What starts as a stapled-together notebook in high school can one day become a published hit—and that’s exactly what happened for C. Wilson.
With The Mafia Royalty Book 1 now live on Galatea, we sat down with the author to talk about her decade-long writing journey, winning a cowboy romance contest on Inkitt, and how music fuels the raw emotion behind her characters. Her story is one of passion, perseverance, and learning to love your own voice.
Read Mafia Royalty Book 1
Inkitt: What inspired you to become an author?
C. Wilson: In high school, I would tear pages out of my school notebooks and staple the pages together to create my own mini booklet where I write short drama-packed stories.
One day, my teacher caught me writing in class and got a hold of my booklet. She read it, then shared it with the teaching staff. They were all impressed with what I did, and my English teacher praised me.
I think that was what sparked my passion for storytelling. Seeing others enjoy my work made me really happy and I couldn’t imagine anything better.
Inkitt: Have you participated in any Inkitt writing contests?
C. Wilson: During the summer, Inkitt hosted a cowboy romance contest that really tickled my fancy. It was a very new experience for me because I had never written a cowboy romance before and I knew next to nothing about them. However, after doing my research, it felt like I travelled to the south through my writing. I was really pleased with my story, and the end result was me winning the contest and becoming the happiest author ever.
Inkitt: When did you find out you were going to be a Galatea author?
C. Wilson: I found out I was going to be a Galatea author on January 24th, 2025. When I received the email, I screamed my house down before I could even fully read its contents. All I needed to see was the ‘Welcome to Galatea’ and nothing else mattered. A week later and my voice had yet to die down. I was beside myself with joy.
Inkitt: What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your writing journey?
C. Wilson, author on Inkitt and Galatea (profile illustration)
C. Wilson: The biggest challenge that I’ve faced in my writing journey is self-doubt. I have been writing for over ten years, yet many stories that I have posted before were all taken down and tossed into my unfinished pile due to my lack of confidence in myself and my writing.
I kept feeling like nothing was good enough while striving for perfection in a story that wasn’t fully crafted yet.
To overcome this, I changed my mindset. I stopped thinking of my story as something that needs to be perfect at the first stroke of my pen, and thought of it as a painting that doesn’t reveal its beauty until it’s complete.
Inkitt: Is there a piece of advice you were given early in your career that’s stuck with you?
C. Wilson: Do you want to know how to win against your mind? Keep going. It isn’t the advice you want, but it’s the advice that gets you far in life, because where you end up will be a long way from where you began. You cannot edit a blank page. These words have played over and over again in my mind, and they’ve changed my thinking in the best ways possible.
Inkitt: What advice would you give to other Inkitt authors hoping to sign a Galatea contract?
C. Wilson: Love yourself before you ever love your story. Passion comes from within, and you want others to feel your passion. That is how you progress.
Inkitt: Where do you find inspiration for your stories?
C. Wilson: Music is my muse. I don’t just feel the rhythm, I embody the lyrics and allow them to create worlds of excitement and romance that my teenage self would dance around in my room and squeal to. Music has helped me craft many ideas, but I can also gain ideas from watching movies, TikTok videos, and any sort of interesting media that makes me go, ‘I want to write my own version of this.’
Inkitt: Do you have any specific writing rituals?
C. Wilson: Sitting down at my desk with my headphones on and violin covers playing in my ears is a calming way to ease myself into writing. The words flow like water.
Inkitt: Are you a plotter or a pantser?
C. Wilson: I am a pantser through and through. Plotting gives me writer’s block. I love to write freely, giving my stories that spontaneous edge that surprises even myself.
Inkitt: How do you develop your characters?
C. Wilson: I make a mental note of each character in my head, and I picture their personalities and how they would react in certain situations. I think of ways to make them more human by giving them scenarios and questions that we ourselves face in our day to day lives. This has helped to create responses that even I myself sometimes gasp at. Especially when I’m rereading my story after quite some time. I tend to wonder to myself, ‘did I write this? Oh, wow.’
Inkitt: Are there any recurring themes or messages you hope readers take away from your stories?
C. Wilson: In most my stories, there’s always a scene where a character is listening to music and singing along. It’s a depiction of how therapeutic I find music to be. I want my readers to finish my stories in a much better mood than when they began.
Final Thoughts
C. Wilson’s journey from self-doubt to Galatea author is a powerful reminder that creativity isn’t about perfection—it’s about persistence. Mafia Royalty Book 1 blends suspense, emotion, and heart, and it’s just the beginning of a much bigger story. Whether you’re a new writer or ten years into your craft, Sheemie’s words will resonate: “Love yourself before you ever love your story.”
