Interview with C.G. Drews!

Hey, fellow adventurers! I’m very happy to announce that today, there will be a very special guest joining me in this little post…*drum roll please*…C.G. DREWS!

This girl—author, blogger, and proclaimed cake enthusiast—has been a real inspiration to me. I’ve been following her blog for a couple years now and have recently fallen in love with her novels. I’ve been given an amazing opportunity now to interview her.

I’ve mentioned her previously on this blog within a giveaway I hosted that included her book, The Boy who Steals Houses, as one of the prizes. Stay tuned for the end of this post and I’ll announce the lucky winner!

Without further ado, let’s begin!

Hey! First of all, I would like to say that I am SO GRATEFUL and HONOURED to be able to interview you today! It’s a blessing to have you here! In order to begin, would you mind introducing yourself to everyone?

It’s so lovely to be here, thank you for having me! So hi everyone *waves* My name is C.G Drews and I’m the author of A Thousand Perfect Notes and The Boy Who Steals Houses. I live in Australia with a wild little dog and so many books. (And I secretly believe in cake for breakfast.)

Thank you! Now, for a little icebreaker—how did you spend your Christmas this past week?

Really quietly, which is actually my favourite thing! I also am the unofficial dessert baker in my family, so I made an eggnog cheesecake that was totally divine.

You’re a published author of two lovely novels, one of them being The Boy who Steals Houses, which was included in my blog opening giveaway. What is it like being a published author? What’s different about your life now than before you were published?

Honestly it’s still surreal to go into a bookstore and be able to see my books on the shelves. That was always my top dream and I go all starry-eyed and grateful that it happened!! I think one of the biggest differences now, after being published, is that I write slower. I used to crash out fast drafts (I wrote The Boy Who Steals Houses in 3 days!) and take months in editing. Now I’m slower and more thoughtful about my drafts.

And it seems you published a short story lately too! What was your writing and publishing process like for that? How was it different to writing a novel?

It was easy to write The Girl Who Steals Christmas because I already knew the characters…and I really missed them! Ahhh! I’d been thinking about the short story for a while, but I hadn’t wholly plotted it, whereas I always intensely plot my novels. Then I started typing and it all came together in a rush. LOVED that.

Talking about TBWSH again, which character—if you could choose—do you feel you relate to the most, and why? (I myself am 100 percent Sam in every way!)

I am a disaster mess of both Sam and Avery to be honest! Sam being lost in a crowd is definitely something I’ve experienced too, which was one of the inspirations behind the book.

Both you and your character, Avery, have autism. I have a sensory disorder with a lot of similar traits, so I find it wonderful to see #ownvoices representation in YA lit. What do you think neurotypical authors get wrong when it comes to autism representation? Do you think there are any ways the YA market could improve in that area?

Unfortunately a lot of books with autism fall into a lot of dangerous pitfalls. The worst being: making the character “overcome” their autism, as if that will help them be happier, fall in love, and ride cheerily into the sunset. Agh! It makes me so sad because it’s effectively saying autism is something to be ashamed of. Writing autism books should be about acknowledging the hard and frustrating parts (sensory issues suck so much! I struggle with this every day and practically live with noise-cancelling head phones on), but representing autism in books should also be about writing autism pride and letting us love and be loved for who we are, as we are.

You keep a lovely blog @ paperfury.com. How does book blogging affect the way you read? Do you think it helps you cherish books more?

I definitely am used to overanalysing as I read and thinking about how I’ll review. But that’s also good for writing! The more you analyse other books, the more you hone your own craft.

Going onto fun questions…say you were stuck on a desert island and could only keep three books with you. What would they be?

Noooooo this is so hard. Haha! I think I’d go for The Raven Cycle (can I pretend they’re all one book?) and The Wicker King, and lastly Chain of Gold because I haven’t read it yet but I know I’ll love it!

And, lastly, is there any quote or motto you live by? If so, what is it?

Be kind! To yourself and to others. I honestly think the world would be a better place if we were all kinder, more empathetic, and remembered there’s more to everyone’s story than what we can see.

Thank you so much, Cait, for this lovely conversation!! It was a pleasure interviewing you! *sends virtual cakes*

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE GIVEAWAY! It was such a rewarding experience organizing this and a great way to start off my blog! The lucky winner is..

ANA D! I will be emailing you shortly. Congratulations!

Keep on wandering,

LET’S TALK! What do you think? Should we have cake for breakfast? Which TBWSH character are you most like?

4 comments / Add your comment below

  1. Haven’t read The Boy Who Steals Houses Yet, but it’s definitely on my list now! (Also, cake is for sure a breakfast food!)

  2. Amazing! Your blog feels so professional and cool already! I look forward to reading more of your stuff, and I’m so excited to see where this will go.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *