C.J. Darlington has not only been one of our best reviewers here at Infuze, but has also started her own website with her twin sister Tracy over at TitleTrakk.com, which features numerous reviews and interviews with Christian musicians and authors. In this interview, C.J. told me about balancing her writing, starting a site from scratch and the future plans for TitleTrakk.

Can you tell our readers more about Title Trakk? What do you cover and where did the idea come from?

TitleTrakk.com is an interactive website spotlighting Christian books and music. We feature surveys, polls, contests, author and musician interviews, book and album reviews, music videos, and book excerpts. The site's tagline is "Your Christian Book & Music Terminal." That's what we want TitleTrakk.com to be--a website where people of all walks can discover the amazing options available to them in Christian books and music today. As you know, the Christian book and music industry has exploded in recent years, maturing with real quality. We want to show that. Our goal is to bring these authors and musicians to the forefront, revealing there's something for every person's taste.

As far as where the idea came from... ever since I was young I've loved books. They've been a huge passion in my life. My twin sister Tracy (who's also a freelance writer) feels the same about music. We got to brainstorming about ways we could do some writing together. At first, TitleTrakk.com was just a way we could combine our writing interests. The plan was Tracy would provide content on music, I would cover the book angle. But we've quickly grown beyond that. We now have an incredibly talented team of writers working with us to bring TitleTrakk.com readers top-notch content. It's exciting.

What's coming up for the site in 2007? Any new areas or features in the works?

We have a lot of cool ideas for the future. More contests (be looking for our "Link 'n Win" contest very soon), a comparison page where if you like a particular secular book we'll suggest a Christian alternative (we'll also have the same type of thing for music), a weekly comic strip, and much more. We're about to feature an interview with the Newsboys. We've got many more author interviews coming up, including: Melanie Wells, Steven James, Matt Bronleewe, Randy Ingermanson, and Jill Elizabeth Nelson. We're also setting up interviews with musicians such as Jeremy Camp, Barlowgirl, Flyleaf, and more.

TitleTrakk.com bookmarks will be ready in early 2007, and subscribers to our e-newsletter "On Trakk" will have special access to a contest which involves bookmarks, photography, and imagination.

You also have a lot of writing that you're doing on your own including a couple novels, correct? Can you tell us about those?

Gladly! My first novel Thicker Than Blood is about two estranged sisters who meet again after fifteen years. But what makes the story a little different is the antiquarian book angle. My background is in used and rare bookselling, so half of the story takes place in or around a large used bookstore called Dawson's Barn of Books, and I get to incorporate some fascinating rare book tidbits into the story. In fact, a first edition For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway plays a big part in the story's outcome. The other half of the book takes place on a working cattle ranch and shows the gritty and unpredictable way of life for today's ranchers who live on the edge of extreme beauty, hardship, and danger. If anyone's interested, I've posted a back-cover copy type synopsis of the novel over at my blog.

Currently I'm writing my second novel, Innocent Blood. It's a sequel to Thicker Than Blood in that some of the main characters of my first novel become minor characters in the second. And again, rare books play an important role. This time I'm featuring a rare copy of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Did you know first editions with dust jackets can be worth over 30 grand? Let's just say someone wants this book bad enough to murder for it.

What does that process look like? The shopping around of your novel to publishers?

In most cases an editor doesn't want to see a full manuscript up front. They'll want a proposal, which can include a number of different elements. I include a short back-cover type synopsis, a longer six page synopsis, the first three chapters of the book, and sections on marketing, about the author, target audience and series potential. If an editor likes what they see, they'll ask to see the complete manuscript. It's really important to make your proposal sing. It's your only chance to make a good first impression on an editor or agent. Sort of like a job interview. You want to look your best.

Do you hope that Title Trakk becomes a pathway to further your novel writing career? Or do you see those two working together somehow?

I think any way a writer can get their name in front of people will benefit their career. TitleTrakk.com and my novel writing could easily work together in the future. It'll be interesting to see how it all pans out.

Do you do TitleTrakk full-time? How do you balance the different types of writing you are doing? Do you have a set writing schedule?

I don't do TitleTrakk full time. I still have a day job, as many writers do. But in a way that's a good thing. Having diversity helps prime the writing pump. If I don't actually get out and live life, it would be very easy for my well to run dry.

Balancing the different types of writing is sometimes challenging. But again, it's a good thing to have diversity. I learn something from every type of writing I do. For example, reading novels and then writing a review of the story has exposed me to some authors I might not otherwise have picked up. And I've found that one of the best ways to teach myself the fiction writing craft is to read novels and see how other authors have succeeded.

Most of my writing is done in the evenings and on weekends. After my day job work, I do three hours of TitleTrakk writing, which involves setting up and conducting interviews, writing book reviews, corresponding with publicists, preparing site copy, etc. Then in the evening I try to get in at least two hours of my fiction writing. One of my writing friends recommends setting word count goals, and I think that's the way I will accomplish even more. Deadlines do wonders!