Blog Ring of Power Presents: Cary Caffrey


Welcome to another Blog Ring of Power Friday!.  I would love to introduce you folks to Cary Caffrey. His interview with us was great, check it out!

Don’t miss the rest of Cary’s interview at:
  • Part 1 @ T.W. – Friday, Oct. 25
  • Part 3 @ Sandra – Monday, Oct. 29
  • Part 4 @ Dean – Tuesday, Oct. 30
  • Part 5 @ Terri- Wednesday, Oct. 31
carycaffreyCARY CAFFREY: I grew up reading vintage science fiction from the 60’s and 70’s, loving the works of Harry Harrison and Joe Haldeman, Ursula Le Guin, Andre Norton and, of course, Douglas Adams. I still think The Forever War may very well be the best Science Fiction novel ever written. If Ridley Scott ever gets off his can and makes this movie, we’re sure to be in for a real treat (favourite directer, meet favourite writer. Favourite writer meet… Well, you get the idea. Wild).


Let's hear a little about your Writing Life Cary

BRoP:  What is your writing process? Do you follow a regular routine? Do you use pen and paper or computer? Work at home or at the library/Starbucks, etc.

Cary:  I always have my trusty notebook to write quick notes and outlines when the ideas hit me, but all the "writing" is done on my laptop. I used to always write in our living room. It's such an awesome spot with a great view. But after a year of that, I think my wife had had enough of me taking over that space, so now I'm relegated to an office.

BRoP:  How do you balance writing with other aspects of your life?

Cary:  Balance? What's that?

When writing decides it wants to take over, I let it. That's when things get on a roll and really get going. I love it when my project is all I can think about. Of course, I'm super-lucky to have a wife who understands what that's like. She's very encouraging.

BRoP:  When do you write?

Cary:  Definitely mornings. I only let myself edit in the afternoons, take the evening off, and then take notes at night before I go to sleep.

BRoP:  How much time per day do you spend on your writing?

Cary:  That can go anywhere from one hour a day to all day long.

BRoP:  What has been the most surprising reaction to something you’ve written?

Cary:  Well, I don't know about surprising, but I was pretty disappointed when I got some nasty mail about the fact that my book features a gay heroine. It's a shame that there's still so much hate out there. It saddens me that it's taking us so long to evolve as a society.

At least it was only a couple of readers who seemed to have a problem with that. I'm happy to say that I've received way more positive emails on this issue, and I'm pleased as punch that so many of my readers embraced the fact that I had LGBT characters in my book.

I really hope that one of these days sexuality will become a non-issue. In my book it's a non-issue. No one ever mentions being gay or lesbian. Nobody in the book cares or bats an eyelash (maybe that's what makes it science-fiction!).


BRoP:  What is the strongest criticism you’ve ever received as an author? The best compliment?

Cary:  Back in the day, especially when I was still writing stage plays, I always heard the same thing: "This won't work! It's not theater, it's TV!" These criticisms were always based on the fact that my plays featured a lot of locations. People couldn't see how you could mount so many locations on a stage. Fortunately, I never believed them, and I was lucky enough to have three of my plays produced. I'm happy to say, they did work, coming off without a hitch - thanks to some brilliant stage designs by some amazingly talented people.

The best compliments I've received for TGfA (at least, they're my favorite) have been from LGBT readers. This came as a huge relief to me. I am neither gay, nor a woman, so I was quite terrified at the prospect of writing a story from a gay woman's perspective. I often asked myself if I was qualified to write this material, and wondered if I was crazy to try. I wanted to get it right. I wanted to do right by the characters, as well as the readers. I would have been devastated if I'd somehow managed to offend or put off gay or lesbian or women readers by getting it wrong.


BRoP:  How do you deal with rejection and/or negative reviews?

Cary:  The word panic might be appropriate. Oh no! They all hate me!

Seriously, though, I'm human so I don't like negative reviews, but they do come with the territory.  I really believe you can't please everyone, and it's silly to try. I'm a strong believer in writing for a target audience. My only goal is to satisfy that target audience. If I think I've done that, then I can deal with any negative review.

You can follow Cary at:

Website: carycaffrey.com
Twitter: @CaryCaffrey
Smashwords:
Other:

BRoP:  What format is your book(s) available in (print, e-book, audio book, etc.)? 
Cary:  Paperback and Kindle, both exclusively from Amazon


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