Secret Worlds Author Spotlight: Caethes Faron

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Today, I’d like to welcome Caethes Faron to my blog. Caethes Faron's writing is influenced by her observations of this imperfect world and the flawed characters who inhabit it. She writes equal opportunity books featuring gay, straight, and bisexual characters. Her bittersweet love stories are just as likely to leave readers in tears as smiles, and her love scenes don't fade to black. She enjoys empowering the powerless and exploring the nature of human relationships in different sci-fi and fantasy settings.

She's lived in seven states and is always looking for the next place to call home with her husband and two dogs. She currently resides in Florida.

JET: Can you tell us about your most recent book?
My most recent book is In Distress, a sci-fi m/m romance set in a dystopian future where science rules society by splitting people into castes based on their DNA. The highest caste, Alphas, own the lowest caste, Zeds. Our story focuses on Malcolm, an Alpha who doesn’t fit in where society has placed him, and the Zeds who belong to him. When he gets Will, a new Zed, his world is turned upside down.

I also have an m/f paranormal romance, Haunting Echoes, that is included in the upcoming Secret Worlds boxed set, available for pre-order now. Here’s the blurb for it:

Amaia was one of the most sought after courtesans in King James's London when she became a vampire. Together with her sire, Lawrence, she works to birth a new, more powerful race of vampires. She has everything she could want: wealth, prestige, and eternal life.

She fears nothing. That is, until Michael, the first man she killed, walks into a tavern twenty-three years after she killed him. He has more reason than most to hate her; he's the man who gave her the engagement ring she still wears. She's convinced he's come back from the grave for one purpose: to destroy her.

Michael's gray eyes haunt Amaia until she surrenders and goes to him. If her clan finds out about her obsession, they'll kill her and him. But if she stays away, she'll go mad. Both paths lead to destruction, and it's up to Amaia to find a way to keep herself and Michael alive, whether Michael still loves her or not.

JET: What drew you to your genre?
Honestly, I just write the stories that come to me. I don’t think about genre during the writing process. I’m drawn to writing about relationships, especially between people society says shouldn’t be together, and I like sci-fi and fantasy settings.

JET: What’s been your most challenging hurdle on the road to publication?
Definitely self-confidence and imposter syndrome. I love the stories I write, but it’s still weird for me to think of other people liking them too. The fact that readers pay for my books and send me emails telling me how the books I wrote affected their lives blows my mind. A part of me always wants to say, “You know I just made that up and wrote it down, right?” I’ve spent so much of my life idolizing writers that it’s hard to feel like I am one.

JET: What was your favorite moment in the journey?
Getting emails from readers and realizing that others like my stories. Nothing makes me happier than other people getting what I’m trying to accomplish with my books. To hear that a book of mine gave someone hope and encouraged them to be a better person is profoundly humbling. I’ve met so many amazing people, both writers and readers. It’s crazy that part of what drew me to writing was the solidarity, but the relationships I’ve formed with people have turned out to be my favorite part of the journey.

JET: Which authors had the most influence over you growing up?
It’s so hard to pick! I read anything and everything as a child. Beverly Cleary, C.S. Lewis, and Lois Lowry are a few that come to mind.

JET: When did you know you wanted to take the plunge into the writing world?
I always knew I wanted to write, and was even published in anthologies in high school, but it never seemed practical. I’ve always done the responsible thing, and writing didn’t fit into my picture of being an adult. It feels self-indulgent to write when there are things like bills to pay. I finally took the plunge when my husband convinced me to. He’s always been supportive, and when I fell into a deep depression, he urged me to write as a way to help. I’m so glad I let my stubbornness go and gave in. And I’m grateful my own personal love story had an HEA that gave me the chance to follow my dreams.

JET: What’s the craziest thing you’ve done in the name of book research? Most interesting fact you uncovered?
My first series dealt with slavery in a fictional world, and I could bore you with all the stuff I know about slavery throughout time and in different cultures all the way up to the modern day. There are so many interesting things I’ve learned about different time periods that I’ve had to leave out of my books because people wouldn’t believe that they were actually a reality. However, the craziest thing was when I had to turn to Google to find out if fingers on a dead body prune. That’s what Google Chrome Incognito windows are for! I hate to think what someone would say if they found that in my search history. And the answer is yes, fingers on a dead body do prune in water.

JET: Of all the novels and stories you’ve written - which one is your favorite? Why?
My Measure of Devotion series is my favorite, probably because it’s the first. Out of the three books, the third one, Measure of Peace, tends to be my favorite because it was an intensely emotional experience writing it. It’s the one I’ve read the least due to how personal and raw it is to me. When I set out to write it, I didn’t know it would churn such deeply buried feelings. I cried much of the time I was writing it.

JET: Any advice (from a writer’s standpoint) for the novices out there?
Just write. There’s a million reasons not to do it, but if you still want to, then just go for it. Write your heart out, and then if you want to publish, pull in trusted voices to edit and make your book ready for public consumption. Write for yourself, but publish for the reader.

JET: All right - now that I’ve hammered you with the big questions, let’s tackle my favorite (and geeky) quick ten...starting with Steak or Tofu?

Steak

JET: Leather or Lace?

Lace

JET: Paper or Digital?

Digital

JET: Silent Film Classics or Cheesy B Rated Horror?

Silent film classics

JET: Classics or Modern?

Classics

JET: Vamps or Wolves?

Vamps

JET: Horror or Comedy?

Comedy

JET: Cat or Dog?

Dog

JET: Audio books or E-books?

E-books

JET: Sword wielding ninja or Gun toting momma?

Sword wielding ninja

JET: Thank you for indulging me. Before we wrap this up, can you tell us what you're working on now? What's next?
Right now I’m working on In Pain, the sequel to In Distress. Now that Malcolm and Will are together, they’re working with their family to change the world they live in. I’ve mapped out the series, and it will take up much of my year as it’s my longest work to date.

Thank you so much for taking the time to chat on my blog. Folks, you can find out more about Caethes Faron and her work at the following places: