Celia Breslin

Welcome, today we are talking with Celia Breslin! I would like to thank you for taking time out of your busy writing schedule to answer a few questions.

Thank you! My pleasure.

First, let’s delve into who you are. Some of the questions may be untraditional but you’d be surprised at what readers connect to, and sometimes the simplest ‘I can relate to that’ grabs their interest where nothing else can.

Sounds great. I’m ready to rock.

Can you share a little something about Celia Breslin that’s not mentioned in your bio on your website? 

I have a tattoo that I designed myself. 

When did you know that you wanted to be a writer? 

I’ve written stories since I was a kid, so I knew I’d always have writing as part of my life. As a profession, it was my second job after college. First was teaching. 

How long have you been writing? 

It’s hard to remember a time I wasn’t writing, LOL.

What have you found most challenging about it? 

It’s easy to get distracted by the Shiny New Story Idea when I’m in the middle of finishing my current Work-In-Progress. I usually resist the temptation to switch gears by jotting some notes for the new Shiny-Shiny.

What does writing do for you? Is it fun, cathartic, do you get emotional?  

Yes, writing is all of those things and more. Fun. Cathartic. Necessary. I definitely get emotional when writing, particularly when I’m deep into whatever I’m working on. Or, when I have to kill one of my Darlings, which usually needs to happen in the genres I write. 

Describe what your writing routine looks like. Are you disciplined with a strict schedule or do you have to be in the mood? 

I’m fairly disciplined. For years, I had a set schedule which looked something like this: chauffeur child to school, exercise, write, edit for clients, pick up child, spend evening with family. Rinse, repeat. Then the pandemic happened. I am still exercising, working on my stories, and editing for clients, but my workday contains infinitely more interruptions. 

Did you go into writing thinking that it would be a hobby or a job? 

It started as a hobby and turned into my favorite job. 

What inspires you? 

To write stories? My characters. They always come to me first, and I do in-depth character questionnaires to get to know them and their story, their GMC (goal, motivation, conflict), etc. 

Let’s move on and give readers some insight into your personal life. 

Sounds good!

What is your favorite:

• Animal – Cats. I have two.
• Food –    Currently, Burmese. Also Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Korean, and Chinese.
• Movie – “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World”
• TV show – Buffy, Angel, The Good Place, etc.
• Singer – Depends on the genre and my mood, LOL… NIN, Charli XCX, Delirium, Lily Allen, John Legend, Alicia Keys, etc.
• Author – Oh, so many fav. authors… in urban fantasy/paranormal romance I’d say J. R. Ward, Kresley Cole, and Larissa Ione.

What are your pet peeves?

Hm… Being late for appointments. Getting cut off by someone when speaking.

Who is your hero?

My grandmother. She inspired me to write by telling me stories of the “wee folk”, including her personal encounter with a Banshee when she was a teenager. She encouraged me by reading everything I wrote when I was a kid. Her unconditional love for her family and her courage (fighting the disease that ultimately took her life) continue to inspire me today. 

Give us one thing on your bucket list. 

Visit Scotland.

What would readers find surprising about you?

I love research, and not just online… for example, years ago, I had my boot camp trainer teach me self-defense moves and kickboxing so I could write believable action scenes for my vampire series.

If you could go to heaven, who would you visit?

My grandmother.

Any bad habits?

Sometimes, it’s very hard to stop at one piece of dark chocolate, LOL. 

Now that our readers know who Celia Breslin is let’s get down to the business of your book, A Demon’s Embrace, book 4 of The Cupid Dating Agency Series. 

How long did it take you from beginning to end before your novel was finished, and how did you decide on the topic and title? 

A Demon’s Embrace took a few months from start to finish. The title was easy to create since my main character is a demon in love with an angel. As for the topic: The Cupid Dating Agency is a multi-author series where each writer creates a story using the general idea of angels/demons/humans dating and finding love.  All the stories are unique, stand-alone reads.

Please tell us a little bit about, A Demon’s Embrace.

Former relic-hunter and soldier for Hell, Stryker spends his days of redemption running a holiday store in a cheery little town in the California wine country. He’s not complaining. The gig puts him across the street from his one and only heart’s desire—a blue-eyed angel with a clever brain, a hot bod, and the wickedest right hook this side of Heaven. Too bad his delectable Angel Cake won’t give him the time of day.

Warrior-class angel and restaurateur, Zara keeps busy designing interesting foods and beverages for the eateries and gym she owns with her celestial teammates. She certainly has zero time or interest in the annoyingly sexy, darkly bronzed demon who drove her bonkers for eons while working for the other side.

But then a freak storm complete with hell beasties rampages their hometown, and God and the cupids order the pair to team up to investigate. Frustrating news for Zara. Fantastic for Stryker. His new mission? Show his feisty angel their partnership is meant to extend far beyond this one job for Heaven…

What was your hardest challenge writing this book?

Keeping it short. The books in this series are novella-length. 

What kind of research did you have to do?

I’m personally familiar with the location of the story (Petaluma, CA), so most of my research centered around other aspects of the setting.  For example, I had a blast researching holiday stores online for inspiration in designing the interior of Christmas & More.

What in your opinion makes good chemistry between your leading characters? 

They’re physically attracted to each other, of course, but character is also important to them both. Bravery. Honor. Loyalty. They also have quite a few other things in common in terms of likes and dislikes, but no spoilers here… readers can find out all about it on their dinner date. 

Do you have other books planned for the series?

Yes. Two more. 

What about the new multi-author series you’ve started writing for, what’s that all about?  

I was invited by a writer friend (the series creator) to write in this paranormal, high-heat romance, multi-author, shared world. All stories in the series are unique standalone reads so you can read them in any order. The backstory for the series goes like this:  A big war between Heaven and Hell happened, Lucifer lost and no longer runs Hell, humans know about angels/demons, and angels/demons/humans now co-exist and often get matched for potential partnerships (business and/or personal) by the Cupid Dating Agency.

The four stories I’ve planned for the series use some of my favorite romance tropes and star my team of four, warrior-class angels — Ezekiel (Zeke), Zariel (Zara), Gabrielle (Elle), and Raziel (Raz) — who find love in the Northern California wine country.  Readers can meet Zeke and his love-interest in A Warrior’s Kiss, an Opposites Attract romance. Zara is the star of A Demon’s Embrace, an Enemies to Lovers romance. Elle is up next with her as yet untitled Second Chance romance, followed by Raz in his as yet untitled Friends to Lovers romance.

Any other works in progress? 

Yes. I have a new Fae series in the works. Two novels written, another in progress, two more outlined, for a total of five.

Any advice for aspiring authors?

Write what you love. Trends come and go, so discover what lights a fire in your muse and go for it.  Also, it’s easy to procrastinate with all the distractions available to us, especially via social media, so set writing goals and a schedule, gather some accountability author buddies, and write, write, write!

Final words?

Thanks for having me over for a visit! 🙂

 

Website: http://www.celiabreslin.com/

Blog: http://www.celiabreslin.com/blog/

Email:  celia@celiabreslin.com