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About C.J. Darlington

C. J. began writing the story that would become her first novel Thicker than Blood when she was a fifteen-year-old homeschool student. She has been in the antiquarian bookselling business for over a decade, scouting for stores similar to the one described in Thicker than Blood before cofounding her own online bookstore.

In 2006 C. J. started the Christian entertainment Web site TitleTrakk.com with her sister, Tracy, and has been actively promoting Christian fiction through book reviews and author interviews. She makes her home in Pennsylvania with her family and their menagerie of dogs and cats.

When she's not writing, she's reading. Her hobbies include book and art collecting, fly fishing, painting and drawing. Visit her online at her blog where she talks about books, writing, and publishing. You can also look her up at Twitter and Facebook.


FAQS

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I have written stories ever since I was a little kid. My most ambitious was called “The Horse’s Story”. I remember starting it when I was eight or nine on my Dad’s old word processor. It was about a horse named Loopter who would become Joshua of the Bible’s horse. He was going to be a witness of the walls of Jericho falling down, but . . . I never finished it.

Then there was my epic (started when I was twelve) called “Moby”, about a Labrador Retriever trying to find his place in this world. He tried being a lap dog (with some humorous consequences!), a fire dog, a police dog, a sheep dog . . . he never did find out what he was meant to be ‘cause I never finished that story either! Around this time was when I started dreaming of having a book published. I knew nothing of how it worked, but the seed was planted.

When I was fifteen I started a story that would change the way I thought about writing. It was about two sisters who hadn’t seen each other for years but eventually met again. That story eventually became my first novel, Thicker Than Blood.

It wasn’t until I was sixteen and discovered writing how-to books and magazines like Writer’s Digest and The Writer at the library that my apprenticeship as a writer began. I devoured everything I could on the craft. I was so excited that you could actually learn to write. Being homeschooled taught me how to teach myself, so it was a no brainer to teach myself how to write better. I learned so much from those books, but I learned the most from reading other novels.

You’re a homeschooler – all the way through high school. Do you think that background helped you finish this project, and helped you stick to it? Along the same line, what parts of homeschooling have helped you the most in your professional career, as a novelist and as head of TitleTrakk.com with your sister Tracy?

I truly believe if it weren’t for homeschooling I would not be where I am today. Homeschooling taught me how to teach myself. I learn best that way. Also, having the support of my parents was monumental. My mom is still my first reader and editor. Without her help, I know it would’ve taken me years longer to be published (if it happened at all). She’s like you, Sibella---she not only knows what’s wrong with a piece of writing, but she can usually pinpoint what needs to be changed to fix the problem. That takes skill. I can look at a piece and know something isn’t right, but it’s a lot harder to figure out why, and Mom has that knack. I dedicated Thicker than Blood to her for a reason! It wouldn’t be here without her.

Homeschooling also taught me that you don’t always have to do things the way most people say you do. Some would’ve advised me not to attempt a full novel so early. I should start with articles or short stories first, and then attempt a book. But being somewhat of a maverick (only in good ways, of course), I discarded this advice and dove right in.

Our parents always made a point to encourage Tracy and I in our entrepreneurial efforts, even making it part of our curriculum. I mentioned our newspaper, but back when we were even younger we had a business called T & C’s Baking Company (Mom helped us a lot with the actual baking part). We would sell brownies and cookies around the neighborhood. That taught us math skills, how to figure profit and loss, sales techniques, and just dealing with people on a business level. When we started our book business as teenagers we already had that business background.

When Tracy and I decide to build the TitleTrakk.com website, we dug in and learned the code and design skills necessary to create the site from scratch. If we didn’t know something, we asked questions and searched the web for insights. I say that to brag on homeschooling, not on us. We’re nothing special. But we learned the world was at our fingertips through homeschooling. Our homeschooling motto was “the world is our classroom”, and that’s still applicable to our lives today.

As far as which parts of homeschooling have helped me personally in what I’m doing now, it comes back to not being afraid to grab the bull by the horns and tackle a project. Or to teach myself something totally new. Plus, I was always encouraged in my love of reading and books. If I had been forced to only read required curriculum, or worse, was told I couldn’t read certain books because they were too hard or weren’t on that year’s reading list, I know it would’ve squelched creativity.

I recognize homeschooling isn’t for everyone, but it was everything for me. I’m very thankful my parents made the decision to do it at a time when it was not as accepted like it is now. We heard stories of kids being taken away from their families, so it took some bravery on my parents’ part to make the sacrifice of educating us at home.

Do you believe homeschooling was a help to you as an aspiring writer? If so, how?

