Interview with author C.D. Gill

Today I have the privilege of interviewing author Christy Gill (who writes as C.D. Gill) on the Brave Blog. She writes romantic adventure/suspense. Welcome, Christy! Let’s jump in.

Sarah: How would you define bravery? What is it? Where does it come from?

Christy: Bravery is the ability to step into hard things knowing Who owns the end result. It comes from a place of peace and determination.

Sarah: I love that. What was the last book you read that you felt was brave?

Christy: Redeeming Heartache by Dan Allender

Sarah: I haven’t read that one. Thanks for the recommendation. What’s your favorite genre to read?

Christy: Romance and its subgenres (romantic suspense, romantsy, etc)

Sarah: Why do you write in the genre you do? Did you always want to write in that genre?

Christy: I write suspense and romantic suspense. I started with a suspense book and have kept in the vein. In order to achieve my goal of writing about the lesser-known injustices in the world, I have to keep suspense in the book.

Sarah: That makes sense. When did you know you wanted to be an author?

Christy: In 2012, after my dad died, I decided to finish a story that I started. From there I asked, “How hard would it be to get this published?” And out of that my determination to be an author arose.

Sarah: I’m glad you took the plunge. What is your brainstorming process like? Where do your ideas come from?

Christy: My big story ideas come from the news or international happenings. The storylines come from a “What if?” and grow from there.

Sarah: That’s fascinating. When do you write, and where?

Christy: I write whenever and wherever I can. I have 4 kids so I take whatever opportunity to write that the day gives me.

Sarah: I can relate! What is your author tagline? Why did you choose it?

Christy: Culturally diverse fiction that embraces justice. It’s a play on words. I write stories that always end with hope so that part is often counter-cultural for us these days, but I also write different cultures and different countries to bring awareness of the bigger world out there to readers who may be very inwardly focused.

Sarah: I absolutely love that tagline. It’s unique. Now, for a fun question. What are 3 things about you that we can’t find out from your bio?

Christy: I am a fraternal twin. I love dogs and chocolate. And Tex-Mex is my favorite food.

Sarah: Three cheers for chocolate! Okay, back to buisness. Which book of yours was the hardest to write? Why?

Christy: The Unexpected Escape which is book 2 in my current series, The Ferra Empire, was the hardest to write. It was an exercise in mental stamina for me. Each time I opened my draft, my mind would stall and I didn’t know where to go. It took a lot to push through that.

Sarah: Well, it looks wonderful (and what an amazing cover). Thanks for pressing through to bring it to readers. What subject have you done the most research on for your writing?

Christy: Without a doubt, trafficking of all kinds. 

Sarah: Who has helped you grow the most as a writer?

Christy: I don’t know him personally, but James Scott Bell. I love his books on the writing craft.

Sarah: He’s great! Such a wealth of writing wisdom. Okay, last question. What are you working on now?

Christy: I just finished Playing to Survive which will come out in October, so I’m starting to write a novella called Guarded which will be out October 2025 and it will be the start of a new series for me.

Sarah: Thanks for joining us on the Brave Blog. It was wonderful hearing more about you and I wish you the best on all your writing endeavors.

***C.D. Gill is giving away a coupon for a free book from my store for one of her Freedom’s Cry series. To enter this drawing, comment on this post. ***

About the author

C.D. Gill is the award-winning author of romantic adventure/suspense series. As a midwestern transplant living in the south, she traded the wide-open spaces for more sunshine and warmth year-round. Her insatiable love for travel and exploring new places finds a home in her action-packed fiction where times get hard for the characters but they’re never left without hope.