Nothing at all. All my main characters are male, throughout the whole Angels-and-Demons trilogy. When I write, it’s like slipping into the character’s skin. Male or female doesn’t matter, it’s just a physical aspect. What counts when writing a character is the heart and soul, the actions and decisions the character makes, the journey he is going on, the challenges he has to face.
I wrote it, so certain aspects of my life are definitely wrought into the book in many places. Writing a book is baring part of your soul to strangers you’ve never met, and probably never will.
Honestly, I never thought about writing until that one day in October 2018. Suddenly there was some crazy idea in my head, spurring me to write a fan-fiction short story, “Blood Moon†in Aimee Easterling’s werewolf universe. She had a friend check it out after I sent it to her. It was declared good enough to share. I put it up on AO3 and she actually shared it on Facebook as well as in her newsletter. Then, the next crazy thing happened. She asked me if I was interested in co-authoring a short story. I agreed. In November 2018, my pen-name J.C. Seal was created, and in February 2019, “Pool Party†was published. By then, I had also started writing “Fallen Angelsâ€, my first own book, in my own universe. I have been writing ever since. It’s nothing you can simply stop again. The words just appear in my head, the story playing itself out in like watching a movie. I have to write them down, because bottling up results in a splitting headache and a very grumpy me. Not funny for anyone.
I know I’m repeating myself here, but it can’t be said often enough. Believe in yourself, in your vision. Don’t stop writing because others tell you it’s not worth it. Don’t despair when you are smiled upon, when your “antics are toleratedâ€. Find the right group of people to support you, people who share your dreams, who help you make them come true. I was lucky I did.