Oh, my, yes! I truly believe if it weren’t for my parents choosing homeschooling I would not be where I am today. I am so thankful they did, because by being homeschooled I learned how to teach myself. Not that I did everything on my own. After I graduated, my parents were still there helping me pursue my dreams. If I’d slack off on something, they’d encourage me to keep going. Mom would remind me of things I’d told her about wanting to be a writer, and that would help spur me on.

I know we all homeschool differently, but I think universally being homeschooled fosters individual thinking. That’s so important. I don’t want to be a robot swallowing what someone tells me is truth without ever asking questions.

Were books a big part of your life growing up? If so, what books would you say influenced you most as a child?

I loved to read! One of my favorite activities was going to the library. My sister and I would come home with bags and bags full of books. I didn’t read every single one, but what a luxury to have so many available at my fingertips.

I’m trying to think of what book influenced me most . . . interestingly, I loved reading fictionalized accounts of historical figures. I loved the Childhood of Famous Americans series (Will Scout, Boy in Buckskins was a favorite), the Landmark series (I re-read The Swamp Fox of the Revolution several times), the We Were There series, and of course Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, Tom Swift, Jr. and the like filled my bags, too. And then there were the animal stories like 101 Dalmations, the Dr. Doolittle series, and a book called Brimm’s Boat. And Narnia. I LOVED Narnia. Wow . . . I could go on and on and on.

I guess they all influenced me without me even realizing it. But later, when I was an early teen I picked up Piercing the Darkness by Frank Peretti. Nothing was ever the same after that!

How did you get published?

I’ve wanted to have a book published since I was a teen. But it didn’t happen overnight. Aspiring writers would do well to go into the profession assuming it’s going to take at least ten years to be published. Maybe longer. It’s like an apprenticeship. A silversmith doesn’t show up at the shop and expect to craft a masterpiece their first day. It’s the same with novel writing.

I started writing my first novel when I was fifteen. After many years I completed it, and in 2004 I entered Thicker than Blood in the very first Operation First Novel contest run by the Christian Writers Guild and sponsored by Tyndale House. At the time the book was only 67,000 words and needed lots of work. But it still became one of twenty semi-finalists that year. That was a huge boost to my writing self-esteem.

So I started submitting to publishers. And received rejections. And more rejections. I wasn’t submitting simultaneously in the beginning, so often I ended up waiting months for a response. But some editors were kind enough to offer suggestions on how I could improve the story. I tweaked and revised. Added 10,000 words. Continued to submit. And got rejected some more.

By this time I was really getting discouraged. It had been almost fifteen years since I began writing the book, and I was ready to put the novel in a drawer and start submitting my almost finished second book. I was, literally, days away from doing this when lying in bed one night a thought hit me (and this time it really did come as a Eureka! type of moment). “Wait a minute,” I thought. “I have a completed novel that’s even better than when I first submitted it. Why don’t I send it to this year’s Operation First Novel contest?” I would use the contest as a test of the novel’s worth. If it placed again, I’d know it wasn’t complete rubbish. If it didn’t, then it was time to move on.

At this point I had something like two weeks before the cut off for submissions in the contest. I got my manuscript sent in the nick of time. That was in September 2008. In November I found out Thicker than Blood was one of four finalists. Needless to say, I was elated. Maybe the story was publishable after all.

In February, at the Christian Writers Guild’s annual conference, I was amazed when they announced on stage that Thicker than Blood had won the contest! The winner received a contract with Tyndale House, and my little novel that could will release in January 2010.

What was it like meeting Jerry B. Jenkins?

Jerry is one of the most humble and soft-spoken people you will ever meet. His one liners can take down the house. I remember sitting at his and Dianna’s table for dinner at the Writing for the Soul conference. I was looking over all the fancy place settings and said, “My goal for the night is to keep from spilling something on myself.” Jerry leaned over and said, “Good luck.”

Do you put yourself into your books/characters?

There’s a little of me in all the characters I write. For example, the main character of Thicker than Blood, Christy Williams, works at a large used and rare bookstore. That stems from my own experiences in the antiquarian book world. I’ve been a used bookseller for over thirteen years and was able to incorporate a lot of what I’ve learned into this story. But there’s also some of me in the other main character of the book, May Williams, sister to Christy. She loves the outdoors and animals like I do.

How much research did Thicker than Blood take?

The most research I had to do revolved around cattle ranching. Half of the book takes place on a modern day Colorado ranch, and I knew nothing about ranching when I first started. But over the years I have amassed a collection of books on the subject, subscribed to magazines like Farm & Ranch Living, and kept my ears tuned to anything and everything ranching. So really, I’ve been researching this novel as long as I’ve been writing it.

The rare books parts of the story didn’t take as much research since I’ve been involved in the antiquarian book industry for about as many years as I’ve been writing. But even so, I had to check my facts and make sure I was getting everything right.

What was the most interesting fact that you learned while writing Thicker than Blood?

It still surprises me what books end up being valuable. Old doesn’t always mean rare. You can have a book from 1850 that’s worth five bucks and a novel from 1991 worth thousands. Think Harry Potter. A true first edition Harry Potter and the Philospher’s Stone (UK edition) can fetch over $20,000. And sometimes a book’s dust jacket can be even more valuable than the book itself, which is crazy.

What is the main theme of Thicker than Blood?

The main theme of this novel is that love is thicker than blood. God’s love, that is. As Christy and May Williams find out, their blood ties were not enough to keep them together. It takes something more to make them a family again.

Another theme that’s important to me is that no one’s ever too far gone for God’s love to reach them. We might think we’ve screwed up too many times, that God could never love us for what we’ve done, but in reality God’s just waiting for us to take one step toward Him so he can wrap his arms around us.

Did you have any say in choosing the book cover for Thicker than Blood?

Tyndale surprised me with that cover on stage when they announced my book as the winner of the 2008 Operation First Novel contest. It so beautifully captures the story. I couldn’t be happier with it. The designer, Jennifer Ghionzoli, is brilliant. She actually took that picture of the books on the cover herself.

What is your writing style? (Do you outline? Write “by the seat-of-your-pants? Or somewhere in-between?)

Oh, how I wish I could outline a book and know all the twists and turns before I start! But then again . . . that might take away some of the fun of discovery. I’m pretty much a seat-of-the-pants writer. I do generally have a basic concept before I start. For Thicker than Blood I knew I wanted to write about two estranged sisters, but I didn’t know exactly how the book would end. In early drafts I had things stopping rather abruptly. It usually takes a couple re-writes before I discover exactly what it is I want to say.

Are there certain foods or snacks which keeps the words flowing for you?

I love a good cup of strong tea, and a triple cappuccino doesn’t hurt the word count either. I don’t really snack on food much when I’m writing, which is probably a good thing. Though those Chili & Lime chips are calling my name . . . Unfortunately, I do sometimes find myself in the kitchen when the words don’t come.

How does your faith affect your writing?

My faith is the reason I write. Several years ago I was questioning the value of writing as a ministry, and the Lord brought to my attention that Scripture in Ephesians which talks about each of us being called to different things. When I got to the part about evangelists, I felt like the Lord was telling me that was my calling. Through my writing I have the chance to share the greatest story every told. Maybe someone who would not receive from a pastor or a preacher would pick up a novel. That’s my hope---that people would read my stories and understand how much God loves them.

What is your ideal day like?

I’d wake up slowly, cuddling with my dogs in bed. Then I’d head to the kitchen and eat my cereal. After that I’d take my morning cup of Irish Breakfast and sit in front of the computer checking my e-mail. Then I’d turn the computer off so I wouldn’t be distracted to check it again later in the day. Then I’d do my devotions.

Later I’d have a brand new novel to read, and I’d spend several lazy hours doing just that. Then around noon I’d have a tasty lunch of something I didn’t have to cook. With cappuccino in hand, I’d actually head to my laptop to do some writing. I get cranky if I’m not writing.

In the afternoon I’d head to Barnes and Noble and spend some time browsing (and sipping another cappuccino). I’d eat dinner in the café or at the Olive Garden. Then I’d head on over to the movie theater to watch a much anticipated flick (a family-friendly thriller would be ideal), with buttered popcorn and something hot to drink.

Once I was back home my teeth would magically brush themselves, and I’d curl up in bed with my dogs again and crack open that novel for just a few more pages . . .

Tell us about your site TitleTrakk.com.

TitleTrakk.com is a Christian entertainment website my sister Tracy and I started in 2006. We update weekly, and so far we’ve featured 200+ author, musician and filmmaker interviews, as well as hundreds of book, music and movie reviews. The future is bright for TitleTrakk, and we see ourselves continuing in the same direction we’ve been running for the past couple years, only hopefully more and more folks will discover us.

It’s been an incredible experience to interview so many talented people. I’m often blessed by the interviews myself because pretty much everyone we’ve interviewed has been so nice!

What's next for you?

I have recently completed the sequel to Thicker than Blood, and some of the major characters of Thicker return as minor characters. In this book it’s a rare first edition of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald which takes center stage. Believe it or not, a first edition copy with the first state dust jacket can fetch over $25,000. I’m really excited about my second novel because I think I’ve grown as a writer since writing my first.

The spiritual theme of the second novel is reaching out to those who might seem like lost causes. There are hurting people all around us, especially teenagers, who desperately need to know they’re loved. The main character of the novel is actually a teenager. A mother/daughter theme crept into the story as well.

I’m also in the beginning stages of a third novel which also has some recurring characters and locations.

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