert, I’ve returned
to my first love: creative writing. When I’m not working at my computer cooking
up another tale, I can be found hanging out with my husband and cat, reading a
book, chillin’ in front of the TV, or working on a craft project. I’ve also been
known to play WOW and other computer games.
I received “the calling” to be a writer in the sixth grade, though
I had been writing earlier than that and always had a sense that’s what I’d do
when I grew up. Back in middle school, I remember getting an A on an English
project and that’s when my inner voice/sixth sense said I would definitely
write for a living.
I’ve been studying the craft of writing since my early teens. It
started with working on the school newspaper in middle school to creative
writing classes and Teens Art Festivals in high school. I received my BA in
Communications, Information and Library Studies from Rutgers College with a
strong concentration in English Lit/Writing and Interpersonal
Communications/PR. Studying under the mentorship of Terri Valentine (author of
'Sands of Time,' a Zebra Historical Romance), I honed my novel writing skills.
Now I find myself taking the occasional online class and devouring all the
writing how-to books I can get her hands on.
Q. What made you write ‘this’ story?
The
world of C.O.V.E.N. (Clans of Vegas – Endless Night) first appeared in
Evernight Publishing’s anthology Keyboards
& Kink (available here: http://www.evernightpublishing.com/keyboards-and-kink/
& at other fine e-tailers) in Casey’s story, AFK.
In AFK, we saw a peek into I-D-8
Entertainment’s in-production MMORPG: Clans of
Vegas – Endless Night, also known as C.O.V.E.N. when Beth and another gamer got
sucked into the game for real.
Now,
when it comes to Open World, it’s
actually made up of parts from two novellas that had been previously published.
Those stories were my very first published ones released in 2008 under my alter
ego’s name. A few years ago, I received the rights back on them, and they sat
in a file until this year. There’s been some major work done to revamp them
from a sci-fi’ish plot to the computer gaming one present in the book today. I
am so excited these stories, and more to come in the C.O.V.E.N. world, have found
new life and a great new home with Evernight Publishing.
Q. Tell us about your cover.
Isn’t my cover awesome?! I
love the coloring of the city and sky which represents how it looks during the
day in the story. The women in the book come into their special powers and
that’s symbolized by the weapon in her hand. Then of course since this is about
a computer game, we have the power button symbol. :)
Q. Describe a typical day’s writing for us
First thing I normally do
is check email, then I’ll check Facebook. Next I’ll get to my writing projects.
When I’m working on a story, I’ll reread and do editing on the parts I haven’t
edited yet to catch myself up. I’ll make the font a color other than black to
keep track of what I’ve already gone through. Then I’ll write the new material.
If I’m starting a new project, I do an information dump and outline as much of
the story that’s in my head first thing. Then I work off the outline, fleshing
out all the ideas and stuff as per above.
But then, when I'm really focused on a project, I tend to just plough
through it and focus only on getting it done...staying up late writing, getting
up early and getting back to the story, eating when I think I can get away from
my ‘desk’ without ruining the flow... I say ‘desk’ because sometimes if it’s
nice outside, I’ll grab my notebook and pen and either sit on my patio, or go
to the pool, and write. The house and social life suffers, but I’m a slave to
my art. :) Sometimes editing gets thrown in there or a blog post or two along
with other promotional items, but that’s the life of a writer.
Q. What inspires you?
Music has been known to
inspire stories for me. I’ll catch a line of lyric and it gets my mind going.
Same with dialogue on television or between people in conversations I hear. News
articles are known to get my creative juices going too. I get ideas from
everywhere…conversations, news headlines, television, songs. On occasion I’ve
been known to pull from my old careers and the people I’ve known, drawing out
tidbits of personalities for characters, places for settings and information to
assist with subject matter—for example, using the basis and background
knowledge of energy work that I learned in the massage field for paranormal
stories I’ve worked on. I love using the places I’ve lived in and visited as
the settings. There was one story I wrote (it’s not available at the moment)
where I used a situation I’d been in one night on a beach. Granted, I
elaborated on the situation and made it much more intense than it had been, but
the foundation was there.
Q. If you weren’t a writer what would you be?
I’ve worked as a massage
therapist, real estate agent and as an office admin/executive assistant. Most
of my choices in life have revolved around my goal of becoming a full-time
fiction writer and being published. Writing is something I’ve wanted to do
since I was a kid. It’s like breathing and eating. It’s intrinsic, a must do or
I’ll go crazy type thing. I’m an author in my soul. But, if I had no choice and
couldn’t be a writer, I’d probably fall back on what I’ve done in the past.
Q. Do your characters ever surprise you?
Yes. There was one part of
a story where a character ended up sacrificing herself and died for the greater
good. I hadn’t planned that in the least.
Q. What could not do without when you’re writing?
Water, internet (thesaurus
& google) & some kind of background noise.
Q. What words of wisdom do you have for the aspiring authors out there?
Learn the craft, from
grammar to story building and everything in between. Adhere to the rules for a
while. Once you do that, then you’ll understand how and when to break the rules
and really let your creativity thrive.
