Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
OI am originally from Newport Beach, California and have twenty years of experience writing fiction, nonfiction, and movie screenplays. My areas of expertise also includes film and media production, global strategy, and international marketing.
I received a Bachelor of Arts in British Literature and European History from Brown University; did post- graduate work at Harvard University; earned an MBA from Boston College; and I am pursuing a Master of Science in Advanced Management and a PhD in Strategy.
Now based in San Diego, I am a strong supporter of education and the arts. I enjoys world travel, reading, riding, swimming, sailing, tennis, and am currently on a National School Book Tour with Britfield & The Lost Crown speaking to students on the importance of creativity!
Award-Winning “Britfield & the Lost Crown”, is my debut novel meant to be the first book in a thrilling seven-part series based on family, friendship, loyalty, and courage that is written for pre-teens, Y/A, and readers of all ages.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
This is an interesting 2-part story. About 13 years ago I was traveling through Eastern Europe. I was in a local shop in Bratislava, Slovakia when I saw this wonderful ceramic balloon hanging from the ceiling. It was round balloon with three ropes attached to a basket that had a boy and a girl. I can still see the image. I purchased ceramic for my sister and her children, thinking nothing more about it. Then three years later, I was working at an investment bank in Boston and was at a boring weekend seminar in Providence, RI. I started to drift so I began to doodle. I simply drew an image of a circle (balloon), three lines, and a basket with a boy and a girl. The idea for Britfield suddenly hit me—two orphans living at a horrible orphanage (Weather) in Yorkshire, England escape the awful conditions, commandeer a hot air balloon and head towards London. Four years and 2,500 hours later Britfield & the Lost Crown was completed.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really, kinda boring! I write best in the very early morning. Once I start creating or editing a book, I will finish it, whether it takes eight weeks or eight months—I stay with it until it’s complete. For me, the best way to write is uninterrupted, in a quiet place. Just start and keep going until you are finished. Everyone has their own style—what works best for them. I’ll start early in the morning, go for about three or four hours, take a break: working out, running or swimming. Then I’ll have lunch, rest and go back to writing for another four or five hours. By five or six o’clock in the evening, I’m exhausted and finished for the day.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
There are many, but here are a few. I enjoy Charles Dickens and his ability to take a Shakespearean cast of characters and seamlessly weave them through his stories. I have been heavily influenced by C. S. Lewis, his amazing depth and creativity as an author. Jane Austen captured the aristocracy, the intrigue, the forced etiquette and the psychological games and hypocrisies of the upper classes. The Bronte sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Anne, wrote mysterious, romantic gothic novels that are powerful, moving and deep. Thomas Hardy took simple characters living in a rural setting and created complex, multilayered stories.
What are you working on now?
I finished Britfield & the Rise of the Lion, Book II (Set in France) and will begin the professional editing process this month. I will be starting on Britfield & the Return of the Prince, Book III (Set in Italy) this spring.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am currently traveling the United Staes on the Britfield National Book Tour where we will be seeing 250+ schools and engaging 30,000+ students, as well as visiting many Bookstores and libraries along the way.
We are also creating an army of Britfield fans through our website, online book promotions, marketing campaigns, and partnerships.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Story is everything. It can be simple or complex, but it must be interesting and well told. Find a unique story and start writing. First create your structure: beginning, middle and end. It’s easier when you think about the story in chapters: where’s the book going, what happens next and how will it end? Develop your characters and know them well—give them depth and obstacles that they must overcome. Do your research and master the subject you’re writing about. Also, read. Enjoy reading and understand what’s out in the market. Find writers you like and learn from them: how they tell a story, the way they structure or pace their narrative, how they describe things. Analyze these books and figure out what makes them interesting or compelling—why they’re successful or why they work as a novel. You never want to copy a style or another writer, but it’s essential to study the literary world you want to enter. If I were a painter, I would study other painters. If I were a composer, I would study other composers. It’s very important to develop your own style and what makes you unique, but this will come with time and experience.
Remember, nothing happens overnight. It takes commitment, discipline and endurance to produce an engaging and inspiring novel. To write and finish a book, you must first begin and spend time with it. Don’t worry about your first draft; just get your ideas and words onto paper (or the computer). Challenge yourself each day to produce a certain amount, perhaps two or three new pages. If you’re stuck on the next chapter, but you know what happens in another section, then jump to that scene. Just keep writing. If you can’t think of anything new, then start editing what you’ve already written, but just keep writing. This is the discipline and commitment needed to finish a book. However, it’s one thing to create your story, structure, characters and a compelling narrative; it’s another to edit. They say that writing is 10% and editing is 90%. I find this relatively accurate. The more you edit, the better your story becomes; the more you edit, the more polished your writing becomes. Nevertheless, there is a time when you must finish and let it go, so you can move onto your next story. Most importantly, have fun. Write because you enjoy it.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I piloted Britfield in several schools with groups of target age readers. I met with the students in groups of five and LISTENED to all of their advice and suggestions to make it a better book. They were brilliant! They are who I am writing for, after all!
What are you reading now?
I enjoy biographies and history, which has obviously influenced my writing. I like going deep into a subject, learning the details of people’s lives, how they lived, what they overcame and how they succeeded. I just finished two extraordinary biographies–Mary, Queen of the Scots by Antonia Fraser and The Life of Elizabeth I by Alison Weir—and I highly recommend both books. The history is fascinating and what these two women endured is stunning. The truth is often far more dramatic than fiction, which is why I enjoy weaving history into my novels.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I have finished “Britfield & the Rise of the Lion”, Book II, which takes place in France, and will begin the professional editing process this month. I hope to start “Britfield & the Return of the Prince”, Book III (Set in Italy) this spring 2020.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
“The Mouse and the Motorcycle”, by Beverly Cleary; “James and the Giant Peach”, by Roald Dahl; and any one of the Hardy Boys series.
Author Websites and Profiles
C. R. Stewart Website
C. R. Stewart Amazon Profile
C. R. Stewart’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account