Interview with C.M. Skiera

Published 2013-12-18.
Who are your favorite authors?
I love George R.R. Martin and Robin Hobb, as well as the late, great Ray Bradbury and Elmore Leonard, but honestly, there are too many to list.
When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?
I have trouble keeping away from video games--they're my guilty pleasure, especially RPGs. I also spend time with my wife and dogs and have a day job that pays the bills.
How do you discover the ebooks you read?
Since I've self-published, I've met so many other indie authors via social media that I've filled my reading backlog with their books. I'm always curious to read someone's work once I've interacted with them.
What is your writing process?
I'm a planner, not a pantster. I outline, mind-map, plan, and prepare before I dive into the writing. I like to have a roadmap to keep me on track. Once I start writing, for the most part, I work from start-to-finish until the first draft is complete, then began the re-reading and revising process.
What do you read for pleasure?
I read just about anything I can get my hands on. Obviously, I read fantasy, but also enjoy SF and crime novels (especially Elmore Leonard) and anything that catches my attention.
What is your e-reading device of choice?
I currently own a Google Nexus 7, which is a very nice tablet; however, I also e-read on my phone and computer.
What motivated you to become an indie author?
I wrote my first and second novels back in the mid 1990s and tried to get published the traditional way, but never secured a deal. Once the self-publishing movement started in earnest, I decided to give it a try. I already had the novel written, I just needed to learn how to be a self-published author. Smashwords was a huge help in that regard.
How has Smashwords contributed to your success?
Smashwords and the free guides by Mark Coker provided excellent step-by-step directions on how to turn my MS Word file into an e-book and then distribute, market, and sell it. I found Smashwords very user-friendly and highly efficient throughout the self-publishing process.
What are your five favorite books, and why?
This is a hard question, because many of my favorite books are part of a series, which I love because of their epic scopes and complex plot lines. Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, and the Farseer Trilogy are my three favorites in that regard. Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut, Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson, The Princess Bride by William Golden, along with The Count of Monte Cristo and The Great Gatsby are five of my favorite stand-alone novels.
When did you first start writing?
I first started writing with the intent of getting published around 1995, shortly after I graduated college and purchased my own computer.
Smashwords Interviews are created by the profiled author or publisher.