Indie Support Sunday: C.G. Murray
- 7 days ago
- 9 min read
C.G. Murray and I connected through the most indie author way possible—a newsletter swap! We featured each other’s books in our monthly emails and then I asked if she’d like to be a part of my interview series and here we are. Based out of the UK, C.G. wrote her debut Built to Last as a way to give voice to other people who also struggled with chronic illness. She wanted to write this story that was closest to her heart and this first book in her Riverbend Romance series was born.
Like me, C.G. also enjoys quiet and alone time. Spending time with her dog and refilling her creative well is important to her and it certainly helps with the books she’s writing. While she’s only starting out on her indie journey, C.G. has two pieces of great advice for everyone else thinking of doing this as well. She’s also working on her WIP which might have a little magic included!
Plan to Stay, the second book in her debut series releases June 12th, so make sure you preorder. The first one is available in Kindle Unlimited right now!
BEING AN AUTHOR
Who or what inspired you to write?
I’ve always been a big reader, but never imagined I’d write a book. Then a few years ago I stumbled across bookstagram where I discovered a community of avid readers and learned about indie authors. I found the idea of self-publishing deeply interesting, so I did some thorough research and paid attention to everything my favourite authors (both indie and trad) shared about their writing and publishing processes. Once some of the mystery was taken out of it I realised that writing and self-publishing was something I could learn to do. Then a couple of years ago, after significant changes to my health that I found out were permanent, I realised I needed to make some major adjustments. That’s when I set the goal to write and publish a book before I turned thirty (which I did with a couple of months to spare).
What’s the best and worst part about being an indie author?
I’m still new to self-publishing, but so far the best part of being an indie author has, at times, also been the worst part. There’s a lot of freedom that comes with being able to choose what to write, what the book cover should look like, when to release, where to make your books available, etc. but it can be overwhelming having to make all the decisions and do all the things myself.
When you’re not writing, what do you do to get the creative juices flowing?
I’ve always been someone who enjoys quiet time alone. Letting my mind wander when it’s just me and my dog is usually when ideas will come to me. Listening to music, watching films and TV, and reading all help refill my creative well. Getting out of the house usually helps too. If I’m feeling stuck, I’ll go for a walk with my dog or to one of my favourite coffee shops and it works like a reset button for my brain.
If you were to recommend books to me (in any genre), what would they be?
Okay, I love seeing other authors give book recs so I’m going to try even though it’s so hard to choose! These are all romance books but cover different subgenres:
In The Event of Love by Courtney Kae, Wreck My Plans by Jillian Meadows, Dessert Flirt Repeat by Sarah Smith, Only When It’s Us by Chloe Liese, Juniper Hill by Devney Perry, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna, That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming, Getting It On With Gargoyles by Hazel Mack, Lola & the Millionaires by Kathryn Moon.
What are your top 5 tips or pieces of advice for aspiring authors?
I feel like I’m still too new to be giving much advice, but I will share something I see plenty of more experienced authors saying all the time: other authors are your colleagues, not your competition. While we’re on that subject, I think acknowledging the small wins and each step forward makes it easy to be genuinely happy for other people when they’re sharing milestones, even while simultaneously hoping to reach that level of success myself one day.
ROMANCE AS A GENRE
Why did you choose romance as the genre to write in? What is your favorite thing about the genre?
I choose to write romance because it’s what I read (almost exclusively aside from a little non-fiction). My favourite thing about the genre is that there is always a happy ending. No matter what the main characters go through you know it will all work out for them in the end.
If not romance/subgenres of romance, what genre would you like to write in?
I really can’t imagine myself writing anything outside of romance. There are so many subgenres to play with I don’t think I’ll ever get bored!
What are your most and least favorite tropes?
My favourite tropes are: forced proximity, found family, and fated mates. If I’m feeling the need for some chaos, I also enjoy secret relationship, fake relationship, magic gone wrong, ex’s dad/dad’s best friend, and discovery of magic/the paranormal. I don’t think I have a least favourite.
What are some tropes you want to write in the future?
I really want to write a celebrity romance, fated mates, and a fake relationship. I have a couple of ideas for the first two, but nothing for a fake relationship so far.
What are some topics (sensitive and otherwise) that you think should exist more in romance?
I’ll always be happy to see more mental health, chronic illness, and disability representation in romance. Those books are absolutely out there, but there’s no such thing as too many! I’m also a big fan of ‘unlikeable’ FMCs (women who don’t stand for any nonsense).
If you write open door romance, why did you choose that and what inspires your sex scenes?
I write open door romance because it’s what I gravitate towards most as a reader. Inspiration for the sex scenes comes from the characters. I think about who they are as people, what I want the sex scene to achieve in terms of the story, and then I go from there.
YOUR BOOKS
What inspired your published stories? How and when did you come up with these stories and plots?
I came up with the idea for Built to Last shortly after I got my chronic illness diagnosis. While I had a lot of different ideas, it was important to me to write a book with an FMC who had some of the health conditions I do first. Then I figured out who Rose was as a person and developed the story from there.
For my second book, Plan to Stay, the main characters were side characters in Built to Last and their story came more easily to me because I already had a strong sense of who the characters were. The main issue was how to bring them together and that’s when I decided to have them team up to save a wedding.
Now I’m writing my third book, I can see that I always start with two or three main ideas. For my current WIP it was the setting, one of the main characters, and a spell gone wrong. From there, I keep asking myself why the character(s) would do xyz until I have an entire story.
Can you briefly tell me about your books?
So far I have one contemporary romance series called Riverbend Romance. There are two books in the series: Built to Last and Plan to Stay.
Built to Last is about grumpy, chronically ill painter Rose, who is struggling to regain her creative spark, and handyman and carpenter Phillip, who has enough sunshine energy for everyone. After an awkward first meeting, they meet again only to discover they’ll be working on a set design project together for Rose’s best friend’s company.
Plan to Stay is about Aria (Rose’s best friend) and single dad Eric (Phillip’s older brother). They can’t stand each other for reasons but, when there’s a problem with the venue for Rose and Phillip’s wedding, Aria and Eric reluctantly team up to save the day.
Both books can be read as standalones, but book two does contain spoilers for book one’s couple.
Do you already have a favorite character from the stories you’ve written?
Rose was my first female main character and writing a FMC with some of the same health conditions I have was important to me. That said, because some of Rose’s experiences like her flare-up, past experience with medical gaslighting, etc. came from personal experience, it meant she wasn’t always fun to write. While Rose will always have a special place in my heart and is my favourite from the books I’ve written so far, I think one of the chaotic characters I have planned will end up being my favourite because I can already tell they’re going to be a lot of fun to write.
If you were to cast your book for a movie/television show, who would you cast in the lead roles?
Hmmm I’m not great at this but I’ll give it a go: Lili Reinhart as Rose, Molly C. Quinn as Aria, John Reardon as Phillip, and Matt Cohen as Eric.
How much of yourself do you put into these characters?
I think a little bit of me goes into all of my main characters, but I still like to think of them as their own people. Elements of my personality can be found in Rose and Aria but, as a whole, they’re both still very different to me.
What is a story/stories that you really want to tell?
There are so many! There’s a side character in Plan to Stay whose story I’m really looking forward to writing. The characters, tropes, and setting are all things I’m very excited to work with, but I have two other projects in mind before I get to that so I have to be patient!
I also adore an academy setting with adult students and have a couple of ideas in the back of my mind I’d like to get to eventually, but I don’t think that’s something I’ll be working on anytime soon.
Is there one common element that readers can find in all your stories?
Aside from romance, I’d say the thing you can expect from my books is a journey of personal growth and emotional healing for at least one of the main characters. Also found family or close family relationships.
What’s next on the bookshelf for you? Anything you can tell us about a future project?
Right now I’m working on my first paranormal romance and I’m beyond excited! It’s the first book in a new series, set in a small town hidden from humans, and there are fated mates. Taking the time to switch to paranormal has been wonderful for my creativity and I’m already looking forward to writing more in the Riverbend universe after I finish this project.
When you write these stories, what are you hoping your readers will feel?
Mostly I hope people can relate to the characters and that they feel good after reading my books. Some readers have said they feel seen by the chronic illness representation in Built to Last, and that honestly means the world to me. It definitely makes me want to include more of that kind of representation in future books.
AUTHOR’S CHOICE
Paperbacks, hardbacks, ebooks or audiobooks—I usually read ebooks as physical books can be difficult for me to hold. In the last couple of years I’ve started listening to a lot more audiobooks because they’re great for when my eyes are tired. I do love having physical copies of favourites for my shelves though, especially if they’re special editions.
Contemporary, fantasy, historical or romantic suspense—I enjoy all four of these subgenres but, out of these options, contemporary and fantasy are what I read the most.
Single or Dual POV—I’ll read either but there’s something about getting to see both sides of a love story that just makes me so happy.
Standalones, series or standalones in a series—I’ll read them all but I do gravitate towards standalones in a series. There’s something special about getting to see the same setting and characters through the eyes of each different main character.
Open door, ajar door or closed door romances—I read all of the above but mostly open door romances.
Music or silence when writing—My neighbour does A LOT of DIY stuff in his garage right next to the room I write in, so I usually listen to music that I’m super familiar with in my noise cancelling headphones. The consistent presence of the music helps me ignore the changing noises of all the power tools.
Plotter, pantser or plantser—I think I fall into the ‘plantser’ category. I like to outline all of the beats in my book before I start writing which also helps give me a stronger idea of who my characters are. Once I know these key beats I jot down any other scene ideas that have come to me to help me get from one beat to another. Then I’ll start writing and let the rest of the scenes come to me as I work.
Water, tea, coffee or….wine?—I usually drink two mugs of coffee a day (sometimes it’s three if I’m really struggling) and then I always have plenty of water.
Cold or warm weather—I’m always cold but I also really don’t do well in the heat so I’d rather be cold and wear a lot of layers, snuggle under blankets, and have the heating on. If we’re being specific, my ideal weather is a sunny but crisp autumn day.
Write better in the morning, afternoon or night?—I write best in the morning, but most of my ideas come to me at night, which is when I end up frantically typing thoughts into my notes app so I can come back to them when I’m more awake.
Illustrated or photo cover?—I like both! Illustrated covers have been the right call for my books so far, but I’m definitely open to photo covers if that style is what best fits the vibe of any of my future projects. As a reader I like seeing both styles of cover on my shelves.
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