After learning the craft, start promoting yourself before the first
story is picked up/published. And if you’re going the e-book route through
e-book publishers, get two or three places under your belt right away. If
you’re doing the independent route (or e-publisher even), perhaps finishing two
or three books first before you send book one out to the world would be a good
idea. This way you don’t have to rush in starting to build a back list and can
space out the publications of the ones you already have done while you work on
more. But on top of knowing about writing mechanics, learning about marketing
and promotion and getting that going is just as important.
Q. Where do you see yourself in ten year’s time?
Making an extremely good
living from my writing. Hopefully I'll have a beach house for vacations by then
too.
Q. Do you have a favourite quote?
This too shall pass.
Q. Do you ever suffer from writer’s block?
Yeah, I do. When that
happens, I go and focus on a non-writing related project to clear my mind and
let my muse chew on the issue. More often than not, doing so helps to get rid
of the block.
Q. What other books can your readers look forward to?
I’m working on the next
book in the C.O.V.E.N. series. I have that book and three more in the works.
I’m also hoping to revamp and re-publish an erotic horror series I have in my
files.
Q. And finally can you share the blurb and excerpt with us?
Sure!
Happy to! :)
In the story, Open World, some of the employees of I-D-8 have joined together for a LAN party to test the game. For definitions on the computer gaming term: open world, check out http://www.techopedia.com/definition/3952/sandbox-gaming).
In the story, Open World, some of the employees of I-D-8 have joined together for a LAN party to test the game. For definitions on the computer gaming term: open world, check out http://www.techopedia.com/definition/3952/sandbox-gaming).
~ Blurb ~
The
world has broken out in wars. Las Vegas has been ravaged by chemical warfare
and is now home to several clans and creatures.
Welcome
to I-D-8 Entertainment’s newest game: Clans of Vegas—Endless Night.
Friends
and family have gathered for a crunch time playtest of C.O.V.E.N.. When a
horrible thunderstorm hits, everyone’s sucked into the game for real. In the
MMORPG, Hope Collins is kidnapped by Buzz and forced to submit to his whims.
Her boyfriend, Alden, has to delay his quest of defeating a clan’s prince to
save her, but time and circumstance don’t seem to be on his side. Faith Collins
is bombarded by strange dreams brought on by Buzz. Her boyfriend, Tavis, learns
to dream walk, but can he help break the spell she’s under and save her before
she’s lost to him?
C.O.V.E.N. is more than just a game. It’s a whole
other world.
~ Excerpt ~
“I
thought you might be interested in a hobby.” Buzz pointed at the yarn, which
she put on the floor next to her. “The other items are to help you become the
proper, submissive wife.”
“Speaking
of being the proper wife. When are you going to give me some satisfaction as a
husband should? Or do you have a problem in that department and can only get
off on torturing helpless victims? Ones you have to capture and make
submit to you?” The words tumbled out of her mouth without
thought.
Buzz
narrowed his eyes. His nostrils flared. “It’s not time yet for me to take your
innocence,” his strained voice grit out. “And, for your lack in restraint in
speaking to me, you will spend all night on the porch.”
“Yes,
my love.” The dismal words seemed to fall on deaf ears. Doing as he’d
instructed, she crawled behind him out to the back of the house.
He
cranked open the windows. She undressed from the white shirt and gray skirt
uniform, stepped forward and presented her hands in the air to be secured. Once
she was in place, he took the dildo with the long horsehair attached to it and
whipped her with the strands. Her ass cheeks burned and clenched each time they
were marked with the lashes.
“Ah,
what a lovely shade of deep pink my dear, like a nice piece of medium rare
steak.” He slapped the area with his hand, then prepped the dildo and her anus
with lube. Buzz shoved the toy up her ass.
The
hairs danced in the breeze coming through the open windows and tickled her
thighs.
Pins
were placed on her nipples. She did her best to not react to the shooting pains
zinging through her breasts. A blindfold covered her eyes.
Metal
clanking and scraping sounded nearby. He didn’t leave the area as he normally
would? Not liking the change in routine, the fact he stood somewhere close to
her sent her nerves and heart racing.
Seconds
later, a cold structure pressed against her abdomen. She recognized the cool
metal to be the step ladder which usually sat in the corner. The apparatus
pushed against her. When she heard the whiz of his zipper, she opened her mouth
and granted him access. There was no use trying to fight him considering the
position she was in.
Thanks for having me on
your blog today! Here’s a bit more about me, where you can find me & buy
the book…
~ Bio ~
Casey Moss
delves into the darker aspects of life in her writing, sometimes basing the
stories on reality, sometimes on myth. No matter the path, her stories will
take you on a journey from the light-hearted paranormal to dark things
unspeakable. What waits around
the corner? Come explore…
~ Casey Moss Links ~
Website: http://caseymossbooks.com/
Website: http://caseymossbooks.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CaseyMoss_
~ Buy Links ~
Evernight Publishing: http://www.evernightpublishing.com/open-world-by-casey-moss/
All Romance eBooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-openworld-1514409-147.html
BookStrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/open-world
